# New Machine Prep



## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

Hopefully this can help all new buyers of (Gaggia) machines.

So, what needs to be done for a new machine? Apart from running a couple of tanks of water thru as per the manufacturers recommendation is anything else necessary? Would a backflush or descale be at all beneficial?

My new gaggia baby should arrive imminently and I want to be ready!


----------



## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

Well I'd run through a litre of water, descale and backflush. Then I'd run through another litre of water and away I'd go. The descale prob isn't necessary but that stuff should get rid of anything that might be there.

I'm sure a lot of people would probably just run a litre through and go for it. Either way, I reckon it'll be fine


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

If it is brand new, then read the instructions! I probably would not backflush or descale as those are issues which should only arise after several weeks of use. If it is second hand, and I mean used as opposed to an Amazon marketplace return, then Tonys advice sounds good


----------



## autopilot (Apr 4, 2013)

Regarding descaling, has anyone ever dismantled a classic and seen how much scale is left? How much of an issue is it, or are we really just talking about precautionary stuff?

Also, I have very soft water and never see any in my kettle etc. Am I likely to ever need to descale mine?

Found this usful... http://www.coffeecrew.com/learning/255-gaggia-classic-step-by-step


----------



## Steve_S_T (Dec 7, 2012)

Descaling is a "how long is a piece of string" question. Fracino advised me not to descale my Heavenly at all, just to use filtered water, but we live in a very hard water area and even though we only use filtered in our hob top kettle it does scale up a bit. Fortunately I live 15 miles from Fracino so might just pop it in there once or twice a year for them to check it out, but always bear in mind that scale itself is often not a problem, it's dislodged scale that causes blockages etc and descaling is a surefire way to dislodge hitherto harmless scale. So unless it's creating bad taste problems I'd just descale as often as you descale your kettle (if at all).

Steve.


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

autopilot said:


> Regarding descaling, has anyone ever dismantled a classic and seen how much scale is left? How much of an issue is it, or are we really just talking about precautionary stuff?
> 
> Also, I have very soft water and never see any in my kettle etc. Am I likely to ever need to descale mine?
> 
> Found this usful... http://www.coffeecrew.com/learning/255-gaggia-classic-step-by-step


Yes have stripped a few classics down, it does just depend on the water you put in, if your water is very soft then it is unlikely that you will have any problems, scale however is the biggest killer of gaggias out there, where it be a knackered solenoid due to it, or a leaking boiler seal or a blocked group head. The boiler is quite small on the gaggia and the scale builds p quickly in the base of the boiler. But you probably won't have any of these issues as your water is good.


----------



## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

There has been advice not to use Brita filtered water in Gaggias because it's acidic and will corrode/erode the aluminium. Perhaps it would be best to use only something soft and pH-neutral like Tesco Ashbeck water.


----------



## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

painty said:


> There has been advice not to use Brita filtered water in Gaggias because it's acidic and will corrode/erode the aluminium. Perhaps it would be best to use only something soft and pH-neutral like Tesco Ashbeck water.


Where did you see this information I have never come across it before?


----------



## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

It's from a great technical resource on water for coffee written some years back by Mr J Schulman, called The Insanely Long Water FAQ



> A Water Treatment for Gaggia Home Machine Boilers
> 
> High alkalinity and low hardness water protects a Gaggia, since the alkalinity won't be reduced by scaling; while low alkalinity, high hardness water is deadly, since even if the original alkalinity is above the 50 mg/l safety limit, it will scale out, making the water and steam corrosive [section 1.8]. This leads to the following recommendations.
> 
> ...


Also



another_jim @ H-B said:


> What kills Gaggias is galvanic or anodic corrosion -- if the water is slightly acidic, i.e. soft, the mating between the brass group and aluminum boiler acts as a battery and the aluminum side corrodes.


----------

