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I had a free hour this afternoon so I thought I would clean my coffee machine – I have run through the machine with scale removing solution and back flushed it. I then removed the shower screen (item 25 here) and ran some more water through to clean further. I noticed that the water was only running through three holes in the grouphead (item 29) - the one in the middle and two on one side. The two on the other side had no water running through at all so I cleaned them out with a small poking stick and a fine bottle brush (good old Camelbac cleaning kit) but still no liquid is coming through. Am I correct in assuming this should not be the case? Does this mean I need a new grouphead as I don't think there is anything else in there causing a blockage. Or is the grouphead easily removable?
Thank you!
Have you tried removing item 27? There's a couple of 5mm allen bolts holding it in place. That sometimes gets scale built up in the holes in and around it. You can take out and descale it and run it without it in place to see if flow is ok. IIRC mine doesn't seem to get 4 even flows out if each, think 2 always seem more powerful than the others.
As wonkey_d says - pull the 2 bolts and lever the disc out. It'll probably be pretty well stuck the first time you do it. I have mine out every 2nd or 3rd time I do a back flush.
No I haven't tried that - does it just come off by loosening the hex bolts surrounding the grouphead?
Yes, may need to prise it off.
Taking a Gaggia to pieces is really easy, and really quite satisfying. If you get some cleaner too and give all the bits (24/25/26/27/28 from that diagram) a good soak it'll come back like new.
Right - so I took out the two bolts but it is well and truly stuck fast- time for a persuasion tool....
Wee flat screwdriver up the gap at the side does it, you'll then have a load of burnt on grounds to scrape off.
Soak all the bits in puilly fous or whatever it's called, the stuff you backflush with. Or barman's friend.
Yes. You'll possibly damage the gasket getting it out though. I get a bar between the edge of the filter carrier holder and the round block and prise it off. It'll be all gunged up with solid coffee. Scrape it all off. When you run the machine without it the water only comes out of one of the holes so don't think you've got a blockage.
Puly Caf. Pouilly Fuisse is a rather nice French wine you don't want to waste like that.
I tried and failed - it felt like something was about to give but not the part I wanted! For fear of breaking it beyond working at all I have decided it still works so I will leave it be and have a think on how else to approach it...
(Puly Caff ordered and will give it another clean with that and see if the part will be more accommodating the next time I try...)
As per the other posters, I had a blockage on mine that was fixed by removing the puck held on with two allen bolts and giving everything a thorough clean with puly caff, followed by descaling.
this was pretty handy when i took my classic to bits (and put it back together again....)
edit: can't seem to add links but wholelattelove.com has various videos of stripping and cleaning various coffee machines inc classics
Now you’ve cleaned and back flushed I’d bet £5 on the solenoid getting blocked by debris within a week, easy enough fix but you do need to take the machine apart.
Puly Caf. Pouilly Fuisse is a rather nice French wine you don’t want to waste like that.
Thats the one! 🤣
The first time I took the head out, it was a proper bloody fight. Sometimes, something up in the bolt holes and a bit of leverage. It does come out eventually but hard work. You may need to replace the gasket - a few online spares sites do silicone gaskets which are awesome.
Puly Caff ordered and will give it another clean with that and see if the part will be more accommodating the next time I try…
works best with backflushing blanking disc
As others have said, the group head disc takes some removing, especially when it’s gunged up. I had to “loosen” mine with a pair of big pipe grips, the twisting action freed it eventually.
On a side note, my steam valve was leaking quite badly, not a drip when closed, but passed the o ring on the screw assembly. The body of the machine would get flooded with steamy hot water, worrying with the amount of exposed wiring in a metal box! I tried to replace the o ring by cutting the swaged end off the valve, but I couldn’t get an o ring to seal it for more than a few uses. I found a refurbisher on eBay that remachines the seal faces and replaced the o ring. Also then cuts a thread on the valve body and puts a retaining nut on to stop the valve screw from unscrewing all the way out. It’s like a brand new machine.
eBay link Gaggia-boostbox eBay
Best way to shift a stubborn group head is to give a few light taps around it (it’s not a seize lower wishbone ball joint so don’t swing a 5lb hammer at it) with a brass drift, everyone has a set of brass drifts in their toolbox, right? and it’ll drop into the drip tray, it’s very easy to mark so go easy.
I got pissed of with my gaggias and their need for constant attention so I sacked them off a few years ago and bought a sage duo plus, occasional group head clean is all it’s needed for the previous 5years and it’s made at least 3 coffees day/365 days year since 2015 without once spitting the dummy.
Ah that's the problem with mine at the moment, only leaking when steam open, so I'm just making them flat at the mo. Bought a service kit from the espresso shop a while back just because... I thought there might be other issues... haven't got round to fitting anything yet though. Hope the steamer won't need to be sent for refurbishment.
I was a bit reluctant to mess to much, but the service from that eBay link to Gaggia-boostbox is superb. Mines a 2004 model, it’s never been as good as it is now. £25 well spent.
Another vote for the eBay steam valve fixing fella. What with that, a replacement seal set for about a tenner and splashing out on a rancilio wand (holy mother, that's loud), it's like a while new machine.
Bigblackshed, superb, thanks for that! Took mine off last year, modded it to clean up faces etc, stopped leaking fir a few weeks, so I've lived with it like I did for years before.
Hopefully he doesn't mind getting a modded valve, I'll ask.
@johndoh - Best way to remove a stuck aluminium dispersion block on a classic is to remove the two bigger hex screws and then use a longer m5? bolt in the center to screw hole in and push against the brass group head. Uses the same screw hole which attaches the metal shower screen you removed already.
This should remove all but the most stuck on ones, no need for drifts or levering things around, as it risks damaging the machine.
Nuclear option is strip down, take out the group and remove the boiler and piping. Then sit the brass group and dispersion block in a tub of descaled.
@bigblackshed - Glad you found a refurbisher, it is a bit of a design flaw not being user service or because of the manufacturing process and the way the pin contacts a sharp edge not a larger interface to stop.
Top tip is to only tighten “just enough”, as overtime they all start dripping eventually. Just need to be careful about the retaining nut being on properly tight, as overtime it could unscrew and vent steam onto your hand if it works loose with the valve opening/closing.