My Gaggia Classic Coffee has started playing up. It seems to be constipated and I suspect it’s the main solenoid valve that is gone.

If I mess about with it it can sometimes work, but then it stops again. I’ve done all the usual things like de-scaling and unscrewing the shower screen and shower holding plate to poke about and make sure that’s not blocked. It doesn’t appear to be the pump because it will pump hot water and steam through the wand in a normal way.

What makes me think it’s the solenoid is because if it tries really hard and squeezes a few drops of water through the group body, then when I switch the pump off, it doesn’t blow any water through the outlet pipe, like it would if it was working properly.

Any clues, anybody? Can the solenoid be user serviced or is it a send-the-whole-thing-back-to -Gaggia job?

Not really sure about your problem.

But the last time I used Gaggia service they were excellent. However they have since been taken over by Philips. My local shop says the service has declined. And they’ve introduced a minimum service charge (£100 I think).

happydonkey.co.uk sell some spares for that. i’ve had similar constipation problems (!) due to either the boiler clogging with scale (took boiler apart and gave it a good clean) and the shower screen perforations clogging with coffee (poke through with a pin, you’ve tried that already, no?).

mine’s a coffee deluxe, so doesn’t have the solenoid… but it does sound like yours is burnt out if you’ve already checked for blockages.

http://www.espressoparts.co.uk/gaggia.asp?img=113
worth a try?

Yes, I might end up getting one off espressoparts if I break mine when trying to mend it.

I’ve had stuff from Happy Donkey before. They’re pretty good.

Have you got a blank filter plate to back flush the machine? Happy Donkey have them and the cleaning powder to do it with – and the instructions. I know that is as important for these machines as de-scaling it.

Yes, maybe I should try the Puly Caff backflushing. I always thought that taking off the filter screen was enough, but obviously not.

If you need a part fleabay is worth a try as sometimes people break old machines and flog the parts. My Classic stopped working recently due to a broken main switch. Managed to get a used wiring loom off ebay which included the switch which sorted the problem.

gaggia repair

See right hand side of this web page, they used to be gaggia UK before it all went t^ts up.