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Gran Gaggia disassembly advice? - 2007/10/09 23:54My trusty Gran Gaggia is having similar water flow problems as have been described by other posters to this forum. I've done a couple of descaling routines which seem to have made the problem worse rather than better... I reckon it's time to do a bit of internal investigation, starting with the grouphead.
I've read Dave's Gaggia domestic grouphead disassembly article (http://www.coffeecrew.com/content/view/291/99/); unfortunately, my group looks quite different – it doesn't have the two allen bolts holding it in place as pictured there.
From the looks of it, I need to take the lid off the machine to get at the grouphead. Seems easy enough, but I'm a bit stumped with the removal of the steam knob, which blocks me from removing the lid after I've taken out the corner screws. The schematic seems to suggest the knob just pops off, but to do that, I think I'm going to have to reef on the thing pretty hard. Before breaking out the pliers, I'm asking for the advice of any current/former Gran Gaggia owners out there. Maybe there's a little trick I'm missing that would make removal of the steam knob much easier...
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:Gran Gaggia disassembly advice? - 2007/10/10 19:24Yea - that top knob is a pressure fit - no set screw. It just pops off -- Try wrapping some cloth around it and PULL.
Do not be afraid of using a bit of force -- these old units can take it.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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I spent a few interesting hours today poking around the insides of my machine. Unfortunately, I couldn't remove the group -- I couldn't budge the internal allen bolts with my meagre home tools. I did notice some "gunk" floating in the tubing between the boiler and pump, though -- cleaned that out and reassembled things.
On the basis of the visible gunk, I'm trying one more descaling. If that doesn't result in an improvement to the water flow through the group, it's off to Espressotec for them to have a look-see.
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colin
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Re:Gran Gaggia disassembly advice? - 2007/10/12 21:38The cool-cats at EspressoTec will treat you right.
Make sure you tell them the Colin-Man sent you.
They might give you a discount -- Oh yea - they are having a major promotion on new rancilio silvias -- drag in any "dog" and they will give you 150$ off of a new silvia.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Kevin R
User Senior Barista
Posts: 33
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Re:Gran Gaggia disassembly advice? - 2007/10/18 11:51So far, so good with the Gran -- it seems to be back to working properly, and has so for a week. Cross your fingers...
I read about the Silvia deal on a recent visit to the Espressotec website. Pretty tempting, but I'll have to wait until I've saved enough pennies for a new machine.
Speaking of good service, I want to recognize the folks at Baratza for their quick response to a problem I discovered with my less than six month old Maestro Plus grinder. It seems the plastic housing on the upper burr had somehow developed a nasty crack. I sent them a picture by e-mail, and they sent me a replacement part the same day -- no proof of warranty needed. I wish all of my warranty experiences were that painless...
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Kevin R
User Senior Barista
Posts: 33
Karma: 6
Re:Gran Gaggia disassembly advice? - 2007/11/16 11:36A short update: my Gran Gaggia recently returned to its previous persnickety behaviour. Before I made the trek out to Espressotec, I thought I’d try one last fix: remove the bolt in the centre of the grouphead (onto which the dispersion screen attaches) and go from there.
After a few turns with the socket wrench, I had the bolt out. It’s a spring loaded gizmo with a small rounded gasket at the tip which sits inside the group. I presume this mechanism regulates the water flow from the pump through the group.
I then ran several courses of water through the group, which resulted in a good deal of flaky scale in my pitcher. My unscientific diagnosis? The steaming action must force the scale against the little gasket, blocking the opening and not allowing any water to come through when I go to brew a shot of espresso.
I’ve had to complete this procedure two or three times now, with a little less scale coming through each time. Hopefully we’re soon at the end, and a diet of filtered water and regular descaling will prevent the problem from returning.
If nothing else, this little project has taught me a lot about the inner workings of my machine…
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