# Noob confused with his new toy



## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Hi

just bought a 6 month old r18161 Classic with 6 months warranty off ebay - (was planning on buying a aeropress !)

Where should I be checking for leaks ( I've try to follow coffee geeks Gaggia start up guide)

I'm a bit confused by differences with pre and post Philips etc ( obv this is post) opv's ,3 way larger solonoids ,etc so:-

should I be back flushing this model and if so how often ?

so Should I get/ borrow the mod Portafilter pressure gauge ( if so is this to downgrade the pressure to 9barrs)?

can this model have a pid fitted ( obviously from my lack of knowledge shown above not by me)

Ifso the American kit seems to retail for $200 but put together kits Seem off ebay etc to be £40?

idiots or video guide for buying and fitted recommend ?

whats a vst?

we have very hard water with separate cartridge attached to drinking tap in kitchen

should I go for bottled water if so any recomdations

All help appreciated

there will be more questions to follow

just thought I try and play with machine and digest responses for now

alan


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## Gander24 (Apr 11, 2015)

Water in my area is the softest in the uk, so cant comment on that, i owned a classic for 3 years, so ill try and answer your other questions.

Dont worry about pre/post philips, not an issue.

Bin the gaggia pressurised standard basket and buy a normal one.

Vst is a type of basket, google it, wouldn't worry too much now about that with your machine, just make sure u bin the pressurised basket!!!

People in hard water areas backflush every 3-6 months i think.

If you want to steam milk get the rancilio silva wand upgrade from ebay.

Lots of guides etc on here and web which go into more detail.

Buy a decent grinder


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Re baskets

are they all pretty much the same except volume /capacity ?

All baskets fit Gaggia portafiller?

And between portafiller and basket is a little "2 way black " plug

it looks like it's easily lost - falls out when washing -is this standard in all portafiller ?


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## nufc1 (May 11, 2015)

Black plug is only needed for pressurised baskets. Get rid of it if using non-pressurised (which is a must really)


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Thanks for advice

just looked at the 2 different sized baskets that came with Gaggia

neither seem to have ridges that I thought was characteristic of pressurised baskets

Before buying non pressurised baskets,how do I know if these are pressurised


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Post a photo of the underside of the baskets - we can advise


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Have you read this post? http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?3858-So-you've-just-bought-your-Gaggia-Classic


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Asgross said:


> Hi
> 
> just bought a 6 month old r18161 Classic with 6 months warranty off ebay - (was planning on buying a aeropress !)
> 
> ...


.


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Glenn said:


> Have you read this post? http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?3858-So-you've-just-bought-your-Gaggia-Classic


Hi yes some of them and

they are extremely helpfull

but after reading some of the setting up ones and reading posts in general forum I

had a couple of questions

sorry if they are covered in one the ones I have read yet


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

They are pressurised

Get new unpressurised baskets and remove the black plug - you'll notice a massive difference.

What grinder do you have?


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Thanks I'll order a couple of baskets &1 for back flush today also 58 mm Moto tamper I like and knock out box

as for grinder, I was brewing in caffitiere until the Gaggia arrived Thursday evening

so I was using a hario hand grinder

I know I need a decent grinder but I'm going to be quite a low volume user and don't want powder left in grinder until I use it next or to waste lots of it either

but also feel confused by options like doSer / auto / timer /weight options etc

and know we are still going to use caffietier sometimes

also realise i loose less and get more bang for my buck secondhand

so I like -new

sage pro

mignon

scindhand:-

mazer sj

batzer

But I can't emphasise enough how much life will be easier with my wife if

the grinders easy to clean and does spill powder everywhere


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

If you are prepared to consider a Super Jolly - go second hand - you won't lose much if and when you sell it on. They come up regularly on the for sale thread. Members tend to cherish their kit so you are likely to get a decent one. From your list, the next in line would be a Mignon.


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Milanski said:


> .


Wow thanks.

Really helpful


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Asgross said:


> Wow thanks.
> 
> Really helpful


In case you're (colour) blind my answers are included in the original quote in blue.

In case you were referring to my answers in blue, you're welcome









We're happy to answer any questions no matter how noobilicious they may be - we were all in the same boat when starting out.


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

that was sincere, genuinely grateful for the response

if it wasn't for help from posters here

i could imagine my Gaggia ending up at a car boot sale next to the bread maker


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

I back-flush mine after every session as well, just have a back-flushing plate in a spare portafilter and give it a quick go. Then use some Puly Caff (or similar) every month to clean the oils out. Probably de-scale every 6 months maybe.

Change the steam wand to a Silvia one, there are kits on ebay to do this (either buy one and swap the nut over, or buy a ready modded one to directly swap - remembering to put the original washer back on instead of the new one).

Good, easy to operate machines that are kitchen friendly.


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## ChilledMatt (May 9, 2015)

Milanski said:


> In case you're (colour) blind my answers are included in the original quote in blue.
> 
> In case you were referring to my answers in blue, you're welcome
> 
> ...


It's all the same colour for Tapatalk users.


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Noted, thank you!


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