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Budget project - KitchenAid / Dual Boiler Gaggia

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  • EspressoAdventurer
    replied
    From post 14.1above......
    EA said - "Do yourself a favour swap out the phillips / pk for a straight slot head screw!
    better long term."​

    Mr Min replied - "When you say better, can you explain why?"

    Apols didnt see your response earlier.

    Well first off there's nothing wrong with the brand new screw youve installed. These same are used on Rancilio, Bezzera and many more. Except....
    Old school posts from yonks ago including my own experience with a Bezzera is that.....
    over time that nice new Phillips (?) head screw will gunk its way in, old grounds will burn themself into the cross head slot And make it most difficult to remove.

    A deep straight slot screw head is much easier to clean out, given it will do the same, and the flat blade of the screwdriver will then give a more positive bight to assist in breaking any tension built up.

    Oh and dont fall into the.....
    tighten it till it nearly snaps the head orf then back it off a smidgeon rule of thumb some whose mothers do have 'em !
    Just firm then up an 1/8 turn!

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    My adventures have found the following:
    The OPV discharges down a cast tube towards the water tank, about 1/2 inside this tube is feature which looks more like a gun sight and there is no OPV hose.
    The OD of the OPV is ~12mm, the tube ~15mm and the middle of the gunsight is 8mm.

    This results in the water from the OPV hitting the gun sight and running down the sides of the tube.
    The water then collecting/dripping on the surface above the water tank and if the machine is not completely level results in water running across this surface and dripping out from underneath.

    It is relatively easy to fix, I'll remove the gunsight and add a discharge tube (ordered from ebay) (Photos to follow).

    On a positive note: I'm really happy with the coffee even at 14bar

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    commented on 's reply
    When you say better, can you explain why?

  • EspressoAdventurer
    commented on 's reply
    Do yourself a favour swap out the phillips / pk for a straight slot head screw!
    better long term

  • LeroyC
    replied
    The OPV outlet on the Gaggia Classics goes back into the water reservoir using a silicone or nylon hose from memory. These are possibly supposed to be the same. (And to your earlier comment about stainless bolts in an alloy boiler….. tell me about it!!!)

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    New shiny bits/Re-assembly and trouble shooting

    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	430.0 ** ID:	930931
    Refurbished mounting plate
    This ended up being a painting nightmare, the 1st rattle can paint I tried reacted to itself by lifting and cracking on 2nd coat (White Knight brand)
    Initially I thought this was my fault due to paint preparation, and I cleaned and was much more careful. However, the same issue occurred when I retried.
    I switched to a leftover matt black can of Dulux and achieved some good enough results (for me)

    ​During disassembly I found some thin plastic spacers underneath the steam bolier, presumable for a thermal gap.
    These were disintegrating due to overheating.

    So back to ebay, where I sourced a thin sheet of silicon rubber and cut out a replacement

    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	960.0 ** ID:	930927​​
    This was installed between the mounting plate and steam boiler

    I then re-installed all of the remaining parts: espresso boiler, pump, relay, etc onto the mounting plate and forgot to take a photo.
    One thing that is nice about this machine is that it is quite spacious and easy to work with the mounting plate off the machine.

    I also installed a Silvia V3 steam wand, with a 1/4 to 3/8 brass adapter (kindly donated by a neighbour)
    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	426.5 ** ID:	930928

    All back together (kind of)

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    Having got to this stage, I promptly craved some caffeine and after letting it warm up, flushing the machine throughly and checking everything was tight and not leaking.


    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	262.7 ** ID:	930930
    ​Heaven, a long black
    Way way better than my old Saeco Via Venezia

    An update on the spend, from the expresso shop I ordered ($144.78)
    - A Blanking plate
    - IMS Basket
    - Brass shower block conversion (with IMS screen)
    - Silvia V3 steam wand
    I also picked up some fastener from my local specialty hardware shop ($20.52)and ebay for some silicon sheet. ($4.16)

    Current spend is $325.46

    Next steps:
    - Replace some hoses and routing.
    I'm not happy with way water is discharged from the OPV or the solenoid valve. The OPV I think is missing a tube/hose and ends up partially missing the water tank and dribbling underneath the machine.
    - Adjust the OPV to 9bar (I've ordered a gauge from ebay)

    Once I'm happy with no leaks, dribble etc, I'll might repaint the machine, or add a PID (there is heaps of room inside)




    Leave a comment:


  • Stavros
    commented on 's reply
    Top work getting that sheared bolt out - they can be a real pain in the proverbial to remove. Looking forward to seeing the machine up and running again.

  • MrMin
    replied
    Part 2
    Group head boiler

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    This was a horror story, the amount of build up and pitting ​​made me question the sanity of rebuilding this boiler.

    However after pulling out the dremel/ryobi and attacking the inside of the boiler. I was able to remove most of the scale from the upper boiler.
    I used a belt sander with 320 grit to grind off 1-2mm of the mating surface before switching to 800grit and 1200grit to end up with a smooth mating surface.

    On the chromed lower housing I soaked the seal area and inside the boiler in light decalcify solution and removed all of the deposits.

    Group Head
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    A special mention goes to the grouphead seal, which was rock hard and really difficult to remove.
    Eventually a self-tapping screw was used, and the seal came out in about 4 pieces.


