Magnifica dripping really slow, what's usually the culprit?

[Thomas Martinez]

For a few threads on the De’Longhi Magnifica machines that is dropping super slow from the portafilter. Saw this as an opportunity to put up a thread for discussion since it came up a few times. There is four main causes for this from what I’ve seen. Grind too fine (fine espresso are great but for the magnifica), when people crank the grinder down thinking finer is better espresso they end up choking the portafilter. Secondly, using pre-ground beans, either too fine or too much in the chute. Third, the machine can get clogged which require a rinse cycle to clear the issue. Lastly, mineral build up in the machine caused by descaling (common in areas with hard water).
What people seem to do is jump straight to descaling when the issue is realy with the grind. What’s your go-to sequence when you find yourself in this situation with one of your Magnifica machines?

 

[We Love Mounta]

grind first 100%. Takes 10 second and fixes it like 70% of the time in my experience

 

[Bright Bird]

My go to is grinding 1-2 clicks coarser than pulling a shot. If still dripping then rinse then descale as a last resort. Descaling a machine that is dripping due to a fine grind is a waste of time.

 

[Caesar's Bubble Returns]

people jumping straight to descale crack me up. Its like replacing the engine because your tire is flat

 

[Quaint Quail]

quick question for the grind people, when you bump it coarser do you purge the old grounds in the chute first or does the next shot just run through it?

 

[We Love Mounta]

quick question for the grind people, when you bump it coarser do you purge the old grounds in the chute first or does the next shot just run through it?

usually run one shot to waste after changing the grind... Helps clear out the old grounds from the portafilter burrs

 

[Electric D]

Hard water is the most common cause imo. Where I live the limescale is ridiculous on the water heaters. Mine started dripping after 8 month of ownership despite having never touched the grind setting. After descaling it was back to normal in a single cycle. So not everything can be attributed to the grind setting (depends on your water source). Where I live its hard water so I descale every 2-3 month regardless of drip symptoms. If you're on a water softener or use filtered water. Grind first. If you see white crust build up in your kettle after a week of use, descale first.

 

[Funk]

loose the pre ground entirely tbh. Those chutes are garbage and tend to clog constantly