preparing your home espresso machine for extended storage.

Home espresso machine for extended storage: To keep in storage for four or more weeks is quite a long time for an espresso machine to sit cold and still, and parts that are used to being hot and moving can sometimes play up. 

Well maintained machinery that was properly prepared for the shut-down should be absolutely fine, but even then, there are a couple of things to look out for when you reopen. 

If you’re worried at all, or come across any problems, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on (09) 307 2060 or by emailing technical.nz@lamarzocco.com for free advice about your La Marzocco Home equipment. 

before storing your espresso machine.

1. Fill the water reservoir with tap water (we want water containing chlorine/sanitiser, to help kill any microbes in the cold water inlet pathways)
2. Turn on the machine and allow it to heat up fully.
3. Soak the steam wand for 10 minutes in a jug of very hot clean water, then immediately wipe it clean and purge with steam for 30 seconds. If you have a milk wand cleaning product (such as Cafetto MFC Blue) then use that with the hot water, according to the product instructions.
4. Backflush the machine with Puro Caff or similar machine cleaner, following the instructions on the product’s container.  Then brew and discard one shot of espresso (this ensures a thin layer of oil remains to protect the group valve internals from corrosion)
5. Remove the diffusion screen and screw. Soak in espresso machine cleaner as per container instructions. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Refit.
6. You may also wish to soak the filter baskets and portafilter in Puro Caff if there is heavy coffee oil build up, otherwise it’s best to wash them in warm water with a mild detergent. (Do not soak the portafilter’s plastic handle or put it in a dishwasher).
7. Now turn off the machine and immediately open the hot water tap, allow all the hot water and steam to escape, then close the tap. (Approximately 500-1000ml will come out).  Ensure both the hot water and steam knobs are turned off before storing.
   
   NOTE FOR GS3 (AV/MP): the steam boiler cannot be drained with the above method. It needs to be done through the menu.
8. Wash the drain tray thoroughly in warm water and mild detergent, removing all coffee residue.
9. Clean the rest of the machine with a soft, damp cloth.
10. Washing Reservoir (Rinse and dry throughly) – Below please find instructions for specific models:

Linea Micra

Linea Mini (2023)

Linea Mini (Pre 2023) & GS3 (AV/MP)

11. Inspect the plastic inlet tube that connects to the reservoir – if it is discoloured it may have some algae/mould growth inside, in which case it would ideally be replaced by a technician prior to storage – the far end is connected to the water pump inside the machine so requires tools to remove.
    
    Alternatively you could dose your reservoir with a water sanitation product (available from outdoor/camping stores). Or just don’t worry about it – the chlorine in tap water will likely take care of any health risk (see step 1)

12. Once everything has cooled down and dried, store in a dry location under a breathable dust cover.
    
    Note that these steps will not completely remove water from either of the two boilers, so it’s important to store the machine somewhere that will never get below freezing as ice formation could damage the machine.
    
    We don’t believe that removing all water from the boilers is necessary for safe storage. However, it will be important to heat and flush through the boilers, steam wand and hot tap thoroughly when you come to use the machine in future. This can be achieved by starting up the machine as you did when it was new, allowing it to heat fully, then running the group for 1 minute, followed by the steam wand for one minute, then switching off and emptying the steam boiler via the hot tap (step 6 above).