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the fault on my Classic Gaggia seems similar to that described by Jonathan - in the last week the coffee became slow so I cleaned and descaled the machine. Instead of a better flow, esspresso stopped completely - instead water is now going back to the reservoir through a tap above it. The boiler is definetely working and the steam comes out without any obvious problems.
In your post you mentioned a 'ball' that appears to regulate the flow back into the reservoir. I am unable to see it or anything that would suggest its existance when openining the top lid. Based on the above fault description do you think that the problem on my machine rleates to dislocation of this 'ball'?
I have had my Gaggia for 3-4 years and have not had any problems to date.
Many thanks.
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dave
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/12/10 17:33aca,
It sounds like you may be experiencing the consequences of descaling after a long period of scale build-up. This is just a guess, but seems possible if things suddenly got worse after descaling.
What can happen is that descaling loosens chunks of scale that can then build up in unwanted places, like the steam valve and the pipe that draws water from the boiler down through the group/solenoid, and the solenoid valve in your Classic.
Perhaps the solenoid is malfunctioning due to scale, released from the boiler during this recent cleaning?
The Classic does not have the ball-valve "antidrip" feature found on the Espresso. In your case, I would suspect the solenoid valve and it may need to be cleaned, along with a manual cleaning of the boiler if heavily scaled.
Still -- before jumping to conclusions, what happens when you
i) attempt to pump water through the group with no coffee in place (indeed, with the portafilter removed); or ii) attempt to pump water through the steam wand?
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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aca
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/12/12 12:15Dave,
I have removed filterholder, filter basket, shower head and showerholder (using allen key).
When I press brew switch no water comes through other than the odd drop, the rest drips back into the reservoir via an outlet above the reservoir.
When I pump the water through the steam wand the water runs in a good flow - but please bear in mind that I never make capuccinos hence I seldom use the steam wand, so I doubt that there is much scale on that side of the machine. Would that be a correct assumption?
Based on this what course of action would you recommend? UK Gaggia supplier charges £80 ($US140) for any repairs, the machine would have to be sent out of London. I would try to avoid this unless absolutely neccessary. Besides they could not repair it before Cristmass - which is a serious issue with me (I need my esspresso shot every day). As you can see I am a desperate man and am looking to your expertise for help.
Many thanks. ps My name is Bob, but that username has already been taken by someone else.
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CPR
Visitor
Re:Under the Hood - 2007/01/30 12:33Thanks Dave. Looks like exactly the same problem I had - pump works but no heat out of either element. Checked the fuse and it was open circuit. Went to hardware store and got a 184 Deg. fuse and replaced it and it worked fine, for one brew!
Checked again and same problem. Well, it seems there is a very important difference between 184 deg F and 184 deg C. What a klutz! Anyway, I confirmed what the problem is and I can easily repair myself with your great instructions and troubleshooting help.
Thanks for the article.
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dave
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Re:Under the Hood - 2007/01/30 18:08CPR wrote: it seems there is a very important difference between 184 deg F and 184 deg C.
About a 184' worth of a difference, as it happens (ok, 187). Yes, your fuse needs to be set for well above boiling rather than below.
Thanks for the note, and the smile, and happy brewing! Be sure to purchase spares.
Dave A true coffee enthusiast has a sense of humour, at least after the second trip to the hardware store.. Hey, we've all done it.Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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yorkjj
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Re:Under the Hood - 2007/05/28 08:45Dave, Thanks for the information on the nylon valve with the ball/spring mechanism. Mine is broken and I would like to find a replacement. Any ideas of parts suppliers/instructions for proper installation? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
JJ York
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Sounds like you may have yours out already, but you can find a picture of the beast at Owen's disassembly photo set.
To disassemble your group to gain access to the group valve, follow the instructions here or the photos at the site above. With the shower plate removed, you will see the group valve as a hex nut screwed into the middle of the group body/boiler bottom (has a hole in the middle). By unscrewing this valve assembly, you will find a spring and a plastic ball that form the valve.
To replace it, put the stuff back in the reverse order, cleaning everything first as you go.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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