Gaggia Classic/troubleshooting
From Whole Latte Love Support Library
Machine Has No Power
1. When did you receive this machine?
- Whether new or old, move on to next question.
NOTE: The age of the machine is always important to know when troubleshooting.
- Whether new or old, move on to next question.
2. Was it shipped, transported, or moved recently?
- No, this machine was not recently shipped, transported, or moved. Move on to the next question.
- Yes, it recently shipped, or the customer recently moved the machine:
- It probably has a loose wire from transport. To check:
- In the rear of the machine, use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the two screws in the black plastic cover.
- Lift off the housing. The black plastic and stainless steel are attached and will come off in one piece.
- Check the socket where the power cord meets the machine, and make sure the two wires are attached and have not come loose or disconnected.
3. Did you make sure the power cable is firmly pushed into the socket located in the back of the machine?
- If yes: advise customer try another power cord.
- This is a common plug for other household machines such as a computer printer.
- If this does not resolve the issue, continue to the next question.
4. Have you plugged another appliance into the outlet to see if the outlet has power?
- If yes, ask: did the machine stop powering on suddenly after months or years of operating correctly?
- If yes: the fuse may have blown, and needs to be replaced.
How to Replace the Thermal Fuse
Machine Is Not Heating
1. Is the water coming out of the grouphead lukewarm or at room temperature?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: is the machine new or old?
- If the machine is brand new:
- In the rear of the machine, use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the two screws in the black plastic cover.
- Lift off the housing. The black plastic and stainless steel are attached and will come off in one piece.
- Check the thermostat, which is located on top of the boiler, for loose wires on its top or side.
- If there are no loose wires the thermostats need to be replaced:
How to Replace the Thermostats
2. Is the water coming out of the grouphead hot at all?
- No: go back to the previous question.
- Yes: The maximum temperature of water in a paper cup or Styrofoam cup is 179°.
- You can preheat your cups for hotter coffee
3. Are you making milk based drinks?
- If yes: The espresso temperature maxes out at 179°, which cools as the machine heats up to steam temperature, and steamed milk is generally heated to approximately 150° to avoid scalding, so between the wait time and the combined temperatures the drink temperature will be significantly less than the max temperature of 179°. We advise frothing the milk first, then brewing, for the hottest combination.
Machine Has No Water Flow
1. If you press all three buttons on the front of the machine into the down position and open the steam wand, does water come out of the steam wand?
- No: the pump needs to be manually primed. Prime the machine.
- If priming the pump did not solve the problem: can you hear the pump?
- No: the pump has failed and needs to be replaced.
- Yes: Proceed to the next step
How to Replace the Pump
2. Does water flow through the grouphead with the portafilter removed?
- Yes: make adjustments to grind and/or tamp.
- No: try another filter basket in the portafilter.
- The hole in the bottom of the pressurized filter basket may be clogged. Suggest customer boil the basket or soak it in vinegar, then try again.
- The pressurized filter basket may be missing the layer of mesh that goes in the bottom.
- If problem persists, clean the solenoid valve.
Gaggia Classic Solenoid Cleaning PDF ▸
Gaggia Classic Grouphead Cleaning PDF ▸
- If problem still persists, it may be necessary to clean and rebuild the boiler.
How to Clean and Rebuild and Aluminum Boiler
Machine Has No Steam Power
1. Is the machine new or old?
- If it’s old: move on to the next question.
- If it’s new: run a steam test to determine if the machine is functioning properly:
Gaggia Classic Steam Test PDF ▸
- Did your measurements fall within the acceptable parameters?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: Your machine is operating properly.
2. Have you checked for blockages in the pipe?
- Yes: move on to the next question.
- No: remove the pannarello wand assembly to check for blockages in the inner pipe.
3. When you push all three switches on the front of the machine into the down position and open the steam knob, does water come through?
- Yes: move on to the next section.
- No: the machine may need to be primed.
How to Force Prime a Semi Automatic Espresso Machine
4. Is the water flowing through the group head cold or room temperature?
- If yes: the brew and steam thermostats have failed and need to be replaced.
How to Replace the Thermstats
My Pump is Loud
- If the noises are occurring specifically during steaming, and it sounds like a loud pinging, then the sleeve insert on the pannarello assembly is not in the proper position:
- If there is a knocking or metallic banging sound while the pump is activated then the pump is probably off of its mounting. You can use the pump replacement instructions as a guide to help re-position the pump correctly:
How to Replace the Pump
Machine Is Leaking
1. Was the machine exposed to freezing temperatures?
- No: Move on to the next question.
- Yes: was the water drained from the boiler before storage?
- Yes: move on to the next question.
- No: Advise that the customer check to see if the boiler is cracked.
- In the rear of the machine, use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the two screws in the black plastic cover.
- Lift off the housing. The black plastic and stainless steel are attached and will come off in one piece.
- A crack in the boiler will be very noticeable.
- If it is not cracked: move on to the next question.
- If it is cracked: it needs to be removed and replaced. Boiler assembly part
Large o-ring that separates the boiler halves.
How To Clean and Rebuild a Gaggia Aluminum Boiler
2. Where is the water leaking from the machine?
- Is it leaking from the back of the machine?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: have you recently removed the water tank?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: make sure both tubes are inside the water tank, instead of behind it. This is visible from the front of the machine.
