Should coffee machines be left on overnight?

Should coffee machines be left on overnight?

We get asked this question a lot. After much consideration to the possible range of reasons for and against (some valid, others more dubious), the short answer is NO, coffee machines should be turned off at night.

The following is a list of some of the suggested reasons that we have been given for leaving coffee machines on all night with some of the remedies:

•        It's important that the coffee machine group heads are hot, to serve perfect espresso. While this is definitely true, the same result can be achieved by ‘seasoning' your coffee machine by pouring a couple of shots of coffee through each of the group heads each morning, before service begins. Also, put the group handles into the coffee machine while it's heating up in the morning: this will also help in heating up the group heads and handles.

•        Coffee machines use a lot of electricity when they're heating up. This statement is true, but the amount of electricity used is not as much as if the coffee machine is left on all night idling.

•        It takes too long in the morning to heat to temperature. If it takes longer than 15 to 20 minutes for your machine to heat up, then there is different problem with the machine, and you should get it seen to by a professional coffee engineer. Most likely it is because the boiler and element are coated with limescale deposits, which reduces the effectiveness of the boiler element. In these cases, the element has to heat up the lime first, before it heats up the water, thereby increasing the time to heat as well as increasing the workload on the boiler element.

•        The element will burn out faster if it has to heat up from cold every morning. This should not happen with a quality coffee machine, serviced correctly, with the correct water treatment solution. If you have the correct element for the coffee machine and there is no restriction in the incoming water supply, then the element should not fail in ordinary operating conditions. However, elements can fail if the water supply has been cut off and the element is left exposed.

•        Switching off an espresso coffee machine (overnight) may save energy but what are the consequences, if any?

According to the general safety regulations, all electrical appliances should be switched off if they are not used for some time. CMA coffee machines are designed to be operational 24 hours a day, and are equipped with a pressure control thermostat & with a specific valve to grant their safety. As to the electricity saving, when a machine remains switched off for 10 hours, the energy saved is 6/7%. On the other hand, when the machine is switched on again, it needs about one hour to heat up & be in the proper operating conditions for brewing a quality coffee product. During this length of time the energy consumption is at its maximum levels and a large percentage of the energy saved by switching it off at night is lost. In addition, the machines gaskets are affected from the continuous temperature changes causing expansion and contraction and have a shorter life time.

Why turn off?

The reasons why we recommend you turn the coffee machine off at night are:

•        To reduce the carbon footprint of your business. Leaving coffee machines turned on all night is a waste of electricity, and our planet's resources.

•        To reduce wear and tear on the element. Leaving the coffee machine turned on sitting idle all night increases the workload on the element, which may lead to premature weakness if there is limescale building up.

•        To prevent accidents. For example, it is possible (a fairly remote possibility!) that a solenoid valve could get blocked open with a piece of limescale, causing the boiler to overfill, which could result in a discharge of water through the safety valve.

As with all important items of business equipment, we recommend that you get your coffee machine serviced in accordance with a service interval that makes sense for the volumes of coffee you serve.

Also understand your water supply and the effect this can have on your coffee machine giving consideration to the volumes of water you are using through the coffee machine.

•        To reduce a buildup of limescale inside the machine. Leaving the coffee machine turned on all night water sits still inside at around 120°C and without circulation limescale builds up much more faster than when you use your machine.

•        According to "Care and maintenance of many Espresso Cappuccino Machine manufacturers" – It is recommended you turn off the machine at the power source every night to save on electricity.

So we say – TURN IT OFF, but it is totally up to you whether you do so or not. If you can't afford to wait for half an hour for the machine to heat up – leave it on, but if your machine is only small or single group, - definitely TURN it OFF.