Breville Oracle Touch Maintenance - How to descale (UPDATED)
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- Опубліковано 22 січ 2023
- This is an updated version of the previously posted "How to descale" video. Please watch the entire video first before attempting to descale.
In this video I review descaling intervals and go through all the steps of descaling the Breville Oracle Touch.
I was not able to get original Breville Descaling powder... it was out of stock or backordered everywhere, so I used this descaling solution instead, which seemed to work just fine (paid link): amzn.to/2WcOipV
Breville Customer Service informed me that I could use any descaling solution designed for espresso machines. This one had quite a few reviews from Breville users.
If you need a screwdriver, this one should be ok (paid link):
amzn.to/31VsCC4
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Thanks for taking the time to do the excellent video instructions. I know of 2 others whose descale light did not go off and their machines stopped. I have 2 Oracle Touch machines and am on it!
Thank you. I tried all the methods you said. It can finally be used normally. Thank you very much for your help.
I am happy you were able to resolve your issue.
Do you know which method actually helped? Thank you, and have a great day!
Excellent video, you make it look easy, impeccably done, thank you
Thank you Orrin. Descaling the Oracle and Oracle Touch is always scary. I never know when my machine will have a problem.
Thank you for such a great explanation
I love your tutorial!❤
Thanks for this video, I did notice when I removed my water tank to empty leftover descale liquid, it still had alot of it in the tank, like only a couple of cms below the max level, not sure what to do?
Thank you. I struggled with other videos and yours was very helpful. I’ll be honest, I never even knew how to take the water tank out as I had it gifted so thanks for showing that part too hahaha !
Your some dope
This worked. Thanks!
I have a lot more water/descaling solution left in my water tank than you do in your video 7:35 Is that a problem? Did it still work correctly?
Hi, thx for the video ! when you put the descale solution into the tank you add additional water…doesnt the solution become to thin than?
br
Thanks great video. I have a good tip. I descaled my machine with my own urine. It worked really well. No need to buy the descale solution anymore and my espresso tastes like piss
Same happened to our machine - we got it up to temp again, but after speaking with Breville customer support, we were encouraged to descale manually (not use the machine) in the future. Breville CS is sending us instructions.
Any tips on how to descale manually?
The Breville CS never sent the instructions.
The Breville CS never sent the instructions.
Thanks!
Hi. Thanks for all your videos. I'm looking at getting an oracle touch soon. I just wanted to ask, how easy is it to change the beans in the hopper? I like my caffinated coffee but my wife only drinks decaf. So if I wanted to make us both a drink is there a lot involved? Thanks
Switching the beans if not difficult. You can remove the hopper and switch our the beans quickly. It takes maybe a minute or two to get the beans that are sitting on the burrs (recommend using a pair of tweezers with rubber tips like this one: amzn.to/3y4JANS)
Next weekend I will publish a video that shows a few methods to single dose. If you want to easily switch coffee, single dosing would be a convenient option.
I have used my portable vacuum to suck out the residual beans when switching beans. Very quick. With either a Dyson or Miele battery powered vacuum, no attachment, just the round opening of the vacuum. @@CoffeeWiser
Hi! I have the Oracle Touch, as well. I've been doing my share of trial and error over the last 4 months. I found I had to get a separate grinder due to inconsistent shots with the stock grinder. In the past week, I installed an IMS precision kit (screen, SS inner screen and silicone gasket). I also installed a new Pullman precision filter basket on the portafilter. This morning, I tried to dial in my espresso and had problems from the start. It was nothing but slow drips (avg of 12-20g of yield), regardless of how coarse I kept going with the grinder. I started replacing one piece at a time back to the stock items, trying to do process of elimination. Finally, I had all the original Breville pieces back on and I was still getting slow drips! The coffee beans are about 12 days old, so I highly doubt it was the beans. I wish we could see the bar pressure on our OT. The entire time here I was thinking the new items I installed were causing this, but it might just need to be descaled. Have you ever had low flow and descaling got you back to good shots? It's been 4 months since I started using the machine and never descaled it as of yet. I've only used Crystal Geyser spring water because I have an RO system but was afraid of damaging the boilers. Thanks again for your videos. They are wonderfully made and enjoyable to watch. I've learned a lot about the OT from your videos. Cheers!
