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Water in espresso reservoir going green!


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Does anyone know how you can prevent water from going green?  My husband thinks it is because we keep the espresso machine on the window sill and the sun gets on it.  It's only been in the last few months that we have kept it on the window sill.  I could understand it if we didn't use it much, but it gets re-filled most days as between us, we make at least 5 espressos per day, sometimes more - rarely less.  The green gunge clearly appears within only a few hours. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps we need to empty the water out every day and put it to drain until the next time we use it.  Even then, we can't be sure what gunge will be in the pipes.  I really don't want to have to move it off the window sill as I find our work surfaces limited as it is.  Any ideas please?  Apart from getting a bigger kitchen which would be a wonderful plan, but not possible!
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Green water points to one of 2 things - algea (but I doubt they could grow in a couple of hours even in direct sunlight) or Copper salts.

Have you used any agressive cleaning or de-calcifying chemicals in the machine - or do you use softened water?

 

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No, we've not used softened water or anything aggressive.  We just add tap water when we need it.  I suppose there is always some water sitting in the reservoir, then the fresh is just added to it.  I'll try covering it, in case it is simply the sun as someone suggested.  If it still happens, then I think I'll start removing the water container, rinsing it and putting it to drain each day.  Do you think the green stuff is harmful - only I'm thinking that some will remain in the inner pipes.  Failing this, I'll have to put it on the work top where it was.  This will mean putting the bread board onto the window sill.  I hate clutter on the work top and I just needed to make more space there.
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[quote user="andyh4"]

Green water points to one of 2 things - algea (but I doubt they could grow in a couple of hours even in direct sunlight) or Copper salts.

Have you used any agressive cleaning or de-calcifying chemicals in the machine - or do you use softened water?

 

[/quote]

Could try posting this on the swimming pool forum, I do not doubt that algea can grow in a couple of hours in direct sunlight.

You will have to re-locate the coffee machine.

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This is probably going to sound crazy - but what about legionnaires?  The reason I'm asking this is because the place where I teach had a legionnaires disease inspector in the other day and he said I would have to get rid of our air cooler because of it being a potential source of legionnaires disease.  This is not air conditioning, it is simply a fan where you put water/ice in a reservoir in the bottom and it is supposed to make the air which is fanned out cooler than when you use a fan.  As it is, we don't use it that way and just use it as a fan as it really makes no difference in a large hall which is baking hot in the summer when we have all the windows open and at least 6 fans on.  But if one of those is a potential hazard, what about all other coffee machines, kettles, water sitting in water tanks etc.  Someone told me the other day that Starbucks keep the taps running all the time to prevent legionnaires disease settling in the pipes.  Yes, I know it sounds crazy, and I don't seriously believe these things are a source of disease, but these safety people perhaps just going over the top - like sell by dates on food.
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I never know what to ask for these days.  It was just an expresse back in 1976 when I first started drinking it.  Or come to that, you could ask for a coffee and get real coffee.  On Brittany Ferries a few weeks ago, I couldn't see a price for espresso or expresse, so I asked for a coffee thinking, this is a French ship, therefore coffee must mean real coffee - but no - it was instant.  So I gave it to my husband and went back and asked for the real thing as I knew they had a machine for it.  Later that day, I went into a very ordinary cafe in Avranches and had a cup of real coffee and it was the best coffee I had had in a long time, and that includes having had Lavazza at home and out, Costa on the motorway and coffee in other coffee shops.  It's a pity that even the French seem to call it Espresso now.  The only people likely to uphold any French traditions seem to be the British who moved to France for love of all things French! The French don't seem to be that bothered about hanging onto this type of thing.  Not the young, anyway.

At least the expresso in the machines on the motorway tastes quite good, but I've no idea whether it really is expresso or just a very good instant.  Does anyone know?  I've never come across an instant coffee which tastes like coffee.

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Hi Jill, do not panic too much, all stationary water could be a potetial for legionnaires bacteria, that includes lakes, ponds pools etc. Coffee machines and kettles boil the water thus killing the bacteria. Your fan, because it uses water that is atomised could carry the bacteria if the water was infected but the risk is small.  Plumbing used to be made of copper which naturally kills bacteria although a lot of it is now plastic which helps bacteria to survive.

Starbucks leave their taps running, could be why they charge so much! Doubt its true, health inspectors would take a dim view if there was that much risk.

Legionnaires was only discovered in the 70's due to an outbreak in a cooling tower, where water gets heated and cooled so it maintains just the right temprature and stagnates to let the bacteria grow at an alarming rate.

Most cooling towers, including the one on our local hospital use treatment plant to kill the bacteria. Its exactly the same system that I use on my swimming pool for much the same reason.

By the tone of your post it sounds like you may have just had your 5th cup of coffee, how about a nice glass of mineral water?

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