# gaggia slow coffee flow



## hr21 (Oct 28, 2012)

hi all,

I have taken my gaggia apart and cleaned the solenoid valve as per instructions when the coffee flow is slow,

i've cleaned the head multiple times, left it in some pully for an hour or two to clean it up and used a coffee cleaning brush.

I must admit it is still slightly scummy in places, does it need to be spotless?

My water flow seems fine, fills an espresso cup in approx 5-10sec max.

However, when I have the attachment to the group head on (forgot the name but I put the coffee in it! Sorry for the noobness). the water comes out very slowly into the cup and doesn't seem to have much flow.

I've descaled, backwashed, cleaned it multiple times and spent quite a while today cleaning the solenoid ensuring I get rid of any limescale.

I'm wondering what it could be?

My machine is 1year old, used about 5 times a day and I didn't really clean it for the first year but recently I've really got into ensuring its clean - primarily because the coffee flow dropped so low it wouldn't pull an espresso hardly at all.

Any advice?

Thanks


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

It sounds like you are saying that the water flow seems normal but when the portafilter is locked in the group, the water flows more slowly through it?

Is this with or without coffee in the filter basket? Is it a pressurised basket/portafilter? After you stop the pump, is there much water in the basket?


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## redricks (Jul 8, 2012)

Hi. Don't know a great deal about Gaggia's but if your using the pressurised portafilter it could be something as simple as the grind being to small or over tamping,as the portafilter is pressurised it will only need a light tamp,if the grind is too small/tight your simply just choking your machine. Other less likely problems are pump failure (not enough pressure when brewing) or and this is very unlikely as you have just descaled but run some de-scaler through the boiler with the group head off it may just be a small piece of limescale partialy blocking the pipe where it meets the group head as you mentioned you didn't clean it for a year you may have just moved a piece of limescale.


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## hr21 (Oct 28, 2012)

jimbow said:


> It sounds like you are saying that the water flow seems normal but when the portafilter is locked in the group, the water flows more slowly through it?
> 
> Is this with or without coffee in the filter basket? Is it a pressurised basket/portafilter? After you stop the pump, is there much water in the basket?


Hi - thanks for your reply.

Water flow is good when no basket is in, actually it's good when portafilter is in just the basket seems to cause an issue?

It's the normal portafilter which comes with the gaggia classic, I haven't changed it.

The basket is FILLED with water each time - coffee or no coffee.

Flow is slower without coffee in there and non-existent when coffee is in - even when the coffee is left for 5-10mins in the basket.

I've cleaned the basket with proper cleaner etc.


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## hr21 (Oct 28, 2012)

redricks said:


> Hi. Don't know a great deal about Gaggia's but if your using the pressurised portafilter it could be something as simple as the grind being to small or over tamping,as the portafilter is pressurised it will only need a light tamp,if the grind is too small/tight your simply just choking your machine. Other less likely problems are pump failure (not enough pressure when brewing) or and this is very unlikely as you have just descaled but run some de-scaler through the boiler with the group head off it may just be a small piece of limescale partialy blocking the pipe where it meets the group head as you mentioned you didn't clean it for a year you may have just moved a piece of limescale.


it's never had an issue with the grind in the past, and i'm using multiple different types of bean from ikea to starbucks to specialised ones.


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