How do I descale my Saeco Odea, Go, Giro, Giro Plus, and Talea?

Hey there! I am glad you made your way here to COFFEE GRUMP.  Full disclaimer – I am a tech guy, not a sales guy.  I love coffee, and I service the equipment that grinds and brews it for you.  If you are looking for a ‘right fix’ not a ‘quick fix’ this is the spot for you.  So, grab your cuppa’ Joe and read on…Cheers!

There are many versions of the Odea / Talea series of Saeco machines. They have similar Descale processes and they require you to be present and hands-on in following the instructions (below). 

The machines that you can follow along with in this tutorial are:

• Odea Go
• Odea Giro
• Talea Giro
• Talea Giro Plus

There are three machines in this series that have their own programs and are easy to complete the descale by following the instructions on the LCD display, so I will not be describing them here. These three machines are: 

• Talea Ring
• Talea Ring Plus 
• Talea Touch

Why do I need to descale? 

Descaling will extend the life of your machine as scale builds up with the use of the appliance.  If you find your machine is running a bit slower or losing temperature, then you have gone too long before descaling your machine.

If your machine is used regularly, you should be performing a descale every 1-2 months when the machine prompts you to descale. I would never let it go any longer than 3 months.

How to descale your Saeco Odea Talea or Giro Plus

To descale your Saeco Odea you’ll need about 40 minutes (you will have to be there in and out of the process), and some official descaling solution found cheap on Amazon. You may be tempted to use vinegar – never use vinegar as a descaling solution. It’s not powerful enough to do the job and will cause internal damage. With that being said, let’s get started.

1. Make sure your machine is on.
2. Empty the water tank from the machine. 
3. Make sure the descale light blinks or stays on so you know its time to descale and start the process.

4. Remove the water filter if you’re using one.
5. Pour the entire bottle of Saeco descaling solution into the water tank and fill the remaining with fresh water up to the MAX level.
6. Put a container/cup under the steam wand in preperation of the descale process.

7. I personally will always pull the Panarello off the steam wand (the bit on the end), so the descale solution will not stain the metal finish. This is optional, but recommended.
8. Select hot water to dispense out the wand and turn the knob to the open position. Dispense about 300 ml of descaling solution into the container. Then turn the knob off

9. Empty the dispensed liquid out of the catch container into the sink.
10. Turn the machine off by the power button. Set a timer for 10 minutes and let the solution do its job.
11. Turn the machine on again after 10 minutes.
12. Repeat the previous 4 steps dispensing 300 ml of descaling solution every 3 minutes until all the solution in the tank has been emptied.
13. Once the tank is emptied, rinse it well and fill it with fresh water. Put the tank back into the machine.
14. Place your container again under the steam wand, make sure it will hold the full contents of the water tank.
15. Select hot water to dispense out the wand and turn the knob to the open position. You will empty the full water tank in one cycle this time. Turn the knob off.

16. Repeat this step one more time to perform a second rinse cycle. This will sufficiently rinse the machine.
17. Press and hold the steam/ water button for 6 seconds (it could be 10 seconds on the later models) to deactivate the descale alarm. That light will finally go out!
18. If you had a water filter prior to this, you could reinsert it now.
19. Fill the tank again with fresh drinking water
20. Your machine should be fully descaled and should be ready to use. 

If your machine comes up with a rapidly flashing “!” symbol, it is just calling for water. Turn the water tap on until a nice flow comes and then turn the water off. This will correct that warning. 

Want to descale half as many times? 

The Aqua Prima water filter can help the health of your machine and double the time between your descaling procedure. It should be replaced every 90 days or will prompt to be replaced every 60 liters of water.

To prepare the new filter for the machine you will need to immerse it upside down (with the opening facing upwards) in cold water and then gently squeeze the sides to push the air bubbles out. Once you feel the air is out install the new filter and flush a full tank of fresh water through the hot water selection by selecting water and turning the knob.

Overall the cheap filter can help avoid that annoying 40-minute descaling process half as much, and so it’s something I recommend to you personally and it’s something I recommend to customers as a technician myself.

How often should you descale your Saeco Odea / Giro?

Your machine counts how much water passes through a flow meter, so the above time frames are estimates based on the normal usage of your Saeco espresso machine. 

Water Type	How often should you descale?	How often – with the Aqua Prima filter
Soft water (up to 7ºdH)	Every 3 months or 120 liters of use	Every 6 months or 240 liters of use
Medium-hard water (7º-14ºdH)	Every 2 months or 90 liters of use	Every 4 months or 180 liters of use
Hard water (15º-21ºdH)	Every 6 weeks or 60 liters of use	Every 3 months or 120 liters of use
Very hard water (over 21ºdH)	Every 4 weeks or 30 liters of use	Every 6 weeks or 60 liters of use

To find out your regional water hardness you can purchase easy-to-use water hardness test strips for cheap on Amazon to get an accurate reading.