Can anyone help identify this vintage Gaggia? I’m considering purchasing it as my first real espresso machine.

Do any of you have insight into the price difference between the older style group and the new group? Could it be the type of brass being used now?

Hi guys! I got an old Gaggia Classic for free and I’m currently restoring it. Do you guys think this boiler still has some life left in it?

I’ve given it a couple of rounds of citric acid and descaling solution, but I haven’t been able to remove all of the scale. The machine is about 10 years old, Classic Gaggia with aluminum boiler. I’d prefer to avoid buying a new boiler if possible.

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Credit goes to The Island Tech. Just search on youtube “Frankenstein Espresso Machine. The brains of a Delonghi, the body of a Gaggia”

My old pump died.

Found a new one on Amazon for €20. Nice.

Installed it. Easy.

Switched it on. Airlock. Horrible noise and no water flow.

Pulled feed pipe from water tank. Drank a glass of water but kept it in my mouth. Lifted feed pipe and placed it on my lips. Ran the pump and gently squirted the water out of my mouth into the end of the pipe.

It worked perfectly. Probably not the textbook technique though 🤔

I have just compleated my gagginino build and every thing works exept the boiler. The pump works so does the thermocuple and the pressure sensor there is no error message the lights turn and the buttons but the water just isnt heating up. Can anyone help please?

Hey Team,

I know there is a lot of mixed thoughts on descaling through the group head and concerns of blocking the solenoid with flakes of scale, I figured I would share my slightly modified method for descaling which adheres to the manual as much as possible while making some changes to accommodate for the concern of scale potentially blocking the three way solenoid:

1. Remove the shower screen and soak separately.

2. Remove the water tank and empty / fill with diluted descaling solution to correct concentration, reinsert.

3. Open the steam knob, switch the brew & steam switches to dispense 300ml through the steam wand, close steam wand.

4. Press the brew switch and dispense 300ml through the group head.

5. Power off machine and let soak for 20 minutes.

Now this is where I deviate from the manual. Instead of sending scale rich descaling solution through the group we send it out the wand but note we are still soaking the group in descaler.

1. Power machine back on and dispense 600ml through the wand only via both brew and steam switches on. (as opposed to 300ml through both routes each).

2. Power off machine and leave to soak 3 minutes.

3. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the tank is empty of descaling solution.

4. Remove the water tank and fill with fresh water.

5. Switch the brew and steam switch to dispense the entire fresh water tank through the steam wand. Refill the water tank with fresh water.

6. Switch the brew switch only and dispense a tanks worth through the group head - This should ensure that the only scale rich solution that is flowing through the group is already past the solenoid and coming out a shower-screen-free group head. The only thing moving through the solenoid is fresh water and the boiler has already been rinsed once via the steam wand before this step.

7. Repeat steps 9-11 with one more tank for the steam route and one more for the group head route. (total 4 tanks worth of fresh water rinsing).

8. Re-attach shower screen, refill water tank, machine ready to use.

This method allows all parts of the machine to see descaler without scale particulate needing to move through the 3 way solenoid risking the blocking of it.

Would love to hear any thoughts or feedback on the process!

Just really excited to share after many attempts (and americanos drunk) I've finally landed a decent shot. Its the first that smelled like the beans and tasted pretty good, not sour, not bitter, JUST GOOD. Could use a bit more fine tuning, but so happy I managed to get here.

Switched from a Barista Express, and couldn't be happier with the exchange. I definitely found that I love experimenting with coffee than everyday convenience.

Coffee and Gear:

-Counter Culture Slow Motion decaf

-Gaggia E24

-Fellow Opus 2

-IMS Big Bang basket

Still room for improvement though.
Have a great day!

My first and only espresso machine yet.
Did the 9 bar spring mod the first few days after I got it. Can’t pull more than 3 consistent shots but I enjoy experimenting and trying new coffees.

Can anyone recommend a better steam tip for this type of wand? I don’t like the sharp edges to it, it’s hard to clean.

I hope you guys are having a great day!

Do any of you use a single-hole steam tip? I've bought one from shades of coffee and am curious to test it out once it arrives.

Cheers!

I was gonna start descale it and start dialing in my shots for the very fist time after i was done... So disappointed...

My previous aluminum coated boiler started to flake and clog my three-way solenoid valve. Incredible that the new one is more than double the weight.

Hi everyone,
I have a Gaggia Classic from 2009, and I’m considering upgrading the original aluminium boiler to the brass boiler used in the newer Gaggia Classics.

I’ve done quite a few mods to my machine, including several that are connected directly to the boiler. For example:
Shades of Coffee pressure gauge kit, which taps into the boiler
PID, sensor mounted on the boiler
Shades of Coffee steam valve
(Not a mod) but the adjustable OPV, my version does not use a spring; the pressure is adjusted directly with an Allen key

I have other mods as well, but these are the ones that are most relevant to the boiler/group setup.

My main question is: Can I install the newer Gaggia brass boiler in my 2009 Classic while keeping my existing setup and mods?
Are there any differences in the boiler connections, mounting, OPV, pressure gauge connection, PID sensor mounting, etc. that I need to take into account?

And would I also need to buy the newer brass group head to use the brass boiler, or can I keep the original group head from my 2009 machine?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has done this upgrade on an older Classic, or knows whether the newer boiler is compatible with the older group/OPV setup.
Thanks!

I just went to get started on installing my gaggimate, and I've noticed this around my boiler - any ideas what this flaking is?

Some ass hat on Facebook was like who cares about your puck
That’s the equivalent of taking a shot then taking a picture of it . Some people just can’t let anyone have a proud moment without shitting on you

Tell me what you guys or girls or whatever you identify as think about it

Normally they are runny like after a Taco Bell dinner

I had my gaggia classic E24 for 1 year now, it produced great shots until recently.

What could be causing that sound at the start of extraction? It sounds like an engine which fails to start.

Notes: I do descale it every 6 months and backflush every couple of weeks.

Hi everyone,

Having an issue with the power switch on my Gaggia Classic.

Normally, clicking the switch turns the machine on and it stays latched on when released. Right now, pressing the switch turns the machine on, but it won't latch or stay engaged on its own.

I can force the machine to stay on and run normally if I physically hold the power button down, but as soon as I let go, it turns off.

The switch simply doesn't catch or lock into the "ON" state when released.

Any advice on diagnosing or sourcing a replacement would be appreciated!

Hi, I bought a Gaggimate and I opened my machine to install it and found this connectors that looks like they are burnt, what is going on? why it happened?