How to descale the Delonghi Dedica: a step by step guide

Does your DeLonghi Dedica never leave your countertop, or has it become the star of your open-space? It’s understandable. Easy to use for a manual machine, with few buttons but many settings like temperature or coffee length, it is appreciated and appreciable.

But all this will only last if you maintain it properly, especially with effective descaling. We explain everything in this tutorial to guarantee you excellent coffee week after week.

Descaling the DeLonghi Dedica: The Steps

Beforehand, get your DeLonghi descaler, or another compatible with the machine, and a container that can hold at least 1.5 liters. Also, remove the filter you have placed in the tank.

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1. Turn on your manual espresso machine.
2. Pour 100 ml of descaler into the water tank of your Dedica. Add 1 liter of water.
3. Place your container to collect water under the steam and coffee spouts, and remove the portafilter.
4. Wait a few seconds if necessary for the 1-cup and 2-cup lights to be on and steady.
5. Press the Steam button for 10 seconds to start descaling. The 3 buttons will flash in sequence to indicate that descaling is ready to start.
6. Turn the steam knob to the On position.
7. The program starts. It will take a little water mixed with descaler and let it act in the circuits before evacuating it.
8. The machine will repeat the operation several times until the water tank is empty.
9. From time to time, let water flow through the coffee spout to rinse it as well by closing the steam spout for a few seconds.
10. When the machine has emptied the water tank, the Steam button continues to flash (proof that descaling is not finished). Rinse and then fill the tank with water up to the Max level to perform the rinsing.
11. Empty the water tank.
12. Insert the water tank into its place.
13. Turn the steam knob to ON.
14. Press the Steam button to start the rinsing step.
15. Let the machine rinse until the water tank is empty. Remember to also rinse the coffee spout by closing the steam spout from time to time.
16. When the tank is empty, the light goes out.
17. Close the steam spout.
18. The machine is ready.

Details to Know before descaling

• If the procedure is stopped midway, you will have to start the descaling from scratch. However, if the procedure stopped during rinsing, you are not required to put descaler again.
• Make sure to fill the water up to the Max limit on the tank. If the machine does not pass enough water during rinsing, it will consider it poorly performed. You will then have to redo another pass with clear water.
• Using a filter inserted into the water tank extends the period between two descalings. It’s always appreciable. Moreover, it improves the taste of the coffee daily.

Why is Descaling the DeLonghi Dedica so Important?

Let’s be clear, descaling in general, and not just on the DeLonghi Dedica, is important. You have probably already complained about the limescale that accumulates in your bathroom, for example. These are residues of limestone left by unfiltered water, such as tap water. Imagine the damage this can do to the hydraulic circuits of your DeLonghi Dedica!

Regular descaling of your machine allows you to:

• Prolong the life of the circuits and thus the entire machine.
• Avoid potential repairs.
• Ensure the correct amount of water in your cup.
• Ensure the expected quality for taste, body, and aroma.
• Limit the noise during infusion.

Descaling should be done when the steam spout light flashes orange. But it can be done more regularly based on the following 4 points:

• The manufacturer’s recommendations accessible via the manual.
• The hardness of the water, which can generally be checked with a strip provided with the machine. Otherwise, it costs a few cents online.
• The amount of coffee consumed daily.
• The presence of a filtration system.

For average consumption (3 to 4 cups per day), this means every2 months.