“After the emergency protocol of COVID-19, I had to close my shop temporarily. I want to be sure that once I turn the coffee machine back on, everything will function correctly. Do you have any suggestions on how to turn off and back on my machine and grinders correctly?” Bristol Twenty received this message yesterday from a barista, that, like many, has been forced to close their shop due to Coronavirus pandemic temporarily.

Following up with many of you, we decided to share our recommendations for a correct maintenance procedure on how to turn off and on the coffee machine. As we are keen on saying, a clean and controlled machine guarantees optimal performance, excellent quality, and lasts longer!

Please find below the the necessary and suggested steps by Bristol Twenty Coffee for preservation for the temporary shutdown of the machines and grinders:

• Perform full back flush; (see below)
• Clean thoroughly on the shower screens and steam wands and around the seals;
• Flush lots of hot soapy water down the drain;
• Empty the grinder hopper and grind all beans through until empty;
• Switch off the power. On the machine and at the wall;
• Close the main water tap connecting water to the machine.

For the re-starting of the machines and grinders:

• Switch ON the machine;
• Purge all the groups for a long time (1lt of water per group);
• Flush the boiler by pouring hot water from the hot water spout (once the machine is ON and reached the 1 bar) to exchange the water in the main boiler with fresh water. The boilers will hold roughly 4-5 lt for the 2 groups and 2-3 lt for the Compact 2 groups.
• Flush through the water softener. (2 ltrs of water) (see below)
• Purge the steam arms (once the machine is ON and reached 1 bar)
• Reset the grinder with fresh coffee (see below)