Hi Joe!
Thank you for watching the videos :)
If you are using the Claro Swiss water filters, I don't think you are due for a descale after only four months. I would wait to 9 months for a descale because descaling can lead to issues or a lot of troubleshooting time.
Are you encountering this issue while using your external grinder? I am pretty sure from your comments that this is not related to the internal grinder and tamp fan, is that right?
When you flush the group head without the portafilter, can you see increase water flow at around 8-9 seconds?
What happens if you grind coarser? Do you get any more yield?
Is the machine still under warranty?
@@CoffeeWiser Hey! I read in an article a few years ago that Crystal Geyser spring water was close to SCA water recommendations, so I've been using CG straight without a filter since September. Yesterday, when I changed the stock inner/outer shower screen and silicone gasket to an IMS screen and Cafelat gasket, I started getting the problems. It was as if water wasn't saturating the puck enough. I have a Breville Puck Sucker and it was having a hard time removing the puck. It was very cakey. All that came out from the bottom of the portafilter were little drops. I was getting an average of 10-20 grams yield. I swapped out the aftermarket and put the stock Breville items back in. I was still getting slow drips and cakey pucks. I coarsened the grind, but to no avail. All I can deduce is something partially clogged the line when I put the aftermarket items in the grouphead? Why else would it still do the same thing when I put the stock items back? I was given the OT by a friend last year lightly used, so I would have to check with Breville about the warranty. I haven't used the internal grinder and tamp fan in about a month since using the Baratza Sette 270. When I flush the group head, I do hear it ramping up at about 8-9 seconds and does seem like more water is flowing, but just perplexed on why the pucks don't look or act the same. You think I should hold off descaling? Thanks again for your help!
@@joegonzalez7518 It definitely looks like you are not getting enough pressure at the group head. I am really not sure if descaling would solve your issue. If you had a different machine, then I would say that there is no harm in trying, but descaling the OT can be tricky if the process is interrupted, or if the machine doesn't want to heat up after the descale is completed. If you decide to descale, watch the entire descale video first. If a water line is clogged, descaling would probably help, or solve the issue, so maybe that's a necessary step to rule out scale or water line clogs.
Another culprit may be a bad gasket somewhere in the machine. Have you noticed any water under the machine? I am sure you checked, but is it possible that the silicone gasket in the group head is not properly seated? That would also cause a loss of pressure.
DO not use RO water as it will corrode your boilers. Use soft water if possible.
Thank you. I love your videos. I was having the same issue it i let the machine go back to the Home Screen bc im busy doing other stuff in the kitchen. I set a timer on my phone, that way im back before the machine times out. How often should you clean the group head with the tablet?
Thank you very much for watching the videos!
Setting a timer is a great idea! I do that too, but I forgot to mention it in the video. Cleaning the group head should be done about every two months; the machine will tell you when it's time. You can download a cheat sheet for maintenance here: www.coffeewiser.com/resources
Thanks for the OT cheat sheet. Also, your Coffee Characteristis & Brewing Guide is great! @@CoffeeWiser
Hey, when you do the two extra rinse cycles do you have to drain the boilers before you do the 20 minute rinse? Or do you jump straight to the 20 minute rinse?
I am wondering the same thing - hoping for a reply :)
Good work
Thank you for your comment! I hope your descale went ok. Please post if you still have issues. Have a great day.
