Posted Sun Mar 28, 2004, 3:27pm Subject: Gaggia Coffee repair needed--no pressure
I have had my Gaggia Coffee for about five years. Over the last year or so I noticed a meaningful reduction in crema. Last week or so I tried to clean it using Durgol decalcifying solution (sulfamic acid).
Now I don't get any real pressure out of it (I did before the cleaning, but not as much as I think needed). Water just drips out slowly from the machine.
I do get adequate pressure from the frother though. Steam works, heat works.
I would prefer to repair this, but don't know anything about the mechanics of this. Anyone know of a good web site summarizing repairing this? Any thoughts on what part(s) needs to be repaired?
Thanks.
P.S. Anyone have advice on alternative espresso makers of this class?
korngold Senior Member Joined: 21 Jul 2003 Posts: 630 Location: Des Moines, IA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Audrey Grinder: Rancilio Rocky Vac Pot: Bialetti Moka Pot (not vac) Drip: Melitta Clarity Roaster: WE Popcorn Pumper/Poppery I
Posted Sun Mar 28, 2004, 6:12pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Coffee repair needed--no pressure
Your pump may be over the hill, or your intake hose could be clogged. Does it still make noise? Or, your decalcifier may have clotted at the group or caused some sort of blockage somewhere. It may have eaten through something in your boiler, but if your steamer is working, I guess this wouldn't be a factor. Because this happened after you decalcified, I guess I'd look into some issue at the group before dissecting the machine. However, if you're certain the decalcifier didn't clog anything, you can check the pump, as that would be my next guess.
Before you do the "pump check" below, check your intake hose and make sure there isn't a blockage or an old filter that needs to be replaced. If no filter or blockage is present, and you don't mind a little "surgery," proceed.
If you're not afraid to take 'er apart a little, unplug the machine and get out the tools. Take off the top, and on the back left (as you're looking at the machine) you should see the pump. Try undoing the hose from the exit valve on the pump. Make sure you use a set of pliers on the "L" joint at the pumps exit and another set on the nut that holds the hose to the pump. If you only use pliers on the pump tube, you may break the long shaft on the pump, or loosen it to the point where it leaks. Obviously, this would render your pump useless, and it may still work. The exit tube on the pump points upward on a Gaggia Coffee, if memory serves me. Attach it to a small hose/tube. Make sure it's a tight fit, and put the other end of the hose into a pitcher. Leave the intake hose where it is, and make sure the Gaggia's reservoir is filled.
As always, when running a machine with the lid off, use extreme caution, use GFCI circuits, and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING inside the machine while it's plugged in.
Now that the warning is through. Go ahead & plug it in, and run the pump. If water comes out of your tube, your pump is okay. If you don't get any water out, your pump may be fried. The often sound like they're working right before they die, but do not expell any fluid. UNPLUG YOUR MACHINE. From here, I'd probably order a new pump from Chris Coffee, Aabree (ask for Jerry), or 1st Line (ask for Jim). All are very nice, and should have a pump that will work as a good replacement for your old Coffee pump. Make sure that the dimensions are correct, since the Gaggia's pump is oriented vertically, and also see if they have the rubber intake "L" joint, as it's easy to damage it when you remove it, and you'll never find one at your local hardware store as it's a specialty part. This "L" joint goes where the water intake is on the pump, allowing you to mount the pump vertically, and allowing the intake to be on the bottom.
If it doesn't seem to be your pump (water comes out the tube during test), it's out of my league. It may be a blocked intake in the group, or something of that nature. If worse comes to worse, you could always sell the machine on e-bay. List it as broken and describe the problem. People pay top dollar for broken merchandise on e-bay for some reason. You could probably sell it for $60 and then get a functional Carezza or Gran Gaggia for $80 - $100 to replace it.
Posted Sun Mar 28, 2004, 7:02pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Coffee repair needed--no pressure
Thanks for the detailed feedback. I'll look into it as you recommend.
The pump makes a sound, and I could not detect a blockage when I looked before (but I'll look into filters, which I did not know existed). I see water coming up the intake tube.
I was thinking of buying a used Pavoni or Elektra manual espresso makers. No pumps there. They seem more durable.
I was browsing alt.coffee and read something about not cleaning aluminum boilers (which the Gaggias have) with decalcifying solution, as it eats through the metal. This may be your problem, though I'm not sure. I would think you'd notice a boiler leak, especially if you have the top off the machine.
As for going with lever machines, I hear that they are an exercise in futility. Personally, I don't know if I could work the lever consistently, so I have gone with electronic pump machines. I would recommend a pump machine, but just get one that has brass/copper/stainless parts. Silvia gets a lot of support around here, and has a solid brass boiler. I think the isomac venus also has solid brass internals, which are very durable.
