# Faulty Gaggia classic



## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

Hi,

I'm fairly new here. I've had my classic about 2 weeks now, so far so good, but today I tried pulling a shot and nothing came out. i took the PF off, and only the top half of the puck was even wet. I tried without the PF attached, and water is only dripping, quite slowly through the head, then trying with the empty PF attached, it took about a minute to fill a shot glass.

I attached a new rancillo steam wand today, could this be anything to do with it? If not, whats going on???

Thanks!

Steve


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## aphelion (Nov 23, 2012)

warton said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm fairly new here. I've had my classic about 2 weeks now, so far so good, but today I tried pulling a shot and nothing came out. i took the PF off, and only the top half of the puck was even wet. I tried without the PF attached, and water is only dripping, quite slowly through the head, then trying with the empty PF attached, it took about a minute to fill a shot glass.
> 
> ...


Hi Steve

Do you live in a hard water area?

Do you use water directly from the tap?

If so, you may want to try a descale, and start using Brita Filtered Water

But, if it was working before you changed the wand...and now it doesn't (this sounds a bit suspect too).

Is the machine brand new?

Regards


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## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

Hi,

thanks for the reply, The machine is brand new, and we don't live in a hard water area, but I have been using tap water.

all i did with the wand was unscrew the gaggia, and screw in the rancillo, from what i've read thats all there is to it, I used the bolt that came with the rancillo...


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## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

PS, the steam wand works fine. could it be the solenoid?


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## aphelion (Nov 23, 2012)

Not sure

I would do a full limescale clean and backflush first (its cheap).

Remove the shower screen and clean group etc.

Flush it all through

See if that helps before looking at solenoid/OPV etc. (could be those are blocked by limescale anyway).

Grouphead clean and limescale is the simplest thing to try first

See how that works out

Regards


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## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks, I'll try that today...


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## Liam (Nov 8, 2012)

warton said:


> Hi,
> 
> thanks for the reply, The machine is brand new, and we don't live in a hard water area, but I have been using tap water.
> 
> all i did with the wand was unscrew the gaggia, and screw in the rancillo, from what i've read thats all there is to it, I used the bolt that came with the rancillo...


Was the bolt that came with the Rancilio the same as the one on the end of the Gaggia wand? Dont know how it would fit otherwise, unless maybe you removed the brass bolt too.

I fitted the rancilio wand the other day and i removed the chrome bolt from the steam wand, put it on the rancilio one and then screwed it back into place (into the brass bolt), and 'touch wood' both my steam wand aswell as water through the group.

I used the photos here as a guide http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=11548518


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## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

The bolt was exactly the same...


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## warton (Jan 5, 2013)

cleaned the grouphead, no difference. A friend lives in the same area, and he used his daily for a year before he needed to descale, so it's not going to be that. tbh, i bought it two weeks ago, so it's going back, the place i bought it from have already sent out a replacement.


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