Why didn’t I have any steam when I emptied the steam boiler after descaling
Thanks for making the video. I think it’s a pretty big oversight that the machine doesn’t remind you to descale but badgers you about changing the filter regularly. We have pretty hard water so it’s a bit troubling. In contrast, our Breville pod machine regularly required descaling or it would just lock out. What makes it worse for this system is the often poorly worded prompts, poor UI. And none of it is upgradable via firmware update because for a $3000 machine, Breville didn’t add that capability. After one year of ownership I wouldn’t buy this machine again nor would I recommend it. It’s a nice idea but the implementation just falls short. This replaced a machine from Jura that was a similar price but 100% plastic and required use of Jura cleaning supplies. 😡
Agree. There’s no mention of descaling in the instruction brochure nor any reminder on the machine. When I descaled the machine wouldn’t heat up so I’m now having to send it off for repair. I wouldn’t buy this machine again.
I had the exact problem you described with unit not getting to temp. I did a factory reset and used the hot water button to flush water through (hot water will dispense even if machine is not up to temp. A few unplug/replies and eventually it started working. I just did another descale this past weekend and no time out, but it would not come back up to temp. One unplug cycle resolved it this time.
Thank you for posting your tips, this is a great resource. I am collecting tips from everyone and I will post them when I get enough. I had not heard about the machine struggling to heat up even after a descale with no interruption. This is great feedback.
Did 4 unplugs and it worked again.
When you say “unplugs” do you mean power socket from the wall unplug?
Yes
Thank you !
You are welcome. Thank you for your comment!
Does the Oracle touch prompt you to descale similar to the cleaning tab prompt? What are the intervals between prompts? For my Oracle touch, it prompts to use the cleaning tab every 2 months on average but so far no descale prompt after 7 months of owning it
The Oracle Touch will not prompt you to descale. It is up to you to decide when to descale. After getting reminders to clean the group head with the cleaning tabs, I also expected the machine to tell me when to descale, but it actually doesn't. Descaling this machine can cause serious issues so I would recommend waiting longer intervals between descale and making sure the machine doesn't time out during the process.
When you take water filter out do you keep it in water while descaling?
I do not keep it in water and I have not had issues with it.
Why don’t you put a link to the first video on your description?
Followed instructions perfectly. Will not heat up past 71 now.... this sucks
I am sorry you are having issues. It really sucks that the Oracle Touch has issues with descaling. Here are some tips to resolve your issue. This has been gathered from viewers that posted their tips and tricks:
1. Allow the machine to cool down completely (a few hours). Turn it back on. Make sure fresh water is in the tank, even 1/4 full otherwise the machine will alert you that there's an empty tank. Allow the machine to come up to temperature, and while it's doing so it will refill the boiler tanks.
2. Disconnect the machine open the steam valve wait five minutes make sure all the water is out, close the steam valve.. Then open the other valve, wait a couple minutes to make sure all the water is out, close the valve. Make sure that the machine is cold so wait a good hour before you turn on the machine. Turn on the machine and hopefully you should have your temperature go all the way back up, if this doesn’t work try again, disconnect the machine wait an hour and try again do the same process over.
2. "I did a factory reset and used the hot water button to flush water through (hot water will dispense even if machine is not up to temp. A few unplug/replug and eventually it started working. I just did another descale this past weekend and no time out, but it would not come back up to temp. One unplug cycle resolved it this time."
3. "Put the machine at a 45 degrees to the right, fill the water tank halfway and turn on the machine. You will hear a bit of water being sucked in. Then unplug the machine from the wall for one minute, then repeat the process four times. Then fill the water tank and leave the machine unplugged for a full hour so it cools down. Then turn it on. It should start sucking water and work normally."
I hope this helps.
My machine is doing the same thing. Any luck in doing this tips?
@@dandruff91 Have you been able to resolve your issue with any of these tips?
@@CoffeeWiser managed to sort it with the abovementioned 3 steps
Love your videos, they are really clear even for a
non- tech person like myself! Because of a medical emergency, i had to stop the machine during the descaling process right after i emptied the boiler. When i came back to resume descaling, the machine wouldn’t reset. Breville, as it turns out, has the most abysmal customer service i’ve ever experienced. Three weeks of calling daily and leaving my number requesting a callback, filling out the online form requesting service, all go unanswered. Anybody have any ideas to fix this machine? I really don’t want to junk a $2,500 machine but apparently Breville has no interest in responding. Should have read the BBB reviews on their customer service before i bought the machine!
