Library
- What Water Hardness Means for an Espresso Machine
What hard and soft water mean, where the minerals come from, and why the maker of an espresso machine cares about them.
- How Scale Forms Inside an Espresso Machine
Why limescale builds up when hard water is heated, where it collects in a machine, and what the maker's own guidance says to do about it.
- Water Hardness Units: ppm, mg/L, dH and gpg
How to compare hardness numbers from a water report, a test strip and a machine manual, with a conversion table for the common units.
- Finding Your Tap Water Hardness From a Utility Report
Where to look up local water hardness for free, from your water supplier's annual report to a phone call, and how to read what you find.
- Using Water Hardness Test Strips and Drop Kits
How a hardness test strip works, how to take a reading from the water you actually use, and why your machine's own strip and scale matter.
- What Your Machine's Manual Says About Water
Where to find your espresso machine maker's water guidance, and what hardness levels, mineral content and filter terms mean in a manual.
- Water Filter Cartridges in Espresso Machines: How They Work
What a filter cartridge in the water tank does, how household softeners work, and where to find the replacement schedule for your model.