# refurb Gaggia Classic advice/issues



## ThomH (Jan 23, 2012)

Hi there guys,

I'm new to this forum and have just received my first Gaggia Classic (refurb/factory return) from ebay to start my espresso experiments with!

I have several questions which I hope some of you may be able to answer...

After unboxing it tonight, setting up as per the manual, filling tank etc I had what seemed to be an airlock so followed the instructions ie. opening the steam valve and running the pump but to no avail and not a drop of water.

I eventually found that the vibe pump had fallen out of its rubber mounting (in transit I presume) and as such was hanging on and kinking the inlet pipe. Between first switch on and discovering this I ran the pump a fair bit while dry, and worried that I may have inadvertently shortened it's life?

I have had the machine working for half an hour or so now and tried a few shots (pre ground coffee, tamped with the crappy included plastic tamper which doesn't even fit the basket!) which weren't mind blowing as expected but worryingly noticed that a small bead of water runs down the outside right of the grouphead while brewing.

This I'm presuming is a sign of a leaky boiler seal but as this is a refurb unit and came with a 3 month warranty I am unsure wether to return it (not fun after waiting ages to get a machine) or if it could be something easily fixed (I'm happy to dive in!), perhaps even tightening up the grouphead allen bolts??

Also, is it standard for these to ship with the weird one-hole 'crema enhancer' double baskets? The supplied single is a normal one and I'm slightly disappointed that I'll need to buy a real double basket already!

The machine cost me £130 all in which seemed like a good deal, it's certainly very tidy looking inside and the exterior is in good nick, just slightly concerned about the leak. It's clearly been used at least few times as behind the shower screen

was quite cruddy.

Apologies for the lengthy rant, I have new owner anxiety!! Any help greatly appreciated.

Tom


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## gaggiamanualservice.com (Dec 22, 2009)

does sound like a boiler seal issue, but could also be, solenoid or steam valve or group seal. i am about to advertise a refurb myself. defo send back if warranty on. if you can send me good pics i could help diagnose better. [email protected]

regards

mark


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## ThomH (Jan 23, 2012)

Thanks Mark,

I ended up having a quick check of the allen bolts and found the two on the right were pretty loose, especially the one nearest the leak, having tightened them up and pulled a shot this morning the leak seems to have gone. I'm going to test it for a week or so and if there's any more issues will definitely be returning. Thanks again for your advice and offer of diagnosis.

Tom


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## jimmyfingers (Jan 28, 2012)

I also bought a referb last week from EBay, again mine cost £130 (probably the same seller). The condition is very good, only a couple of very small scratches, and some scuffing on the drip tray, but other than that very good condition. It heats very well and no leaks or problems at all so I'm very happy, seeing that the cheapest place new right now is Tesco direct for £200. It had also been cleaned extremely well, and i couldn't even find a stray coffee grind.


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

I'd send it back if there are any issues whatsoever.


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