Descaling the Siemens EQ.6 plus: the steps and what to do if the message keeps coming back

Is your Siemens EQ.6 plus asking to be descaled? Allow about 30 minutes, most of which the machine does by itself. These steps come from Siemens' service pages for the EQ.6 plus. If you have a different EQ model, follow its manual.

Descale or Calc'nClean?

The display shows a message such as "Ontkalken nodig" (descaling needed), "Reinigen nodig" (cleaning needed) or "Calc'n Clean nodig" (Calc'n Clean needed). Run the programme as soon as this message appears. Choose Ontkalken (descale) if only descaling is needed (about 30 minutes), and Calc'nClean if cleaning is needed as well (about 40 minutes). If you put it off too long, the machine may lock. It will then only work again after descaling.

What do you need?

Descaling tablets Descaling tablets One tablet per descale, according to Siemens. Also check the dosage on the packaging. €8,70 View the tablets Cleaning tablets Cleaning tablets One extra tablet for Calc'nClean, in the ground coffee drawer. €8,20 View the tablets

Do not use vinegar or citric acid, and never put descaler in the ground coffee drawer.

How to descale the EQ.6 plus

  1. In the menu, choose Reiniging en onderhoud (Cleaning and maintenance), then Ontkalken (Descale), confirm and press start/stop.
  2. Empty the drip tray and put it back.
  3. Remove the water filter from the water tank, if there is one, and press start/stop.
  4. Fill the empty tank with lukewarm water up to the 0,5 l mark, dissolve one descaling tablet in it and press start/stop.
  5. Place a bowl of at least 0,5 litre under the spout, put the end of the intake tube in it and press start/stop. The machine now descales for about 20 minutes.
  6. If the display asks for more descaler, top up and press start/stop.
  7. Rinse the tank, fill it with fresh water up to max, put the filter back if you use one and press start/stop. Rinsing takes about 1 minute.
  8. Empty the drip tray again. Wipe the machine with a soft, damp cloth and clean the intake tube thoroughly.

Calc'nClean: what is different?

After emptying the drip tray, you also put one cleaning tablet in the ground coffee drawer. The programme then runs as above, but with a bowl of at least 1 litre. Allow about 40 minutes.

Does your machine often ask to be descaled?

Siemens names water that is too hard as the cause and a water filter as the solution. Fit and activate a filter, and check that the water hardness in the menu matches your water: the machine uses it for its calculations.

Brita Intenza water filter Brita Intenza water filter Removes limescale from the water, so you need to descale less often. €10,35 View the water filter

Does the message stay on?

If the machine reports that descaling was insufficient, then according to Siemens too little or the wrong product was used, or there was a lot of limescale. In that case, run the programme again. If the programme was interrupted, for example by a power cut: rinse the tank, fill it with fresh water up to max, press start/stop, then empty the drip tray and restart the programme. If that does not help, contact Siemens customer service. We have not found an official way to clear the message without descaling.

TipDisplay texts may differ slightly by language and model: always follow what your machine shows.

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