# Used Gaggia acquired - pre-clean/checks?



## soxley (Nov 7, 2016)

Hi All,

After a multi-year hiatus from espresso I have just acquired a new (to me) Gaggia Classic from a very helpful eBayer. I used to own a pre-Phillips model (and sold it, doh!) so I'm returning to fond memories but a little out of practice.

The machine looks in great condition and is a Made in Romania RI8161 Model. Bonus, it already has a Rancilio wand fitted and came with a bottomless portafilter









Before use, what clean/prep would folks recommend? I'm thinking:

- Descale with solution

- Backflush with Calfiza

- Remove shower screen and group head to check/clean

Is there anything else I should be doing before first use, or any common faults I should be looking for?


----------



## bluebeardmcf (Nov 28, 2016)

That's all I would do first on, unless you find any nasty surprises... Best luck & enjoy!


----------



## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Remove the top and just check that there are no signs of leaks or burn marks on wiring / connections. Enjoy your coffee:good:


----------



## soxley (Nov 7, 2016)

Good call. I'll take a look inside to check all is well.


----------



## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

Here's a link to a step by step guide of taking it apart though might not need to do that initially

http://protofusion.org/wordpress/2012/04/gaggia-classic-disassembly-and-cleaning/


----------



## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

Here's another on changing the group gasket, pretty easy to do.

http://www.bluebox.com.au/jcrayon/gaggia/


----------



## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

And these seals fit well

https://www.coffeehit.co.uk/cafelat-e61-8-5mm-silicon-gasket.html


----------



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

all of the pre 2015 classics I have had needed the boiler seals replacing and in doing so showed that they had tiny leaks and pitting to the aluminium seal to boiler face - best thing to do is re flat them with some wet and dry on a level surface.

here is a really bad one - but even a little pitting will prevent it sealing properly and cause further leaks.


----------



## bluebeardmcf (Nov 28, 2016)

I had aluminium welds put into one with a couple of very deep wide pits (big enough to put a pea into) -& filled in the fine pits with Ultrasteel, bought from a local car factor. This is very hard, aluminium impregnated resin which is suitable for high heat and food use, perfect for the job. Sanding it flat after it's gone hard is quite a job!


----------



## soxley (Nov 7, 2016)

Thanks for the tips. It's been a busy week, but I'm now up and running. The machine looked spotless inside so I didn't bother with a strip-down (a job for another day). Flow rate and steam pressure all seem good. I ordered a group gasket, but the one installed actually looks fine so I'll leave it in place for now. I have also installed a new IMS shower screen and switched to the bottomless portafilter now that I'm dialled in.

I'm currently pulling 36g of Rave Signature from an 18g dose in around 29s-31s. I'm not getting the sweetness I'd like, and even at 31s I still get some sourness. I'll experiment a little more this week and pull some more side-by-side shots. Beans were roasted on 7/3 - I've seen others mention that Rave beans improve over time so they may not be optimal yet.

Can anybody share their recipes and tasting notes for Rave Signature as a reference?


----------



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Its often said "grind finer extract a little longer" around here - worth a go


----------



## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

soxley said:


> Thanks for the tips. It's been a busy week, but I'm now up and running. The machine looked spotless inside so I didn't bother with a strip-down (a job for another day). Flow rate and steam pressure all seem good. I ordered a group gasket, but the one installed actually looks fine so I'll leave it in place for now. I have also installed a new IMS shower screen and switched to the bottomless portafilter now that I'm dialled in.
> 
> I'm currently pulling 36g of Rave Signature from an 18g dose in around 29s-31s. I'm not getting the sweetness I'd like, and even at 31s I still get some sourness. I'll experiment a little more this week and pull some more side-by-side shots. Beans were roasted on 7/3 - I've seen others mention that Rave beans improve over time so they may not be optimal yet.
> 
> Can anybody share their recipes and tasting notes for Rave Signature as a reference?


Might just need resting a bit longer as your ratio seems ok, they are quite forgiving beans usually.


----------



## Pippyd (Apr 7, 2017)

Thanks for posting this. As a first time user of a Gaggia Classic and someone who's just bought a 2006 model (that seems to have at least had a wand mod) off gumtree it gives me some great things to check out before thinking about learning about how to get consistent and good results.


----------



## soxley (Nov 7, 2016)

Prompted an update...

Best results so far for a flat white on my Gaggia: 36g from a 18g dose in around 34secs. Stop steaming the milk at 50degs.

As suggested, the Rave beans needed to rest longer. The flavour changes significantly after around 2-weeks resting.

I'm really pleased with the results so far.


----------



## aled (Apr 18, 2017)

I got a classic 2 weeks ago and have not actually made anything drinkable yet! I've been aiming for 60ml in 20-30 seconds from a 15g dose as any more seems to hit the shower screen. What basket are you using for the 18g dose?

I might give this lower yield a try but I seem to remember when I went finer the result was even more bitter. I've adjusted the OPV with a pressure gauge and the steam pressure is actually pretty good, its unlikely my results are any fault of the machine right?


----------



## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

how 'blonde' is the shot getting over 60ml? Seems a lot?


----------



## aled (Apr 18, 2017)

MartinB said:


> how 'blonde' is the shot getting over 60ml? Seems a lot?


So I've just been trying the single shot basket using 8g pulling a 30ish ml in about 25 seconds, this was definitely my best shot yet but it was very blonde / watery at the end actually. Pulling too much?


----------

