---
title: "Cleveland SteamCraft DESCALE light: time to descale the steam generator"
description: "What DESCALE indicator means on Cleveland SteamCraft DESCALE light: time to descale the steam generators, what to check before booking, and when it is not a…"
url: "https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-descale-light/"
---

# Cleveland SteamCraft DESCALE light: time to descale the steam generator

On SteamCraft Ultra steamers a clean light timer runs while the unit heats.

## What DESCALE indicator actually means.

On SteamCraft Ultra steamers a clean light timer runs while the unit heats. When it times down, the DESCALE indicator comes on to say scale has had time to build in the generator. Pressing the descale reset switch restarts the count once the generator has been descaled.

Cleveland commercial appliance display · also shown as DESCALE, clean light

What to do when DESCALE indicator shows on the commercial appliance

### Kind of code Mode, not a failure

Nothing on the unit has broken; the controller is reporting a state it chose or one somebody set. A defrost pauses cooling for a scheduled melt and shows a warmer air reading for a while, a combi asks for a delime or runs its clean cycle and locks the door until it ends, a dish machine or a laundry machine sits in energy save between busy periods, and a door-open reminder beeps after a long delivery. No part is needed: letting the cycle finish, or the key sequence in the manual, brings the unit back.

### Usually leads to No repair

Plan the descale for a quiet period; Cleveland's procedure takes a little over an hour of soak time.

### Shows up as Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

A commercial appliance error code appears as letters or numbers on a combi, fryer, reach-in controller, dish machine or laundry machine display, or as a flashing light or an alarm tone.

### Make Cleveland

Cleveland equipment often gets a slot mid-afternoon, in the lull when the kitchen can spare a station for an hour.

### Source Cleveland 21CET8 SteamCraft Ultra 3 reference materials (clevelandrange.com, Wayback copy)

Cleveland SteamCraft Ultra steamers with an electric steam generator, such as the 21CET8 (Ultra 3) and 21CET16.

## Before you book, in this order.

Each step comes from Cleveland's own guidance for DESCALE indicator on its commercial appliances. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Plan the descale for a quiet period; Cleveland's procedure takes a little over an hour of soak time.

02

Follow the SteamCraft descaling steps with the amount of descaler Cleveland lists for your model size.

03

Press the descale indicator reset switch after the procedure; if the light will not clear, or the steamer is slow even after descaling, book a visit.

### Cleared?

The code is gone from the controller, the box pulls down to its set point and holds it, the vat or the cavity reaches temperature and recovers on schedule, the rinse hits its heat and the drum finishes its spin, all without a new part. If the same code comes back within a week, or during the next busy shift, mention it when you book.

### What not to do

The DESCALE light is a scheduled reminder and does not mean the steamer has stopped working. A steamer that will not steam at all needs its power light, water and heat checked instead.

## What you may notice with it.

The commercial appliance problems DESCALE indicator tends to arrive with. Answer these at the commercial appliance before anyone is booked.

[All problems](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/problems/)

Before you call

### [Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/problems/commercial-error-code/)

[All 8 causes, cheapest first](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/problems/commercial-error-code/)

It also comes with

- [**Combi Oven Steam Problem: Weak Steam, Scale or a Dry Cavity**](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/problems/combi-oven-steam-problem/)

Problem

### Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

8 causes, cheapest first

No repair indicated

## Nothing to repair.

Nothing on the unit has broken; the controller is reporting a state it chose or one somebody set. A defrost pauses cooling for a scheduled melt and shows a warmer air reading for a while, a combi asks for a delime or runs its clean cycle and locks the door until it ends, a dish machine or a laundry machine sits in energy save between busy periods, and a door-open reminder beeps after a long delivery. No part is needed: letting the cycle finish, or the key sequence in the manual, brings the unit back.

[How to read what your commercial appliance is telling you](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/problems/commercial-error-code/)

## Cleveland commercial appliances.

Cleveland equipment often gets a slot mid-afternoon, in the lull when the kitchen can spare a station for an hour.

[Cleveland commercial appliance repair](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/brands/cleveland/)

More Cleveland codes

[RESET light](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-reset-light/) [SURECOOK light](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-surecook-light/) [LOW WATER light](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-low-water-light/) [VENT AIR](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-vent-air/)

Mode, not a failure on other makes

[Alto-Shaam E100](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/alto-shaam-e100/) [Beverage-Air dEF](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/beverage-air-def/) [Continental Refrigerator PG](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/continental-refrigerator-pg/) [Delfield dEF](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/delfield-def/) [Dexter PUSH](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/dexter-push/) [Frymaster E39](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/frymaster-e39/) [Hatco Lo](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/hatco-lo/) [Hobart 029](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/hobart-029/)

[All 28 codes of this kind](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/#family-mode)

Cleveland builds this

### Commercial cooking equipment

Fryers, griddles, charbroilers, restaurant ranges, convection and combi ovens, steamers, kettles, holding cabinets and toasters, on gas or electric, that make up the hot side of a kitchen line.

## In Cleveland's own words

> When the clean light switch is depressed the clean light timer is reset.

[Cleveland 21CET8 SteamCraft Ultra 3 reference materials (clevelandrange.com, Wayback copy)](https://web.archive.org/web/2015/http://clevelandrange.com/docs/uploaded/cle/CRManuals/21CET8_Reference_Materials.pdf) [Cleveland 21CET8 SteamCraft Ultra 3 reference materials (clevelandrange.com, Wayback copy)](https://web.archive.org/web/2015/http://clevelandrange.com/docs/uploaded/cle/CRManuals/21CET8_Reference_Materials.pdf) [Cleveland 21CET8 SteamCraft Ultra 3 reference materials (clevelandrange.com, Wayback copy)](https://web.archive.org/web/2015/http://clevelandrange.com/docs/uploaded/cle/CRManuals/21CET8_Reference_Materials.pdf)

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Cleveland SteamCraft Ultra steamers with an electric steam generator, such as the 21CET8 (Ultra 3) and 21CET16.

## Cleveland DESCALE indicator commercial appliance repair, where we come out.

The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.

[All service areas](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/locations/)

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For the heart of your home.

## Questions about DESCALE indicator.

### Can I clear DESCALE indicator myself?

Plan the descale for a quiet period; Cleveland's procedure takes a little over an hour of soak time.

### Can we ignore the DESCALE light on a Cleveland SteamCraft?

The steamer keeps running, but scale keeps building on the heaters and probes. Over time that means slower steam and more service calls.

### How much descaler does a SteamCraft Ultra 3 need?

Cleveland's chart lists half a gallon of its descaler for the Ultra 3 and a gallon for the Ultra 5. Larger models with two generators descale both at once.

### Why did the DESCALE light come back so soon?

The light runs on a timer, not a scale sensor, so it returns after the same heating time whether the water is hard or soft. A water filter slows the scale but not the timer.

---

**[Read on the site: Cleveland SteamCraft DESCALE light: time to descale the steam generator](https://commercialappliancerepair.center/error-codes/cleveland-descale-light/)**

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