I’m hoping that the online community will come to the rescue!
Were you able to resolve your issue?
It really sucks that the Oracle Touch has issues with descaling.
Here are some tips to resolve your issue. This has been gathered from viewers that posted their tips and tricks:
1. Allow the machine to cool down completely (a few hours). Turn it back on. Make sure fresh water is in the tank, even 1/4 full otherwise the machine will alert you that there's an empty tank. Allow the machine to come up to temperature, and while it's doing so it will refill the boiler tanks.
2. Disconnect the machine open the steam valve wait five minutes make sure all the water is out, close the steam valve.. Then open the other valve, wait a couple minutes to make sure all the water is out, close the valve. Make sure that the machine is cold so wait a good hour before you turn on the machine. Turn on the machine and hopefully you should have your temperature go all the way back up, if this doesn’t work try again, disconnect the machine wait an hour and try again do the same process over.
3. "I did a factory reset and used the hot water button to flush water through (hot water will dispense even if machine is not up to temp. A few unplug/replug and eventually it started working. I just did another descale this past weekend and no time out, but it would not come back up to temp. One unplug cycle resolved it this time."
4. "Put the machine at a 45 degrees to the right, fill the water tank halfway and turn on the machine. You will hear a bit of water being sucked in. Then unplug the machine from the wall for one minute, then repeat the process four times. Then fill the water tank and leave the machine unplugged for a full hour so it cools down. Then turn it on. It should start sucking water and work normally."
I found by releasing the boilers of the solution by screwing the descale access even out of the descale cycle to fix this issue. It may take a few hours of draining until you can work it though keep that in mind
@@rubyfalcon That's a great suggestion, I'll add that to the list of tips, thank you.
Agree. About 3 weeks ago our 2 yr old Oracle Touch started to make strange electro/mechanical sounds WHILE TURNED OFF! Horrible delayed, inadequate responses from Breville customer service. Now it leaks from the hot water tap when trying to brew, so not able to make coffee. For nearly $3k, pretty disappointing. I will look for local independent service if available.
And, this is an excellent, crystal clear instruction. My only question is on diluting the descaled when you topped off the water tank at the first cycle.
Breville finally responded. They also wanted a 'proof of purchase'. I had registered, but not uploaded the Williams Sonoma receipt when I purchased it 2 years prior. Fortunately, I found an old email with the receipt.
They authorized return under warranty to their repair contractors. It only took about 10 days to get it back, but no email or paper indicating what they found, what they did. Nada. But, at least they responded and hopefully it has been fixed.
🤞
Best!
I tried several times as you said, but the temperature didn't go up. The maximum temperature is still 73 degrees Celsius. What should I do?
Did your issue start because the process was interrupted? If so, what step of the process was interrupted?
Or were you able to get all the way through the descale process, and then you started to have an issue?
During the unscrewing process of steam boiler. No steam comes out, am i doing something wrong?
Same here. I repeated the process for 2nf time and steam came with a lot of calcium gunk. So try again. Maybe it was to gumked up to steam the first time.
I have the same problem. What if the temperature doesn't go up?
Is your machine not heating up after you finished the whole descale cycle? Or was your descale interrupted at some point during the process?
If you finished the whole descale, unplug the machine for a few minutes, then restart the machine, and see if it gets up to temperature. It may take a few times.
From @mskdoctor123: if the machine times-out, close the valves. Allow the machine to cool down completely (like hours). Turn it back on. Make sure fresh water is in the tank, even 1/4 full otherwise the machine will alert you that there's an empty tank. Allow the machine to come up to temperature, and while it's doing so it will refill the boiler tanks. Once it comes up to temperature you can start from the beginning and go through the prompts for descaling.
If that doesn't work, there is another method of tilting the machine 45 degrees. I will look for the steps on that.
