Introduction

It's common knowledge that water quality can significantly impact the quality and taste of your coffee, but you might not know that it also plays a crucial role in determining the longevity and performance of your Aiden. In this article, we'll discuss water hardness, mineral (scale) buildup, and how it can impact the performance of your Aiden over time. 

Table of Contents

1. What is Water Hardness?
2. What is Scale Buildup?
3. How does Scale Buildup Affect Aiden?
4. The Best Ways to Address Scale Buildup
   1. Know the Quality of Your Water
   2. Descale Based on Water Quality
5. A Note About Reverse Osmosis and Distilled Water

What is Water Hardness?

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says the following about water hardness:

"In scientific terms, water hardness is generally the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. But in layman's terms, you may notice water hardness when your hands still feel slimy after washing with soap and water, or when your drinking glasses at home become less than crystal clear."

To put things even more simply, you can think of water hardness as how much mineral content your water contains. "Harder" water has more mineral content, and "softer" water has less mineral content. Water hardness will vary based on your location, water source, and any water treatment systems that are implemented, like a reverse osmosis filtration system.

What is Scale Buildup?

Scale buildup is the deposits of leftover minerals (calcium and magnesium) on a surface once water evaporates. You might have seen a white, chalky residue on your showerhead, at the bottom of your shower curtain, or around your faucet before—this is a great example of what scale buildup looks like. It's a natural byproduct of using water with mineral content, especially with harder water, and is more prevalent in applications where the water is heated to higher temperatures.

How does Scale Buildup Affect Aiden?

The main effect scale buildup has on Aiden is causing blockages. As the minerals build up over time, they will begin to physically obstruct the water lines, leading to things like the "Add Water" message displaying incorrectly and/or complete blockages where water can't pass through at all.

This is why it's extremely important to know the quality of water you're using with Aiden (we'll discuss this below). The harder the water you're using with Aiden is, the faster scale buildup will occur, and the more often you'll need to descale. The image below is of an Aiden after only 9 days of use with extremely hard water. The unit was displaying the "Add Water" message incorrectly and was unable to pass significant amounts of water through the lines when it was returned to us.

The Best Ways to Address Scale Buildup

While mineral buildup is inevitable with Aiden, there are many things you can do to minimize its impact and help ensure your Aiden continues to run smoothly for a long time. 

Know the Quality of Your Water

As we mentioned above, the first (and arguably most important) thing you can do is know the quality of your water. To get the most accurate information, we recommend contacting your local water supplier directly. This page on the USGS website is a great place to start, and can help you determine who to contact. There are also many types of water testing kits out there, but we're unable to vouch for the accuracy of any of them specifically.

Please note: While standard carbon filters (like those in pitchers or fridges) are great for improving taste, they don’t tackle water hardness very well. Normally, only specific water softeners or filtration systems like reverse osmosis significantly affect a water source’s hardness.

Descale Based on Water Quality

Aiden will tell you to descale every 150,000 mL of water that runs through the lines. However, it never hurts to descale more frequently, depending on your water's hardness. Generally speaking:

For more details on how to descale properly, please check out our help center article here. 

We recommend using a liquid descaler (like this one) for the best results, and make sure to finish the entire descaling process. The process is broken up into three main sections, which are approximately 16, 10, and 10 minutes long. If you're not able to move it through to the next stage within 5 minutes of each finishing, your Aiden will go to sleep and will not count the descaling cycle internally (though the solution will still be working, of course). 

In case it's helpful, we've included a sped-up video showing the full descaling process below:

If you're receiving the "Add Water" message incorrectly and the descaling doesn't work the first time, try letting the mixed solution sit in the water tank for 5-10 minutes and then try again.

A Note About Reverse Osmosis and Distilled Water

As you're reading through this article, we wouldn't blame you for thinking that reverse osmosis or distilled water is an easy solution to the issues above. After all, water with no mineral content at all means no buildup! However, these water types can dissolve the minerals in the internal parts, leading to corrosion and part failure. The idea is to use water with Aiden that has a lower mineral content, but not too much. If you are using true reverse osmosis or distilled water, we highly recommend adding some minerals back into your water by using something like Third Wave Water packets. 

Need help with your Aiden or have any further questions? Please reach out to our Customer Experience team here. They're always happy to help!