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Classic Coffee Gaggia - faulty pump? - 2005/08/26 21:51Hello All! Hope you can help me: at local garage sale this morning I've seen an old (1996) Golden "Classic Coffee" (max) GAGGIA machine, there was no much rust outside and it was a bargain so I got it (no guarantees - sold as is). Now there are some problems and I am trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with it: after I switching it on and trying to prime it I have good strong flow of hot water/steam from the steam tube (and lots of noise from pump), but after 1 cup is full and I swithc the machine to coffee/hot water (as advised in manual from Gaggia site ) there is no water is coming from the shower head although the pump is making hummimg noise (but not very loud). Is that means the pump is gone and need to be replaced? (but how the hell she pumps the water through the steam tube with no probs? Can it be an airlock of some sort?) Also we got quite hard water here - can the scale block something? I've clean a bit from the surface (used kitchen vinegar+water) but that was all. Also one more question: how can I take the water reservoir out? Some pipe (sorry - decompression duct) is on the way and I don't know if I should UNSCREW it or all cleaning/descaling I should do with it in the machine (the manual saying: "The reservoir can be removed after disconnecting the decompression duct (10b) by pulling it down." - not sure if the manual for old or new "Classic", if there any owners here with same vintage machine? Sorry - too many questions but I'm an absolute newbee - this is my 1st "proper" espresso machine. Many thanks, L.P.
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Disassembling the shower screen and shower plate, as described in http://www.coffeecrew.com/content/view/291/99/ is easy to do but may require some soaking and elbow grease on your part. Your machine has a 3-way solenoid valve, which ejects the built up pressure and water from the puck after brewing -- through that "decompression duct" to the drip tray.
You probably have a lot of scale build up, particularly if the unit was bought in an area with hard water. Given that you have a solenoid valve, you may be best to take it apart and clean out the bulk of the scale manually before attempting to run any descaler through the machine. If there is a lot of scale buildup in the boiler, trying to break it up could send chunks into the solenoid valve and block it up if this has not already occurred. In an area with hard water and assuming that the unit has not been well maintained, scale is likely your problem. It is also possible that you have another problem, such as a stuck solenoid valve.
Both the boiler and solenoid valve are replaceable parts if necessary, from a vendor such as espressotec.com or wholelattelove.com They can also sell you a replacement gasket, which you likely need or can at least keep handy.
If you do attempt to descale your machine using a descaling solution, please don't use vinegar. Purchase a citric-acid based coffee cleaner such as Urnex, PurCaf, Melitta cleaner, or even just very dilute citric acid. There is an article here on how to do this, but you may well need to do more work first. Colin has recently cleaned out a Gaggia choked with scale and could tell you the horrors he has seen
If you can get her back into shape, the Gaggia will reward you with great espresso using fresh, precisely-ground coffee.Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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glenns
Visitor
Re:Classic Coffee Gaggia - faulty pump? - 2005/08/27 13:41The "decompression duct" is held in place by friction by some sort of rubber grommet. Just pull on the tube ( straight down) and it should come out easily. Once the tube is removed you can pull the drip tray out and you will have access to your resevoir. The tank is not held by anything - just slide it out. As a new Classic owner you may find our Gaggia Classic step-by-step instructions under our Tutorial section useful.
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