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B-2K+ and cleaning
tjkoko
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Posted on 10/30/2018 12:54 PM
WOW! After two roasts am I ever impressed with this unit over the Whirlypop!!! Okay, the instruction manual recommends using espresso machine cleaner to clean and de-residue the unit. Is the espresso machine cleaner citric acid or what?????

Up until I took ownership of my B-2K+ unit I always wondered the reason why anyone would ever want to roast more than one batch a week! HA!
 
Randy G
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Posted on 10/30/2018 2:18 PM
Simple Green works on the drum, bean loading chute cover, and the chaff tray. OxyClean (the original unscented) also works but NOT for aluminum.

Do not soak the front cover and do not remove the four little screws that hold the glass in place! Wash it with a scrub brush of some sort, rinse in fresh water, and dry. Compressed air works well on the front cover to dry it and get the trapped chaff out.

I roasted two batches, back to back in mine this past weekend. I roast lighter then most for espresso and wanted to see how well my roasts age.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
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pablo
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Posted on 11/18/2018 11:22 PM

Quote

Randy G wrote:

Simple Green works on the drum, bean loading chute cover, and the chaff tray. OxyClean (the original unscented) also works but NOT for aluminum.

Do not soak the front cover and do not remove the four little screws that hold the glass in place! Wash it with a scrub brush of some sort, rinse in fresh water, and dry. Compressed air works well on the front cover to dry it and get the trapped chaff out.

I roasted two batches, back to back in mine this past weekend. I roast lighter then most for espresso and wanted to see how well my roasts age.


Why do you say "Do not soak the front cover and do not remove the four little screws that hold the glass in place!"
 
rgrosz78
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Posted on 12/20/2018 8:52 PM

Quote

pablo wrote:
Why do you say "Do not soak the front cover and do not remove the four little screws that hold the glass in place!"

When I did NOT know any better, I soaked my front cover in a cafiza solution to clean it. After a few years, it destroyed the larger screw at the top that holds the cover in place. I had to order a replacement from Hottop!

The four screws that hold the glass in place are "permanent". You do NOT need to remove them to clean the front cover.
Life is too short to drink bad wine ... or bad coffee!
 
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Randy G
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Posted on 12/21/2018 12:32 PM
The screws and the front casting are different metals and they create some electrolysis. Any cleaner in the threads will accelerate that. When the screws are removed it takes the threads (or what is left of the threads) with them. A cleaning with Simple Green, rinse with clean, running water, and blow dry with compressed air works just fine.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
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Tavake12
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Posted on 02/01/2020 9:38 AM
I remove the glass from the front plate about every 3 - 4 roasts and clean the glass and plate with Bon Ami.
The screws come out fine and go in easily, just like any other screws-however, if I feel any degradation in the way they behave, I may stop doing this. I like having a crystal clear viewing window.

In 70+ roasts, I have not yet cleaned the inside of the heating chamber.

I have not cleaned the drum, either, I only pull it out and check for stuck beans. I don't think I will ever attempt to clean the drum, but I might change my mind after 500 or so roasts.

I have washed the rear filter and re-used it. I actually took the plastic case apart (it's not too hard) and washed the two filters separately. The accordion fold paper filter was easy to take out and put in, but after washing the filter, it expanded and was a bear to get back in, I had to re-compress the folds, but it was possible.

Since I now know how to take the filter holder apart, I am going to try simply rotating the filters 180 degrees and placing them back in the holder. I noticed that most of the residue is on one half of the filter, and the other half is pretty clean.

The washed filter actually seemed to work OK, I am still able to roast in my kitchen with the vent fan on without filling the house with smoke.
Edited by Tavake12 on 02/02/2020 6:39 AM
 
fatboytx
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 04/02/2020 1:50 PM
I ran 3-4 roasts through the HT every time I set it up. Afterwards, I pulled the drum and washed drum, dryer base, chute cover, drum thrust plate and cover. Everything got a spray with formula 409 and scrubbed. The glass cover doesn't get dunked in soapy water. I then wipe out the chamber and clean as best I can. All parts sit overnight for drying. I check the filter once a month. Next time I roast ... during warm up ... I turn on the fan to blow out any residual smells that may be lingering. This worked very well for me. However, I've passed my HT along to another and am looking for a new coffee roaster with larger capacity. If HT produced a 2lb capacity roaster I'd buy it.
 
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