The orange flashing light in the DeLonghi Dedica is a dreaded one and for a good reason. Descaling an espresso machine takes time and effort; sometimes, it bugs us even after descaling.
One common issue in the Dedica is that the descaling light remains on, even though you have just finished descaling the machine.
Why Your Dedica Is Still Flashing Orange After Descaling
If the steam light continues to flash orange even though you descaled your machine, it means it is stuck in descaling mode.
If this is happening to you, it means one of two things:
- You did not complete the rinsing process after descaling.
- Or you did do the rinsing process but did not use enough water in the reservoir.
The descaling process is an automated one. The Dedica has to run through an X amount of water for it to automatically sense that you did the right thing and return to normal.
How To Stop the Orange Light From Flashing
Now you know that your Dedica is stuck in descaling mode, how do you fix this to stop the flashing steam button?
Very easy! Luckily, you don’t have to start over. You’ll simply pick off from where the machine is stuck, in the rinsing cycle.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you need to do:
1- Fill the water tank up to the MAX level (This is EXTREMELY Important, the water must be full to the MAX level and nothing less)
2- Use fresh water and make sure that the reservoir is clean.
3- Place an empty container under the coffee spout (detach the Portafilter).
4- Point the steam wand towards the empty container to catch the dispensed water.
5- Make sure that the steam dial is ON, then press the steam button.
6- The machine will start dispensing water from the steam wand.
During the cleaning, you want to alternate the water between the steam wand and the coffee spout (the group head) so both of them get cleaned. To do that, close the steam dial to deliver water from the spout, and position the dial to steam again to dispense from the frothing wand.
You have to keep this cycle running until the water tank is empty. Then, the steam light will finally go off, indicating that the rinsing cycle is complete.
Now turn the steam dial to the OFF position and your Dedica will be ready to use.
Related: DeLonghi Dedica Flashing Lights Guide
Common Descaling Mistakes That Keep the Orange Light Flashing
Here are some steps that you possibly did incorrectly during the descaling process which resulted in your machine getting stuck in descaling mode.
Filling The Water Tank With Less Water
When you fill the water tank for descaling or rinsing, you have to fill it up to the MAX level. Anything less, even by an ounce, will ruin the whole process.
The Dedica was designed to run that exact amount of water through, so if the water tank runs out with less water, the espresso machine will register it as you are still not done with the descaling steps.
This goes for the two steps of descaling solution and rinsing. Always use the MAX level of water.
Not Doing or Not Completing the Rinsing Cycle
The descaling cycle is made of two parts:
- The descaling solution process
- The rinsing process
In the first part of the cycle, you use the descaling solution mixed with the water in the reservoir. This is the solution that breaks up and cleans out the mineral build-up inside the machine.
Since descaling solutions are mildly toxic, you must rinse out the machine internally to get rid of residues and ensure that your Dedica is safe to use. That’s where the rinsing process comes in.
The rinsing process requires that you take out the water tank, wash it thoroughly from any possible solution residue, and fill it up with fresh water.
Again, you have to fill the water tank to the MAX level. Otherwise, this won’t work.
When the rinsing process starts, it will use all the water in the reservoir and will stop automatically when the water tank is empty.
Then, automatically, the orange light will stop flashing and that’s how you know you did all the descaling steps correctly.
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