Water Hardness Test Strip

Did you know the descale light comes on after a period established according to water hardness?

The machine is set by default for a hardness value of “4” (very hard water).
When customers wonder why the descale light is on for a short period of time, it is important to know that: “the higher the value, the more the machine will ask for descaling.”
This can be changed by programming the machine according to the hardness of the water supply in the various regions so that descaling is required less often.

Please ask proper probing questions before determining what the best resolution can be

How many cups of coffee are made daily?
Did the customer measure the water hardness before starting to use the machine?

If you come across feedback in which the customer states that the descale light is flashing, please, do not hesitate to take ownership and ask the two probing questions to determine the issue and provide the troubleshooting steps to program the unit according to the water hardness.

1. Measuring water hardness

a) Remove the indicator paper from its packaging. If provided with your model, you will find it attached to the Quick Guide

b) Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for about one second

c) Remove the strip from the water and shake lightly. After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares appear, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.

2. Setting water hardness DINAMICA Machines

2.1 Dinamica Plus ECAM37095

1. Press the "settings" button to enter the menu

2. Scroll through the menu and press “WATER HARDNESS”.

3. "WATER HARDNESS" "CURRENT VALUE UNDERLINED": Press the required level (Level 1 = soft water; Level 4 = very hard water)

4. Press "back arrow" to go back to the homepage. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

2.2 Dinamica ECAM35020

1. With the machine off (standby), but the main switch pressed

2. Press and hold the icon “2x” until the icons on the touch screen come on

3. Press the "coffee beans" icon

4. Select the water hardness level by pressing the "coffee beans" icon again

5. Press the OK icon to confirm (or ESC) to exit without making the change). The lights go off. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

2.3 Dinamica ECAM35025

1. With the machine off (standby), but the main switch pressed

2. Press and hold the icon “2x” until the icons on the touch screen come on

3. Press the "coffee beans" icon

4. Select the water hardness level by pressing the "coffee beans" icon again

5. Press the OK icon to confirm (or ESC) to exit without making the change). The lights go off. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

2.4 Dinamica ECAM35075

1. Press "gear" icon to enter the “Settings” menu;

2. Press the 🔽 selection arrows and 🔼until “General” is displayed between the two lines. Press

3. Press the selection arrows until “Water hardness” is displayed, then press "OK"

4. The current selection appears on the display and the new selection flashes. Press the selection arrows until the required new selection is displayed. Press "OK"

5. The new level is saved, and the appliance goes back to the “General” menu

6. Press "ESC" twice to go back to the main screen.

3. Setting water hardness ELETTA Machines

3.1 Eletta Cappuccino ECAM44660

1. Press the MENU/ESC button to enter the menu;

2. Press ⬅️ or ➡️ and select “Water hardness”

3. Confirm the selection by pressing the OK button

4. Press ⬅️ or ➡️ repeatedly to set the level as measured by the indicator paper.

5. Press the OK button to confirm the setting

6. Press the MENU/ESC button to exit the menu. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

3.2 Eletta Cappuccino Top ECAM45760

1. Press the MENU/ESC button to enter the menu.

2. Press < or > and select “Water hardness”.

3. Confirm the selection by pressing the OK button

4. Press < or > repeatedly to set the level as measured by the indicator paper

5. Press the OK button to confirm the setting.

6. Press the MENU/ESC button to exit the menu. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

3.3 Eletta Cappuccino Evo ECAM46860

1. Press "gear icon" to enter the menu;

2. Press the scrolling arrows "my"/⬅️ or ➡️until "General" is displayed;

3. Press "OK" to confirm;

4. Press the scrolling arrows "my"/⬅️ or ➡️until "Water hardness" is displayed:

5. Press "OK" The current value appears on the display and the "New" value flashes;

6. Select the new value you want to set using the scrolling arrows "my"/⬅️ or ➡️

7. After selecting the quantity, press "OK" the display to go back to the previous screen. Press "ESC" twice to go back to the main screen.

