@multi21 if you are descaling that often, I'm sure you're OK. The issue with espresso machines is very narrow pipes which can get blocked easily as well as the boiler, solenoid valves etc.
If your water is OK and you are descaling you won't have an issue. Just lobbing tap water in if you are in a hard water area can wreck a machine though.
You can even damage it if you descale too infrequently as instead of removing a thin coating of scale, you can dislodge little lumps of it which can work their way into places they shouldn't be and cause issues. There are companies who will strip down and fix it if it gets to that stage, but that's going to cost a couple of hundred quid at least, so best to prevent it in the first place.
There are plenty of online calculators which will predict how likely your water is to scale. You usually need to tap in data from your water suppliers website or you can buy a cheap water testing kit.
At the risk of being...erm...roasted
You could get cheaper pods.
Starbucks pods in various bean and roasts options are regularly available for £2.75 a tube, just Google search to see which supermarkets have offers on.
L'Or espresso pods are often available in quantity for around 25p per pod. The stronger of these are quite good.
I know plenty of Roasters
I'll get my coat on the way out 🙂