3. Is it leaking from the grouphead, around the sides of the portafilter?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: the group gasket needs to be replaced.
How to Replace the Group Gasket on the Gaggia Classic
4. Is it spraying out of the portafilter spouts?
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: remove the filter basket from the portafilter and check to see that the two way pin is properly situated.
- If lost, the two way pin can be ordered here. More information on baskets and pins.
- If lost, the two way pin can be ordered here. More information on baskets and pins.
Gaggia Expert Tip: How to use Gaggia Espresso Machines Filter Baskets
5. Is the steam wand leaking?
- Yes: Remove the knob on the steam valve. It pulls straight off like an oven knob. Try closing the valve using pliers. If it closes all the way, and stops leaking, inspect the plastic knob for defects, or replace the knob.
- No: move on to the next question.
- Yes: Are you regularly descaling the machine?
- Advise the customer that they can attempt to run 2-3 descale cycles in an row to see if this will stop the leak.
How to Descale a Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine
- If descaling didn’t stop the leak, the steam valve needs to be replaced. Follow these instructions to replace the steam valve on your machine:
- If descaling didn’t stop the leak, the steam valve needs to be replaced. Follow these instructions to replace the steam valve on your machine:
How to Remove and Replace Steam Valve
6. Is the machine spraying or leaking from an indeterminate place?
- If yes: remove the housing to check the pump connection, which is a white “neck” attached to a brass elbow.
- In the rear of the machine, use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the two screws in the black plastic cover.
- Lift off the housing. The black plastic and stainless steel are attached and will come off in one piece.
- If leaking, try using teflon tape, PermaBond or LockTite, all of which are available at hardware and home improvement stores, to seal the connection between the white neck of the pump and the brass elbow.
How to Replace the Pump on a Gaggia Classic
My Coffee Tastes Bitter or Sour, and Lacks Crema
- Typically, issues with crema or the flavor of the shot do not indicate a malfunction of the machine. Instead, this indicates that an adjustment needs to be made in the brewing process or that different beans need to be used.
- The following articles review the different variables and offer solutions:
- Tamping The Correct Way and The Effects Of Tamping Pressure
- Grinding Coffee For Espresso
- It is important to use fresh beans, typically beans roasted within the past two weeks are best. Light and medium roasts are best for espresso brewing and richer crema. :Storing beans properly is also important, more information can be found here.
- If the behavior persists after reviewing these factors then the machine may need to be cleaned. Lack of cleaning can cause burned or bitter flavors, or create flow issues which can result in a weak shot. Refer to the Cleaning & Maintenance portion of this article for more information.
Milk Frothing Troubles
- As with brewing, frothing is highly dependent on technique. If the machine is producing steam then an adjustment to technique may need to be made. Frothing is very sensitive to technique, so there is a steep learning curve. The video below shows proper frothing technique:
How to Froth Milk with a Pannarello Wand
- There are also common frothing mistakes which are made that will result in poor or no froth. The video below identifies these mistakes and shows how to correct them:
Quick Tip: Six Common Milk Frothing Mistakes
- This machine also utilizes a special nozzle attachment called a pannarello. The pannarello nozzle needs to be regularly cleaned and properly attached to the machine in order to function. The video below reviews how to attach the pannarello properly. When disassembling the pannarello please make sure all of the separate pieces shown in the video are present. The pannarello should be taken apart frequently and the separate parts should be soaked in some hot water to help remove any built-up milk residues.
How To Attach a Pannarello Wand
- Inside the tube of the pannarello nozzle there should be a plastic insert which must be present in order for this nozzle attachment to work. If this insert is missing or improperly inserted the machine will not be able to create froth. Please check the position of this insert as shown in this troubleshooting document, pictured right.
- Alternatively you can try frothing on the machine without the pannarello attachment. The naked wand can also produce a tight microfoam, and is preferred by some users. The major disadvantage of frothing with the naked wand is that it reduces the length of the steam wand by several inches.
Pannarello wand won’t stay on the arm
- If you wand is slipping or even falling off of the steam arm, watch the video on the right for tips on keeping the wand secure and in place.
How To Attach a Pannarello Wand
Portafilter won’t fit in the group head
- On new machines the portafilter will not fit perpendicular to the machine. This is because the grouphead gasket requires time to wear in before this can happen. As long as you can get the portafilter hand tight onto the machine and brew without leaking then the machine is operating properly. Do not use excessive force when attaching the portafilter or it can damage or break the grouphead gasket.
- Too much coffee may be dosed into the portafilter. If there is too much coffee in the portafilter is can press into the shower screen and prevent the portafilter from attaching properly. Reduce the amount of coffee in the portafilter or test the machine with an empty portafilter. If the portafilter attaches properly then the filter basket was simply overdosed.
- Check the filter baskets for dings, dents, or any sort of warping. A filter basket that is malformed can prevent the portafilter from attaching. Try attaching the portafilter with the basket removed, or with a different basket to see if it fits on correctly.
- The group gasket has slipped out of place or needs replacing. A replacement group gasket can be purchased here
How to Replace the Group Gasket
- The grouphead may be damaged. If the machine was dropped or the grouphead was struck hard, then it can damage the grouphead. The grouphead would need to be replaced. This is not a normal occurrence and only happens if the machine has been mishandled.
Replacing the Portafilter Handle
If you need to replace your portafilter handle, instructions can be found here