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Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 10:41I have had my Coffee Gaggia for a year and it has recently started to leak. I took it bak tot eh vendor and they said it needed to be cleaned. After paying $40, I took it back home and it was still leaking! I have taken of the mesh cover and the block with hex keys. I can see the gaskets but the water appears to be coming from the bolt in the middle. Any ideas on the next step? Any suggestions on where to buy gaskets in Montreal?
Thanks John
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colin
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 12:20It needed a bit more than a cleaning I think...
So - you say that it is leaking or leaping ABOVE the shower screen at the nut?
Does it worsen when you switch into STEAM mode? (not opening the wand or anything...)
More specifically -- when you press the steam switch and start waiting for the unit to heat up, does water run out this area MORE or LESS?Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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John Mitchell
Visitor
Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 12:28Hi Colin,
The machine does leak more when I am in steam mode. I have tried it with the creen off and I can see water (and steam) bubbling out around the nut bove the shower screen. You seem to know what is wrong. Hope it is easy to fix.
JOhn
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Zazenmaster
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 12:29Hi John;
If you're saying that it's dripping while you're not actually brewing, then I don't think replacing the group head gasker will help. Perhaps the return hose that routes overflow back to the tank is blocked.
I'm used to the Topazio where you have to physically remove the two hoses to refill the tank. Not sure about the arrangement on the Coffee, but I'd suggest you look for either the shorter of two hoses or perhaps an opening near the top of the tank and make sure it's not blocked.
Robb
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colin
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 14:28What is happening here (I think...) is:
Under this nut is yet-another-screw that holds a spring that has a little rubber "pea" or "mushroom" stopper attached to it.
The mushroom thing kinda presses down on the boiler exit into the shower-screen and portafilter so that when the machine is idle (or in steam mode), water is kept from bubbling out of the unit into the portafilter until the brew switch is pressed.
The thing is, with the boiler containing hot water, there is steam and (resulting)bar pressure (without the pump running...) anywhere from 1.X bar to 3 Bar or higher.
If you were to pull the hose off the input of the boiler with this "live steam pressure", you would be in for an unpleasant surprise.
So - this "pea" or "Mushroom" stopper acts as a valve (spring loaded) that keeps the steam and water in the boiler during idle moments.
When you press "Brew", the boiler kicks in and the Bar press in the boiler quickly ramps up to 9 to 12 BAR. Somewhere between 6 and 9 Bar, the pressure pushes this "Rubber cap" down do the brew water can get into the portafilter.
Can you know see what would happen if this mechanism got clogged by sediment from a gunked up boiler... or if it became caked with lime scale... like a stopper in your bath-tub that could not hold the bath water in...
so to speak..Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Zazenmaster
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 15:08Here's some photos of the dissembly process thoughtfully uploaded by a fellow with a similar problem:
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John Mitchell
Visitor
Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 15:19Thanks again Colin,
I will take this bolt out (did not have a wrench at work) and will see what the condition of this is.
JOhn
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dave
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 16:17John,
When you unscrew the group valve (this spring-loaded pea valve that Colin is referring to), you may find that
i) it has scale accumluations on it (as might the shaft that it seats within);
but you might also find that
ii) the plastic pea has deformed from heating cycles and just normal wear and tear. This can also prevent the valve from sealing properly, and is a simple replacement available from vendors like WholeLatteLove and likely EspressoTec. Expected cost around $8-10, iirc.
If you order a new group valve, tack on replacement parts that you will eventually need: group head gasket(s), shower screen(s), maybe a spare basket, and (if they happen to have them cheaply, dunno if they do) thermal cutoffs (thermal fuses) to match your machine ($3 part).
I am assuming that this is a new model Gaggia Coffee when you say that you have had it for a year. Some of the parts on the much older original model Gaggia Coffee (white steel exterior with a front-mounted steam knob) were very different.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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colin
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Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/15 19:33Yup - owen egans site has some spot on photos of the "pea" in question.
cool.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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John
Visitor
Re:Leaking Gaggia - 2006/08/16 06:52Cheers guys. Great advice from everyone. I will let you know if this doesn't work. Thanks for the help.
JOhn
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