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WARNING: The Steam Wand can be very hot. Avoid touching the wand directly and use caution
when wiping the Steam Wand. The heat can cause the water on the rag to turn to steam which
can cause a burn.
11.2. After Each Session
GROUPHEAD The area where the portafilter locks into place gets exposed to a lot of coffee and must be
kept clean. Coffee residue left here will not only degrade performance over time but can also detrimentally
affect the taste of the coffee.
At the end of each session use the grouphead brush which was included with Vibiemme Domobar
espresso machines to clean the screen as well as to give the area in which the grouphead gasket resides
a good scrubbing.
PORTAFILTER At the end of each session the Portafilter should be rinsed under hot, running water and
dried off before storage. While it should be left in place on the Prouphead during use, if the machine is
being turned off, the Portafilter should be stored elsewhere so that the moisture can evaporate from
the grouphead. Otherwise it can stagnate in there.
DAILY BLIND FLUSH At the end of each day (or when you are through using the machine for that day)
you should do a blind flush:
1 - Remove a filter basket from either of the Portafilters and insert the blind Filter basket in its
place. The blind filter basket is the one that has no holes in it.
2 - Lock the Portafilter into place just like you would to make espresso.
3 - Manually engage the brew function
4 - Watch the Brew Pressure Gauge and when pressure builds to about 9 BAR, turn the brew function off.
5 - Repeat steps 3 and 4 two or three times.
6 - Loosen but do not remove the Portafilter and turn on the brew switch again. Wiggle the handle to
loosen the Portafilter a bit so that water can flush the area around the Grouphead.
WARNING: Hot water will spill out and pour onto the drip tray. Use caution to avoid burns from
the splashing hot water.
11.3. Backflushing
This is the process of forcing some special cleaner back though the grouphead. This will remove any
stray coffee left in the places that normal, day-to-day cleaning cannot reach. How often this should be
done depends on how much use the machine gets, the coffee you use, as well as the amount of coffee
you use for each pull. If you are making one or two beverages a day then once every one or two weeks
is probably sufficient. If you are making around four to six doubles a day then once per week is probably
a good idea. If the machine is being used all day (such as in an office or small restaurant) then back flush
every day.
Your Vibiemme Domobar espresso machines was supplied with a blind filter to be used to back flush. This
is the basket with no holes in it. To use it, follow these simple instructions:
WARNING: The cleaning agent is quite strong. Follow all safety recommendations on the cleaner’s
packaging. Only use chemicals designated for back flushing. Other cleaners can cause problems
or even damage to your machine.
1 - Insert the Blind Filter into one of the Portafilters.
2 - Place a small amount of espresso machine cleaner into the basket (see manufacturer’s instructions
for specific amounts to be used).
3 - Lock the Portafilter into place just like you would to make espresso.
4 - Manually engage the brew function
5 - Watch the Brew Pressure Gauge and when pressure builds to about 9 BAR, turn the brew function off.
6 - Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you see the suds of the cleaning agent appear in the Drip tray (removing
the drip tray cover during this process can help you see what is going on). Wait about two or three
minutes, then repeat steps 4 and 5 once again.
7 - After two or three cycles like this, loosen but do not remove the Portafilter and turn on the brew
switch again. Wiggle the handle and allow the cleaner to be flushed up into the Grouphead. The cleaner
will overflow the Portafilter and clean the area up inside the grouphead of coffee.
WARNING: Hot water and cleaning agent will spill out. Use caution to avoid burns or exposure to
the cleaner. Wear eye protection to prevent injury.
8 - When the suds coming through the 3-way valve appear to be clean and free from coffee residue, empty
and clean the drip tray and the Portafilter. Replace the Drip tray and run a bit more water through the
Grouphead so it is free from cleaner. Replace the Portafilter and repeat steps 3 through 5 until the
water runs clean into the drip tray. Repeat step 7 to rinse any remaining cleaner from the grouphead.