That makes sense about the aluminum boilers. I didn't use Gaggia's recommended decalcifier as I couldn't find it anywhere. That said, I don't see any leaks from the boiler.
Any idea how much a new pump and new boiler would cost? Would it be worthwhile to do this in your opinion, or just buy a new one.
Have you had any problems with pump driven machines, from a repair perspective? I don't want to drop another $300+ on a machine yet have to replace it in five years (I don't use it that much).
From a repair perspective, the pump isn't too big a deal in most cases. The Coffee is a tight fit, and most replacement pumps don't come with the connecting joints (the L inlet, and L joint from exit tube), so you'll definitely want to save those. However, if your pump is taking in water, it has to be going somewhere. . . Have you seen any leaks in/around the boiler or portafilter when trying to brew?
As for the boiler, it's a much more involved repair. You have to transfer all the thermostats, unplug everything, loosen all the joints, etc. If you're into repairing it, I guess I'd just buy a cheap Gaggia off e-bay (Gran Gaggia or Carezza, etc.) and replace the innards of your Coffee, or just use the new machine as is. Don't go for really old gaggias off e-bay, as they may have the same problem as yours. The Gaggia boilers are known for their corrosion, unfortunately.
As for repairing my pump machines, I always buy used machines, so I'm probably not the best to ask about longevity. I don't mind fixing them, and the ones with brass boilers should last forever (maybe the pump, tubing, or thermostats will croak, but at least the rest of the machine will last). Pump replacement, if you do it yourself, is probably a $60 - $80 affair, depending upon how many "secondary" parts you replace.
I had the exact same problem with a used coffee gaggia I had bought on ebay. I'm no engineer and relatively new to this (first post!), but I did manage to repair it satisfactorily (for now)
I went through espressorepair in Seattle. They've been recommended on this site and elsewhere. When I told the fellow on the phone about the problem (no pressure in grouphead but plenty in steam nozzle) he thought it was the pump. I ordered up a pump, installed it (with telephone help from espresso repair) but nothing had changed. When I called back, I spoke to a different person, a woman. She told me that there was probably some blockage. I had cleaned it as much as I could without dismantling the boiler, which I was hesitant to do. She talked me into taking the thing apart, saying that the machine I had was probably better than a new machine in the same price range so it was worth giving a shot. I proceeded to take the thing apart, marking the wires with tape etc.... I also took a digital before picture but did not need to use that. She told me to brush the boiler with a small wire brush which of course I didn't have so I tried to clean it as best I could. Luckily there wasn't a lot of corrosion. There was a build up of crud and flakes in a tube like structure that ran up from the grouphead to the boiler cavity (this is where my description gets faulty) I cleaned that tube with a pipe cleaner and then put the entire thing back together. I was shocked and surprised when everything worked. I did have to tighten up some connections after there were some leaks, but for now everything is working well. The entire process took an hour or two. As a person with a non-mechanical reputation, I got a kick out of repairing the machine myself. Also, it seems like any machine you might purchase in the future will require repairs so it doesn't hurt to learn on a lower price machine.
I'm not sure if I needed a new pump but the machine has worked a lot better with the new pump. I paid $55.00 for the pump, by the way.
Sorry about the rambling - I'd be interested to hear what you end up doing
I'll try that tonight, thanks a lot for the time to write out your note. The pump still makes a sound and appears to work OK for the frother. However, I did blow on plastic pipe feeding into the boiler, and got absolutely no resistance through it.
Do you have any schematics for the boiler? (So I can be sure to put it back together again.) I'm new at this.
Did you take it all apart? Where there many parts, gaskets and such to keep track of? Did you have any problems putting it all back together?
I'll let you know how things work out. I'm curious to fix it myself.
No problem - always fun to waste time on this site rather than work.
I didn't have a schematic. There wasn't a lot of parts and bits to keep track of. The boiler is pretty much one big lump of metal so once the wires, tubes and pipes were disconnected, there wasn't a lot of bits and pieces. The tubes and pipes connecting to the boiler as well as the steam nozzle were pretty easy to dissemble and keep track of. I had no problem keeping track of the various parts and I tend to be a bit scatterbrained. I also tend to rush things, so it helped that I made sure to take my time.
I used bits of of athletic tape upon which I could write numbers on to keep track of which wire went where. There is probably a better way to do this but it worked for me.
Sorry I can't be more specific. I'm more of a cheerleader than an electronics wiz. I just wanted to brag a bit and to tell you it can be done, even by the mechanically challenged.
Yes, I get much better crema now than when I first purchased the machine and it was running OK.
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