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Under the Hood - 2006/06/30 00:20This thread discusses the Content article: Under the Hood
I have just inherited a malfunctioning gaggia espresso and am determined that it shouldn't go in the garbage. Fuse, thermostats all seem to be fine (I get heating), and I can prime the pump and can get steam/water out of the steam nozzle. Trouble is that no water will come out of the showerhead despite extensive stripping.
When I first took the cover off for repair, I noticed that the pipe leading to the right of the reservoir from the heating block had come/blown off. The nylon threaded hose barb seemed to be at fault, being worn and having lost its thread. I replaced this with a new brass one....still no coffee. I then noticed a small black plastic ball about 5 mm dia at the bottom of the casing of the machine. Is this an integral part of the machine, or a foreign object, which has caused the problem? In anycase - I can't get any coffee action happening. Be great if someone could help. Thanks in advance.
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colin
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/06/30 08:49Yes - the boiler is full of lime-scale.
You can see some of the take apart of this article. You will have to remove the shower-head and remove the "spring-loaded" drip stopper thingie loaded in underneath the shower head. Once you do this you will be able to free up some crud inside the boiler. The better idea to it strip the thing apart and take the boiler out - it is pretty straightforward. Crack the boiler - clean and scour. Re-assemble. Gaggia good as new!
I did this for NY Media Diva Dina Kaplan, owner of Blip.TV - the website. HELLO DINA!
Anyho -- roll up your sleeves!Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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dave
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/06/30 10:02That small black ball sounds like the pea from inside the top-mounted 'antidrip' valve, which is part of the outlet tube that you took apart, leading from the boiler at the steam valve assembly to the reservoir.
[This 'antidrip' valve is not the 'drip-stopper thingy' that Colin referred to, which is the group valve at the base of the grouphead, underneath the shower screen and plate. The group valve has a small black plastic pea attached to a spring, which prevents water escaping the group until sufficient pressure is generated by running the pump.]
The top-mounted outlet valve's purpose is to vent excess pressure by releasing bits of water and steam, serving as a drip-prevention device. We don't like it very much, because it constantly dumps water/steam out of the boiler and can lead the unit to run dry if left on for too long without repriming the boiler (I would suggest running the pump every half hour or twenty minutes).
Without that ball in the antidrip valve, you will simply pump water through the outlet tube back into the reservoir, instead of through the group. This could be the cause of your problem, if you see lots of water returning to the reservoir through the tube that you reconnected. The ball is held between the inner side of the valve and the attached barb/washer(?) assembly, with only a small amount of wiggle room. Under pressure, it is held closed against the outside of the valve. Otherwise, it jiggles back and forth sputtering out stuff in small amounts.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Jonathan
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/07/01 07:44Sincere thanks for both posts. Dave: you hit the nail on the head so, one happy owner and one gaggia machine happy it's not heading for the garbage. Totally agree that this part of the machine is rubbish. Very silly to fasten a nylon part to a hot metal one especially with a pressurised ball behind it. One quick question (due to me having thrown the offending nylon part away): is the ball about to travel inside the threaded hose barb or does it come to rest on the rear of it, effectively stoppering the hole? Perhaps it doesn't matter. Anyway, my machine seems to work, so thanks very much! Great website, too.
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dave
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/07/01 10:23Jonathan,
Glad to hear that you are up and running.
The ball has a very small range of travel (<=1mm?). While the machine is idle, the ball tends to jiggle back and forth between the front and the back of the valve, allowing small amounts of water and steam through the outlet tube.
When the machine heats up toward steam temperature, you will hear that outlet tube rattling away as it spits stuff out like a machine gun.
With the original barb fitting, tightening it just beyond finger tight against the steam assembly will seat it properly. Any looser, and you will get leakage (and associated hissing) onto the outside of the boiler body.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Yaniv
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/10/20 04:32First of all - great article. I'm impressed.
Unfortunately, it didn't help me with my problem. I have a Gaggia Classic with exactly the simptoms described: No heating (neither brew nor steam). Pomp is working fine and water comes out. The Thermal Fuse is OK. I tested it with a multi-tester, short-cut it and even took it out and replaced it with a new one. No heating yet. The wires all around it seems OK (fiddled with it and all are connected).
I tend to think that it is the boiler that gone bad. Any advise would be appreciated (including a link to where I can find instructions for checking and reparing the boiler).
Thanks Yaniv, London
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colin
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/10/20 10:50Actually - it sounds like the Boiler element has burned out. Nothing wrong with the boiler.
And actually - the Gaggia wears its boiler elements on the OUTSIDE of the boiler -- So you can heat air all day long and not worry too much about burning anything out.
Take your Ohm-meter and check the elements again.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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yaniv
Visitor
Re:Under the Hood - 2006/10/22 01:20thanks colin, i am not very technical so I hope I got it right: I unplugged the 4 ends of wires at the top of the boiler. They are connected to 2 "U" elements at both sides of the boiler. I trust that these are the heating elements. I checked with Ohm-meter and noticed that one (the right side) has zero ohm and the other one is a 'cut'. Which one is faulty? Also - I checked the partsguru scheme and they do not show these elements as seperated from the boiler i.e. can not be ordered as a seperate part.
Any idea?
Thanks Yaniv
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colin
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Re:Under the Hood - 2006/10/23 13:15Elements that read ZERO Ohm are good. Ones that are open are bad.
You can order the replacement parts from espressotec.comColin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Yaniv
Visitor
Re:Under the Hood - 2006/10/24 06:12DO you know any supplier in the UK (Or Europe)? We use different voltage here (220-230V).
I guess that I would need to replace the whole Boiler.
Yaniv
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