# Water running straight through valve .



## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Hi all , I bought a classic of ebay a couple months ago and only just had opportunity to try it out , so I got some water in it turned it on and it worked ! , or at least I thought it did .

Water came through the steam wand fine , ran a cupful through , then flicked the switch and water started coming through the brew head , then I noticed a lot of water under the machine ,


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Ok under the red cover there was a loose pipe nut, I tightened it now no water is coming through brew head.









It runs straight through this valve , does that mean this valve is faulty and needs replacing ?


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

When you say ,it runs straight through this valve, I presume you mean it is flowing through the vertical pipe back to the tank /reservoir?

That is the over pressure valve (O P V ). Usually cleaning and resetting is all that will be required.

1 Pull off the vertical pipe.

2 Use a 17 mm socket or spanner to remove the nut it might be tight (when replacing it only needs to be "nipped" up as there is a "O" ring seal underneath

3 Below the nut you will find a brass disc with a HEX hole in the centre. Measure down from the top of the valve to the disc and note the measurement ( this is to enable you to put it back to the same place after cleaning as this adjusts the pressure)

4 Remove the brass disc with an allen key also the spring and seal . Clean these and the area where the seal rests and remove any scale.

5 Replace these in reverse order, wind down disc to original position ,replace 17 mm nut (just nipped up) fit hose ,

This should cure flow through and get machine working.

At a later date borrow a gauge off the forum to make an accurate check of pressure.


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Hi ,thanks for the reply , i got it working again last night . when i first took the top off i saw a stray earth wire , there is an double earth lug on the top of the boiler one of which is free i assumed the earth wire went there .. looking at the original ebay advert the previous owner had taken both valves off ( and included photos) so i took both valves off and cleaned them , the 3 way valve solenoid was loose where the locking nut was not done up tight . also i noticed 3 terminals on the solenoid the lower one should be earth so this must have been where the stray wire had come from , so i think the previous owner had not put it back together properly ..

I have now just pulled my first shot ,, it was 12 month old illy beans put through a krups blade grinder , plastic tamper , standard wand and basket (i assume they are standard) so about the worst possible setup , there was not much crema and the puck was dry around the outside when i tipped it out . But it was drinkable . .









now the fun part comes but what to buy first ..


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Grinder and Tamper - you will need to buy both at the same time


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Ok , coffeechap messaged about grinder , as for tamper so much choice , do I need a different basket also ?


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

If it's not a pressurised one then not immediately

Suggested upgrades are VST straight sided basket or IMS basket

Suggest going for a 15g or 18g VST basket for the Classic


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

This is the one I have , I assume this is not pressurised , I was thinking if I needed another the tamper may be a different size


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

That's a standard portafilter and basket

A 58mm Tamper will fit best


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Glenn said:


> That's a standard portafilter and basket
> 
> A 58mm Tamper will fit best


Sorry to disagree Glenn but I think that is one of the original pressurised baskets,going by the double rim at the bottom of the basket.

Can Moss 99 turn it over and take another photo please, I think it will only have holes for about 20 mm in the centre.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

The bottom view will certainly prove one way or another. Hadn't spotted the double rim as assumed it was the angle.


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Here it is,


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Can you please post a photo of the bottom of the basket?

That's a standard spouted portafilter for the Gaggia Classic


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks for confirming that , I was reading last night a convex tamper is better , is this the case for what I need ?


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

I have also been toying with the idea of making a solid stainless one at work I could match the diameter perfectly to my basket ,, or is that getting a bit carried away,, ha ha


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

It is the basket that fits inside the porta filter that is the pressurised or non pressurised item. That is what we would like to see a view of.

If you make a tamper too tight it will vacuum the coffee loose /out as you withdraw it. You need clearance around the perimeter 58.3 to 58.4 mm is about max.


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Sorry , here they are ,, there is also a small black plastic part under the basket which flies across the room when I take the basket out !! Should that be fixed in .

Thanks for the info on the tamper diameter ,,


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

That is what we wanted. That is a pressurised basket, you need to change it and ditch the plastic widget, THEN you will find a big difference in your coffee and the speed of flow through.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

That's a pressurised basket and you will need the small plastic part to keep the coffee from spraying out

Replace the basket with a non-pressurised one and remove the plastic part for a better experience (with Tamper and freshly ground coffee)


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Ok thanks, have you got a link to what I need to buy , I seem to be in the habit of buying the wrong thing lately , or is that against forum rules


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

This is the standard basket http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0183-gaggia-double-filter-basket.html

These are VST baskets http://coffeehit.co.uk/brands/vst

This is the IMS basket http://coffeehit.co.uk/ims-competition-filter-basket-14-17g

Here is a comprehensive selection http://coffeehit.co.uk/catalogsearch/result?q=basket

Only baskets up to 18g will fit your portafilter. 20g and 21/22g baskets will be too deep


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## moss99 (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks for that ,, basket ordered but I'm having trouble finding a 58.35 tamper in stock !

They must be popular


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