Water Treatment Requirements
Improper water treatment is the most frequent cause of espresso machine damage.
Water is complex and varies significantly between regions, so take great care to
test the water quality at your location and adjust as necessary. Employ the help of a
reliable company (Slayer recommends OptiPure and BWT) to evaluate your water
and recommend and administer treatments.
When evaluating water quality, the two most important factors to consider are
calcium carbonate and chloride:
Calcium Carbonate: dissolved mineral that determines the "hardness" or
"softness" of water.
The desirable range of hardness is 4-6 grains. Over time, calcium carbonate
accumulates as a hard substance, called “scale”, and will inhibit the flow of
water. Machines subjected to “harder” water (greater than 6 grains) will
accumulate scale faster and require maintenance sooner.
Chloride: chlorine combined with an electron from a negatively charged ion.
There are many types of chlorides, including calcium chloride, magnesium
chloride, sodium chloride, etc. Chlorides produce salts that impart a strong
taste, which alters the flavor of the espresso. Chlorides also encourage pitting
corrosion, which causes damage to the machine.
Your water filtration company will create a treatment plan based on your water
needs. Choose a filtration company that has solutions for addressing issues related
to both calcium carbonate and chloride.
Common treatment options include carbon filtration, ion exchange and reverse
osmosis:
Carbon Filtration: process by which water passes through the granular activated
carbon, which attracts and retains many chemicals in the water that have an
unpleasant taste or odor.
Carbon filtration is necessary for all Slayers. For water with 4-6 grains of
hardness, carbon filtration is likely the only necessary water treatment.
Ion Exchange: process by which water passes through an ion exchange system,
where where undesirable mineral components are retained and more desirable
substances such as sodium are released.
An ion exchange system should be used in combination with a carbon
filtration system and is especially beneficial for water in the range of 6-9
grains of hardness. This system is relatively inexpensive and effective in