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Originally posted by gaggiaboy link=1193099616/0#11 date=1194781496
6910 manual says vinegar is a idea for descale - i assume by the above you cant use this on gaggia?
Well vinegar is acetic acid...... and also the 6910 thermoblock tubes are lined with stainless steel.... very resistant to any form of attack - including acid.....
The gaggia boiler is brass/aluminium...... so nope.... vinegar isnt a good idea!
quote - Java B
Because HALF of the boiler is made of Aluminium.... and it would be badly attacked by acid in any case!
But Gaggia saw fit to make the other half out of brass.... so you get electrolytic action and corrossion with just water containing ions..... any ions....
But add acid..... and you have galvanic corrosion paradise..... with the aluminium being the sacrificial anode.....
So the only thing which will remove a carbonate build up - i.e. acid..... will also destroy the boiler
For those of us who are techno geeks
Galvanic voltage:
Aluminium 0.95V
Brass 0.4V
and metals more than 0.15V apart should not be joined in a wet, slighly corrosive environment, 0.25 for reasonably dry environments and 0.5V in a controlled temperature and low humidity environment...
And in the boiler - wet and corrosive - we have 0.55V
If you want to shorten the life of your boiler, than by all means use citric acid. It is a cheap methood that could have an expensive outcome eventually.
Originally posted by Thundergod link=1193099616/0#5 date=1193139563
If theres no improvement then look to descale and as Cindy said, do not use citric acid on the Gaggia.
A search of the site should find the thread that went into detail about that or else Cindy might beable to refresh our memories.
Thanks Thundergod. I think the thread you mean is this one:
http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1175847187/0 - A very good and important read for all.
Thankyou all for your advice. I grabbed some Cafetto from Ricky, not too far from me at Home Barista Institute in North Melbourne. I descaled the machine to death, but no joy. I can get water to flow from the reservoir through to the wand no problems. But as soon as I turn the wand tap/dial/black-knob/whatever-its-called off, the water just starts recycling into the reservoir.
In 7 years I have never had the unit serviced so it seems now is a good time to do that (and get it fixed). I have been referred to Con in Bay Street, Port Melbourne - TWENTY SEVENTH HARWUN PTY LTD as listed on http://www.gaggia.net.au/service.html
Cheers,
JR
---
Gaggia Classic, Gaggia MDF Grinder
Need to change your Gaggia Classic Group Gasket: Heres a quick guide:
http://www.bluebox.com.au/jcrayon/gaggia/index.htm
Grouphead cleaner/Backflushing detergent and Descaling solutions are not the same animals. Do not use grouphead cleaner/backflushing detergent for descaling!!
You should descale your machine immediately..try using 1 tblsp. of citric acid to one litre of water. You can read up more on blogs by doing some research.
Has it been for a service at all in the past 7 years? Not sure who to take it to in Melbourne, maybe one of the site sponsors can help you with that information. My guess is that it will probably need some gaskets etc replaced too.
Hi all, have been reading the site for a while and now have an issue hoping you have some advice on.
I have a 7 year old Gaggia Classic that recently started acting up:
1. I turn it on to heat up
2. I flick the flow switch and the pump starts
3. About half a second after the pump starts I hear a small click and water starts flowing back into the water reservoir.
The above occurs if the unit is cold or warmed up, and if I have a loaded PF, or no PF at all.
Does this sound like something I can easily repair myself? If not, can anyone recommend where to take it to for repair in Melbourne. I am in North Melbourne near Vic Markets and if I take it for repair would also be interested in a service centre that could give it a general service, clean, and (am I dreaming?) adjust the OPV to perfection :-)
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