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    Underneath the shower head, Yummy
    ​​
    The grouphead boiler was rebuilt with new seals, a brass shower head, and a lovely IMS screen

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    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    Day ?? Update (Part 1)

    Sorry I got a bit lost in other domestic matters

    The Steam Boiler
    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	526.6 ** ID:	930611Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	504.5 ** ID:	930612

    After a few hours of soaking the rusted bolts with WD40 (Why oh why did they use steel bolts for the boiler)
    3 of the 4 were eased out.
    The fourth bolt snapped off.
    I was able to drill the old bolt out from the back and luckily, I had the right size thread tap on hand to clean up all the threads.

    Everything was cleaned, the mating surfaces attacked with some 1200 grit sandpaper to remove some really minor blemishes.

    The steam boiler was then rebuilt with new silicon seals, new stainless-steel bolts and a new 155degC thermostat.




    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    Day 14 Mini update

    Separating the lower half to access the boilers.

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    To remove the boilers the mounting plate needs to be separated from the lower Aluminium housing.
    There are 3 Hex screws to do this (Arrowed)

    To reveal.
    Some rust needing repair underneath the boiler. Fortunately only a tiny bit, so I'll add repainting of the mounting plate to the list.

    Click image for larger version  Name:	image.png Views:	0 Size:	293.0 ** ID:	928135

    The real horror is the lower half

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    I think the big weakness of this machine is the water from a leaking boiler fills up the inside of the machine and can go undetected.
    I planned on repainting, but there is a bit of extra work to sand blast this back to a reasonable surface for painting.

    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    commented on 's reply
    Thanks for the hint, I'll make sure I double check every wire as I go
    Last edited by MrMin; 16 September 2022, 02:50 PM.

  • EspressoAdventurer
    replied
    Good work to date. Keep the posts coming.
    Just saying.....multi strand insulated copper wire is not moisture proof and can carbonise.
    Easy process with where your at to -
    Check each wire terminal to terminal for resistance reading.
    GL
    EA

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    Day 13 Update

    Some goodies arrive from the UK!

    Seal kits & Thermal Fuses.


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    I removed the steam boiler thermal fuse wire, pulled back the insulator and after checking that both thermal fuses where blown.
    Replace both thermal fuses using the small easy to use crimp connectors that come in the kit.
    Reassembled the insulator and added cable ties on both ends to reduce short circuit risk.

    Next step was to reassemble the wire back into the machine and retest very carefully.
    Success.
    The steam boiler is now heating up.

    This means stage 1 is completed which is to fix the machine to a minimum working standard (Still filthy and steam boiler leaking..)

    Happy with this I will move to stage 2.
    - Remove boilers from machine.
    - Clean both boilers and replace seals.
    - Order a steam wand upgrade, as well as New showerscreen, portafilter screen and brass showerplate.

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    Day 3 Diving into the big unknown
    Or opening the housing up to be less dramatic.

    I won't repeat information already out there, I found these youtube videos relatively helpful
    Kitchenaid artisan dual boiler coffee machine. Steam boiler leakage problem. - YouTube
    KitchenAid Artisan Espresso Coffee Machine, DIY Repair 5KES2102BER - YouTube

    So what did I find, apart from more grime.

    Functional Italian wiring/layout...


    A leaky steam boiler with corroded bolts, yikes they are not going to be fun to loosen.
    I'm also really surprised the bolts are not S/S.


    Looking at the top of the boiler, it got hot enough to partial melt the connector insulator.
    Noting I have already removed the thermal fuse at this point.


    A quick check with the multimeter and the eyeball meter.
    At least one of the two thermal fuses are blown, you can also see the heat discoloured thermal fuse holder down bracketty thing.

    Further checks reveal.
    - Resistance of all of the elements (all 4 at 22 Ohms), so boilers are good electrically (So a win in my view).
    - Both thermostats are open (Theoretically good)

    I've ordered the following parts from (Shades of Coffee) ($56.00)
    - 2 Boiler seal kits, they have the silicon boiler seal, which hopefully will reduce the risk of the seal failing. And I will rebuild the expresso boiler
    - 2 Thermal fuses
    - 1 Steam thermostat (155degC), because I don't trust the steam thermostat

    Current spend is $156.00.

    Checking the "sticky buttons" revealed an unpleasant surprise.
    On both the expresso and on/off buttons a clipping feature which holds the two halves of the button together has broken.
    A new button is a whopping $79 from some sites (2 needed) (Part number 4176411)
    However after a lot of research (Google/Forum etc.) It seems the same switch is commonly used on a dishwasher C00142650, which is priced at ~$15.00
    For now, I'll clean the switches and rebuild and then try to fix with a dab of epoxy glue.

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMin
    replied
    Originally posted by Jackster View Post
    Real dual boilers, or thermoblocks?
    Real dual boilers, so two Gaggia Boilers inside, fed with a single pump, and very easy to adjust OPV design (from what I have read).

    I can pump water through the steam boiler, but no heat/steam.
    I've already got a pretty good indication from the outside that steam boiler has leaked.
    My guess is either burned out element (new boiler), or overheated (New thermostat and thermal fuse).

    I pulled out the multimeter today to find that I accidently left it on and flattened the battery, so fix that first..
    Then some photos and some trouble shooting.


    Leave a comment:

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