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As a service tech, I get a lot of questions about espresso machine repair. Most café owners I talk to start with "How much?" and "How long will it take?" Then it moves to, "How soon can you get here?" and when they find out it might take some time, it's "Really?!? OMG! We are totally down and can't serve coffee! Can't you get here any sooner?" But by that time, some damage has been done. The café owner's chance to avoid equipment—and thusly, financial—problems has in most cases already passed. But many of these issues can be avoided, or at least be made a little less stressful, by having a good preventive maintenance program already in place. Whether you are handy yourself, or can set up a good relationship with your local service provider, knowing that you are taking good care of your coffee equipment and have a good working knowledge of its service history can be invaluable in terms of saving you from the costs and major inconvenience of having your machine go down in the middle of a busy shift. It All Starts With Water The first thing to consider when looking at your setup is your water. As you well know, proper water filtration is the single most important aspect of any successful coffee program from a flavor standpoint. But you may not be aware of how important it is to the health of your coffee equipment, as well. You or your local water filtration expert can test the water on-site to determine what type of filtration is best suited for your area. Many factors can affect your water (and its interaction with your equipment), but the aspects of most concern to you are the chlorine content, chloride content, total dissolved solids, and total hardness. When you have your water tested, you want the results of the first two elements to land at zero. Chlorine and chlorides are highly corrosive, and in sufficient quantities they can eat through a steel boiler in a very short period of time (not to mention that chlorine tastes and smells awful and can ruin your delicious coffee). Total dissolved solids, or TDS, is a measure of the combined content of all cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) contained in the water that can safely make it through a filter down to two microns. You need some mineral content in your water in order to extract your coffee to the fullest degree, as they help the water's solvent properties. Hardness, on the other hand, is the measure of only the dissolved minerals in the water that are positively charged, typically calcium and magnesium. Minerals that cause hardness can build up on every surface throughout your espresso machine that they come in contact with, and in sufficient quantities can spell disaster for your machine. Even the best quality espresso machines can be severely impaired or damaged by water that is too hard. Water (or steam) must travel through nearly every moving part of your machine, and water that is too hard will cause scale to form in boilers, valves and tubing. Really, anywhere it comes in contact with metal in the machine, hard water can end up requiring costly repairs, descaling and potential downtime. Installing the correct filter setup and instituting regularly scheduled filter changes is, in my opinion, one of the most important parts of any preventive maintenance program. Most filter cartridges will have a rating stamped on the sides that tells you how many gallons it is rated for or how many grains of hardness it can handle, before it should be replaced or recharged. In places with extremely hard water, you may want to research and consider aquiring a reverse osmosis system which will remove everything from the water, and then bypass a little bit of water back in, to keep your mineral levels at the optimum level at all times. Whichever system you end up with, the main thing is to be sure that it is maintained regularly. Rise of the Machines The second piece of the preventive maintenance puzzle is the espresso machine itself. I sort of approach a preventative maintenance appointment the way a mechanic might approach an oil change. There is the basic work that needs to get done (group gaskets, baskets and screens changed, steam valves rebuilt, etc.), but it is also an opportunity to take a deeper look at how the entire machine is functioning, so you are aware of things that may TO THE AMAZING Marcus Boni You are an inspiration a tireless worker a leader a barista advocate a true friend. a karaoke genius a force You have guided barista competitions and events to an unprecedented level of professionalism, and for that, we salute you. Ken, Sarah and baristas around the globe Big ups, 68 barista magazine