3.4 Eletta Explore ECAM45055 ECAM45086 (Cold Brew)

1. Press the settings menu icon on the homepage;

2. Scroll the pages and select “Water hardness”;

3. Press “Set”;

4. Press the dot corresponding to the water hardness measured previously

5. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

6. Press “<” to go back to the settings menu.

4. Setting water hardness MAGNIFICA Machines

4.1 Magnifica ESAM04110S

1. Make sure the appliance is off (but connected to the mains electricity supply and with the main switch (in the I position)

2. Press and hold the button "descale" for at least 6 seconds. The lights come on simultaneously;

3. Press the ECO button to set the actual water hardness (as measured by the indicator paper).

4. Press the "descale" button to exit the menu. The machine is now reprogrammed with the new water hardness setting.

4.2 Magnifica ESAM3300

1. Make sure the appliance is off (but connected to the mains electricity supply and with the main switch (in the I position)

2. Press and hold the button "descale" for at least 6 seconds. The lights come on.

3. Press the "coffee spoon" button repeatedly until the number of lights that are on coincides with the number of red squares on the test strip (for example, if there are 3 red squares on the test strip, press the "coffee button" button until 3 indicator lights come on together "all lights").

4. Press the "descale" button to save the data. The coffee maker is now programmed to provide the descaling warning when effectively necessary, based on the actual hardness of the water.

4.3 Magnifica S ECAM23120

1. Remove the "total hardness test" indicator paper attached to the instructional manual from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly. After about a minute,

1,2,3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water.

Each square corresponds to one level.

Soft Water

Slightly Hard Water

Hard Water

Very Hard Water

With the appliance off, but connected to the mains and with the main

switch in the I position:

Press the button repeatedly until the number of lights that are on coincides with the number of red squares on the test strip.

Hold down for SIX seconds.

Press the button to confirm the selection.

Choosing the water hardness is very important to set the correct frequency of

the descaling cycles.

Keeping the machine clean will improve its performance and prolong the life of the machine.

5. Setting water hardness TRUEBREW Machines

5.1 CAM51015 CAM51025 CAM51035

1. Press button "gear"

2. The icon "drop" is lights up

3. Press 🔄️ button to set the water hardness (1, 2, 3 or 4).

6. Setting water hardness LA SPECIALISTA Machines

6.1 La Specialista EC9335M EC9335BK EC9335R

The descale light comes on after a period of time established according to water hardness. The machine can also be programmed according to the actual hardness of the water supply in the various regions, in which case descaling may be required less frequently.

Proceed as follows:

1. Remove the "TOTAL HARDNESS TEST" indicator paper from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly. After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.

4. Press and hold the "x2" and "my" buttons together for at least 3 seconds to access the menu. The "pitcher" and "pipe" lights alternate;

5. Turn the mode selection dial to the "coffee cup" AMERICANO position. The "descale" light remains on steadily;

6. Press the button corresponding to the desired selection as shown in the following table:

7. Press the button to exit the menu. (If the appliance is left idle for about 1 minute, it exits automatically from the settings menu and returns to regular use mode).

6.2 La Specialista Maestro EC9665M

1. Remove the “TOTAL HARDNESS TEST” indicator paper from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly.

Set the appliance as indicated in section “6. Menu settings”.

After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.

6.3 La Specialista Prestigio EC9355M

1. Remove the “TOTAL HARDNESS TEST” indicator paper from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly.

Set the appliance as indicated in section “6. Menu settings”.

After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.

6.4 La Specialista Arte Cold Brew EC9255M

1. Remove the “TOTAL HARDNESS TEST” indicator paper from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly.

Set the appliance as indicated in section “6. Menu settings”.

After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.

6.5 La Specialista Arte Cold Brew EC9255M

1. Remove the “TOTAL HARDNESS TEST” indicator paper from its pack.

2. Immerse the paper completely in a glass of water for one second.

3. Remove the paper from the water and shake lightly.

Set the appliance as indicated in section “6. Menu settings”.

After about a minute, 1, 2, 3, or 4 red squares form, depending on the hardness of the water. Each square corresponds to one level.