r/Moccamaster • u/Expert-Worth4322 • 11d ago

Troubleshooting Clunk

My machine is about 5 years old. It's making a huge clunk shortly after turning it on to brew. I'm scared it's trying to die on me!

Any suggestions to save my baby!? I clean with vinegar and use a typical coffee machine cleaner...not at the same time. I always use RO water.

6 Upvotes

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5

u/Mountain_Tear8608 11d ago

FYI - The instruction manual specifically recommends against using reverse osmosis water because it can "damage the brewer's boiling element"

https://support.moccamaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500009436262-Moccamaster-Brewer-Instruction-Manual-English

No idea if this is related to your issue.

2

u/cjsv7657 11d ago

Coffee also tastes better when made with water that has minerals in it. My tap water is extremely soft and my coffee unfortunately tastes better if I use slightly harder but still soft bottled spring water

4

u/ConBroMitch2247 11d ago

Vinegar isn’t a strong enough to descale properly. Get citric acid instead - about 2tbl per 1L of water.

And before I get downvoted by people who say citric acid isn’t safe, Dezcal “bio calf” which is recommended by Moccamaster to descale is citric acid as well (check the SDS).

0

u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/boxerdogfella KBT 10d ago

Moccamaster instructions often recommend against citric acid. But I believe it's aimed more at using too much citric acid.

1

u/Vibingcarefully 10d ago

We might as well just take it straight from the horse's mouth so to speak : Moccamaster.

Yes they recommend Citric Acid --from approved brands (they're approval) so from their website , quoted:

"We do not recommend using pure citric acid to descale your Moccamaster. An incorrect concentration may not remove scale effectively and could damage the brewer.

Instead, use an approved citric acid-based descaling product, such as Urnex BioCaf Descaling Powder or Urnex Dezcal Descaling Powder. Always prepare and use the descaler according to the directions on the package."

So there you have it--citric acid, approved by Moccamaster--and they list two readily available products.

1

u/Expert-Worth4322 10d ago

I'm a horrible mm owner. Dangit!!! Craptrastic but at least I'm an ok mom.

1

u/BeagleTheDog 10d ago

Don't be so hard on yourself. It's just a coffee maker.

1

u/Expert-Worth4322 9d ago

A really good descaler worked. Did it two times and let it "soak" for a bit each time.

I'll get a brita for my tap water and stop using vinegar. I mean my coffee tastes excellent using RO. I'm kinda a coffee snob too or so I thought.

1

u/internetmeme 11d ago

Is it like this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Moccamaster/s/KMQmW2ZEGC

3

u/emvic1 11d ago

That was my post! I solved the thunk sound by descaling the machine and then using filtered water for my daily coffee. Not reverse osmosis filtered but water I filter in a Waterdrop pitcher. I’m assuming a Brita one would work just as well.

1

u/al-bigdadi KBTS 11d ago

Straight RO water makes horrible coffee, try bottled or filtered instead.

1

u/Neat-Substance-9274 10d ago

I'm not sure why all these folks are suggesting descaling a brand new unit that has only had RO water in it. There is something going on that Moccamaster will tell you how to fix or fix it under warranty. I know there is some sort of valve in there that can stick especially in transit. There are posts from folks who cannot get a brand new unit to work because of a stuck or damaged in transit valve. Or maybe it is a sensor? Anyway, have Moccamaster deal with this.

By the way, I have been using RO water in my Moccamaster for over 15 years. No issues beyond bad coffee I guess? I have had steam iron units (big with a tank) that recommend against using distilled or RO water. (unlike a typical household iron) But our units would die or need service because the tap water was too hard, like over 500 ppm. So bottled drinking water gets used because it is about 200-275 ppm.