Hello, my descaling process got interrupted and now temp doesn't go up past 71/72. I reset factory setting and unplugged but still nothing. what else can I do? this is ridiculous. thanks for any help.
I had exactly the same problem. I solved it by selecting a drink and then pressing the button for hot water. Apparently there was air in the boilers. After running a whole cup of hot water through, I heard the pump working and the temperature returned to normal after a short time. I hope this method helps you too.
When i press the brew button, its making very weird loud pitched noise. I never done descale before and had the machine for like 3 years. I did self clean only. Any idea why its making noise?
Descaling is used to remove the accumulation of mineral deposits in the pipes, boilers, and other parts of your machine. There is a chance that your machine needs a descale, or it's possible that your machine has another issue. Can you post a video with the noise your machine is making?
@@CoffeeWiser thank you. Here is the video i made. It was worse before
ua-cam.com/video/wjamTgfZ77c/v-deo.html
With people having issues after descaling, should i even try to descale it after 3 years of no issues?
according to Breville's descaling video, "wait an hour, let the machine cool before descaling". so after starting the descale process, do i .... 1) open the valves immediating after starting the process (as seen in the video)? 2) wait for the machine to "warm up", even though there's no indication that it's warm, then open the valves? 3) what should i do if no steam is released when i open the valves?
Please and thank you …
This machine is a nightmare to descale. My descale cycle timed out and now it won't heat up even to restart the descale process. I tried to 45 degree trick for an hour and it's still not heating past 70 C. Should I leave it tilted overnight or just try to get a new one from breville? My machine is only 2 months old.
Hi Danielle, I am sorry to hear that you are having problems after descaling. The way I understand the 45 degree trick is that it forces to machine to absorb water, and hopefully rinse the sensors that are coated with descale solution. I don't think it will help to leave it overnight. Here is a tip from one viewer:
"Put the machine at a 45 degrees to the right, fill the water tank halfway and turn on the machine. You will hear a bit of water being sucked in. Then unplug the machine from the wall for one minute, then repeat the process four times. Then fill the water tank and leave the machine unplugged for a full hour so it cools down. Then turn it on. It should start sucking water and work normally."
I hope it helps. If it doesn't, then you can use your warranty to get a new machine. With your new machine, change your water filters regularly and only descale every nine months to a year. When descaling, I recommend staying close to the machine and completing each step quickly so the machine doesn't time out.
@@CoffeeWiser @daniellekernan2052 Just a heads up, the machine is to be tilted to the LEFT if you are facing it when tilting it. I was wondering why it wasn't taking in any water, was about to give up...then thought what the heck, may as well try! So I did and it took water in each time. Now I've just turned it off and praying in an hours time it works!
No joy :( It now trips the electric when it gets to 70 degrees. Can't even find any maintenance folks to try come and check it. All just cater for business' that I have found :(
@@old_safcbee Any luck with getting the machine to work, or with finding someone to look at it?
@@CoffeeWiser Hey, ended up pushing sage, got a 20% discount, then 30% so I took that in the end. Just over 300 to repair and fully service, then 6 month warranty. Not ideal but at least should be sorted soon (they collected just a couple of hrs ago!)
followed these instructions but it only used a small amount of the descaling solution from the water tank and it is still just below the max level line. So deciding to go back a few steps and run through the 20 min descale step again, and then will rinse, anyone else finding this issue or it quite normal?
It's really frustrating all the issues we are having with descaling. Were you able to resolve your issue?
@@CoffeeWiser in the end i ran the descale cycle x 3 just to use up the water solution in the water resiviour. I noticed on all 3 occassions it removed bit of build up and gunk. I probably couldve done it 4 times but i'd be there all day ;-)
@@TC-sm8rc Wow, awesome! I am glad it worked out. When I descale, my machine also doesn't use up much of the solution. It's a waste, but I think a lot of water is added to the mix to dilute the concentration so that the chemicals don't stick on the sensors, preventing the machine from warming up. I usually just run the cycle once, then dump the rest of the solution.
