Cleaning stage
Targets coffee oils and deposits in the internal coffee path. The machine tells you when and where to add the cleaning tablet.
Machine guides / Siemens / Calc’nClean
Siemens Calc’nClean
One service programme. Two different maintenance jobs.
Calc’nClean combines coffee-system cleaning and descaling when a compatible Siemens EQ machine says both are due. The cleaning tablet and descaler are not interchangeable, and they do not go in the same place.
CALC’N CLEANCleaning + descaling
Cleaning tabletMachine-specified tablet compartment
DescalerWater tank during the descale stage
Water filterRemove if the programme instructs
What the programme does
Calc’nClean is not a single chemical cleaner.
The machine combines two service programmes into one sequence: first coffee-system cleaning and then mineral-scale removal. That is why a proper Calc’nClean cycle requires the correct product for each stage.
Descaling stage
Targets limescale in the water path. The descaling solution is prepared in the water tank at the stage requested by the display.
Prompt-led timing
Water hardness, usage and filter configuration affect when Siemens asks for maintenance, so the display should take priority over a generic calendar.
Common Calc’nClean sequence
Follow the display, using this as the map.
Exact button presses and water volumes differ by EQ generation. The display on your machine is the final instruction set.
Start only when the machine requests the programme
Calc’nClean combines cleaning and descaling when both jobs are due. Let the machine decide the programme timing from use, water hardness and service status.
Clean the brewing unit first where required
On EQ500, Siemens explicitly says the brewing unit should be clean before Calc’nClean. Use warm water and a gentle brush, not detergent.
Empty the drip tray and grounds container
Prepare the machine exactly as the display requests before the chemical stage begins.
Add the cleaning tablet in the instructed compartment
The cleaning tablet goes into the machine’s tablet or grounds compartment at the point shown by the display — never into the water tank.
Remove the water filter when instructed
A fitted water filter can need to be removed before the descaling phase. Follow the exact display sequence for your model.
Prepare the descaling solution in the tank
Use the correct descaler dose and the water volume requested by the machine. EQ500 guidance, for example, uses the 0.5 litre mark.
Let the programme run without interruption
Keep a sufficiently large container under the outlet and follow every empty/refill prompt.
Rinse and refill with fresh water
When the machine asks, rinse the tank, refit the water filter if appropriate and complete the fresh-water rinse stage.
Tablet-led service programme
- Cleaning tablet for coffee-system cleaning
- Separate descaling product in the water tank
- Combined Calc’nClean when both jobs are due
- Machine display controls the sequence
autoCalc’nClean cartridges
- Dedicated cleaning cartridge
- Dedicated descaling cartridge
- Automatic cleaning and descaling system
- Replace cartridges when the machine prompts
Model-specific routes
Open the right EQ family before you start.
Match the product to the stage
Cleaner and descaler do different jobs.
Ventori keeps the coffee-oil cleaner and mineral descaler as separate products for exactly this reason. Use only the product and dose appropriate to the machine programme you are running.
Calc’nClean questions
The points that cause the most confusion.
What is Siemens Calc’nClean?
It is a combined service programme that performs the cleaning and descaling jobs in one guided sequence when both are due.
Do I need both a cleaning tablet and descaler?
On standard tablet-led Calc’nClean programmes, yes: the cleaning stage and descaling stage use different products. Follow the exact machine display because the order and placement matter.
Can I put the cleaning tablet in the water tank?
No. The cleaning tablet belongs in the machine compartment specified by the programme. The water tank is used for the descaling solution when instructed.
Why does my Siemens keep asking for Calc’nClean?
Siemens says frequent prompts can be linked to water hardness, filter status, an incomplete service programme or insufficient descaling. Check the hardness setting, active filter and whether the previous programme finished fully.
Does EQ900 plus use this same routine?
No. EQ900 plus uses Siemens autoCalc’nClean with dedicated cleaning and descaling cartridges, so use its model-specific guide instead of the standard tablet-led routine.
VENTORI CARE SCHEDULE
Build Care ScheduleUse the machine prompt for Calc’nClean, and track the rest around it.
Water hardness, filter changes, brew-unit cleaning and milk hygiene can sit alongside the Siemens service prompt.