Whilst owning a coffee machine seems simple enough, there is one parameter that needs particular attention in Qld and that is filtration. Essentially it comes down to water quality and in Qld our water has a lot of extras contained in it that can harm your machine. This isn't limited to just commercial machines, home automatics or coffee shops share the same issues that cause problems. The problem is scale build up caused by salts and gypsum to name a couple. The PH of the water also can cause problems. Bearing this in mind there are numerous ways to address the issues that control the problem. Filtration can be broken down into 4 groups and they are.
Scale and sediment removal down to 1 micron
This level of filtration is basically a carbon block filter connected to a head to deliver water to the filter and onto the machine or tap. In most cases these will perform well however, each application needs to be assessed as filtration levels vary from 0.1 - 5 micron. Prices vary from $40.00 -$300.00
Scale and sediment removal plus PH adjustment
This level of filtration addresses the particular requirements of the machines. For example, the BWT Bestprotect will correct water PH to 8, ideal for stainless steel boilers. It only filters sediment to 20 micron so it will need to add a prefilter such as in No.1 above. Prices here range from $160.00 to $400.00 depending on size.
Scale and sediment removal down to 0.1 of a micron
This level of filtration is ideal for most coffee machines, it removes everything down to 0.1 of a micron. Very little gets past this combination. Prices range here is around $500.00
Scale and sediment removal to zero
This level is RO or Reverse Osmosis and is the most effective way to remove everything from the water. It's usually so efficient that in some cases you may need to add minerals back to facilitate electric signal transfer through the water that help control the coffee machine. These systems come with storage tanks generally to hold the treated water or another style that supplies the water on demand. In high level water requirements the tanks may be a better choice. Something that will need an assessment done before spending between $1500.00 and $2500.00 generally.
So, before purchasing any of these feel free to call us for a bit of advice on which system is best for you and what an installed filter system should cost. We've been installing all of these for many years.