So... my 'steam' valve never empties during the first part, again, now for 3rd time, not sure if it works ?
Same. After the first 20 min descale cycle, no steam or draining occurs when I attempt to purge the system.
@@rsaeland the left side screw (boiler?) Does drain some,. But never the right. I guess I should call support. Otherwise,the machine works pretty well
That is strange. Normally the steam boiler starts draining hot water right away. After the descale, does your machine work normally?
@@daviddivelbiss The left side doesn't drain much for me either. It makes a funny noise when you unscrew it, then drains a little when you press the drain button on the screen. From my experience, the steam boiler (right side) should drain right away. Were you able to reach Breville customer service?
@@CoffeeWiser Yes, thankfully, My machine has worked pretty darn good for several years, i think I've descaled 3 times now, and i don't remember the 1st time so much, but I'm pretty sure it did nothing then..... we honestly don't use the steamer so much, but my daughter has when she's lived with us at times. I think i'll send an email to support, especially as it is sunday now...
I did a descale this past weekend. I too ran into the same issues. The steam boiler purged ok the first time but nothing during the second time (rinse cycle) which I found weird. Once it was all finished it would not heat up past 162F ( 72C). I searched on line and tried everything, I unplug the machine 3-4 times and also tried the 45 degree angle fix. Nothing worked. It would appear draining the steam boiler and/or main boiler sometimes causes an air lock in the system. On person suggested gently placing the machine on it's right side (90 degrees) for 30 sec, left side for 30 sec, on it's front for 30 sec and on it's back for 30 seconds. All tipping would be after removing the water tank and bean hopper. This did not work so I tried with while plugged in. Doing the following is at your own risk!!! For me tipping left and right 90 degrees did not fix it but while tipping it front and back near 90 degrees I heard steam moving within the machine. I immediately placed it right side up and noticed the temp and jumped from 163F to about 190F. I put the tank back on and it started drawing water from the tank. I did another flush and did not remove the tank to complete the extra rinse. Everything seems to be working ok now.
Did you have an interval in between unplugs? I mean, how long did you keep it unplugged before plugging it back again?
@@hisgreatness2 maybe 20-30 min each time. It seems like the lines can get airlocked so you have to move it around at various angles until the air bubble moves through the lines.
RE: DILUTION OF DESCALER
Curious: You add a 28 gm packet of Dezcal (Urnex) to 1 liter of water, dissolve, put in the water tank, THEN FILL WITH MORE WATER TO MAX. Then, after the descale cycle, the tank remains about 70% full!
So, why not add 14 gm of the Dezcal, dissolve in 500cc, and fill the water tank to ½ MAX?
It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you are diluting the descaled so much. I read the bits about the descale gunking up the fill sensor in the boiler, but I can keep the same dilution and not waste as much Dezcal. (And, everyone who is following your channel likely has gram scales.)
you're not supposed to fill the water tank to max on on the first descale cycle
The temperature doesn't go up after the descaling is finished. It's always between 72/73
Other users have posted this:
"I did a factory reset and used the hot water button to flush water through (hot water will dispense even if machine is not up to temp. A few unplug/replug and eventually it started working. I just did another descale this past weekend and no time out, but it would not come back up to temp. One unplug cycle resolved it this time."
And one more tip from another user:
"What some called the 45 degree trick , put it 45 degrees to the right, put half way water into bin and turned on the machine, heard a bit of water being sucked in, took machine out of power socket and re did it about 4 times, put it back to normal and left it out of plug for an hour. Then it finally sucked in a bunch of water and worked again."
I hope this helps.
Happened the same to me. I pushed the pouring hot water button and drained for 1 min. The machine started sucking water in and the heating went back up. Then restarted the descaling process.
Descaling program bricked my Oracle Touch. Be cautious.
Tank you very much My Brather for this video
No, it is after the descale step is completed
I am happy you were able to resolve your issue.
Thanks!