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  • Budget project - KitchenAid / Dual Boiler Gaggia

    This thread is to document my attempt to cure the madness of an itch to fiddle, and upgrade and hopefully make a better coffee at the same time.

    For at least 20years I have been faithfully served an OK coffee (2-3 times per day) from a Saeco Via Venezia (Absolutely bullet proof).
    Which is paired with a Bezzera grinder (maybe in time a Bezzera Unica might join)

    I've been watching the 2nd hand market for used Gaggia classics and been quite surprised at price of used vs new, especially with a used Gaggia hovering around $300 - $400.
    An upgraded/repaired/well maintained machine is good at this price.
    But unknown used presents a few risks, and crunching the numbers of adding new steam wand, boiler, seal etc. The gap to new (with warranty) is small.

    However an unusual beast presented itself. The KitchenAid Artisan Expresso Machine.

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    To my surprise this curvy monster is a confused Gaggia Classic with two boilers (1 expresso and 1 steam boiler), so twice as likely to fail (maybe?)

    For a whopping $100 this "well maintained" , but only 1 working boiler (Steam boiler not working) and "sticky buttons" was mine.

    This will not be a fast project, rather it will have 3 stages so I don't over invest in a junk machine.
    1. Fix machine to minimum requirements.
    - Fix steam boiler
    2. Clean/Upgrade
    - Steam wand upgrade
    - New seals/O'rings
    - New showerscreen, portafilter screen, brass showerplate.
    3. Pull it all apart and custom paint it ( Etna Black Metallic)

    Advice along the way is appreciated








  • #2
    First step a really really good clean/descale. Could be some gunk/scale build up that is causing a blockage in the steam boiler to wand. Also steam gauges on the cheaper machines are notorious for getting easily blocked so I would check if the boiler is indeed warming up.

    Comment


    • #3
      Day 1 - The madness begins

      Having read so many cleaning horror stories, I though a good flush of the "working" boiler would be a good idea.

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      Very uneven distribution does not bode well.

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      This is 2-3 mmm thick grime.

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      2 Holes completely blocked

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      Foul is an understatement

      I'm so surprised someone could make anddrink coffee from a machine this filthy.

      Comment


      • Blues1143
        Blues1143 commented
        Editing a comment
        this belongs in a 70's horror movie - GL!

      • Grumpybarista
        Grumpybarista commented
        Editing a comment
        So gross! This is going to be a good story!

    • #4
      Does it really have "Expresso" in it's title?!?

      Comment


      • #5
        looks like a great project. following with interest. please keep the pics coming!

        Comment


        • #6
          Real dual boilers, or thermoblocks?

          White vinegar solution through the steam side may be helpful. Clears out the crud.

          Comment


          • #7
            These machines had a lot of potential, but were ultimately a bit of a flop due to reliability issues. Most of those issues stemmed from some poor design features. Hopefully a tech like 'noidle22' can enlighten us more on the specifics, but from memory the main issue was poor design in the steam system that leads to leaks. These leaks in turn cause more problems as they wreck other parts, possibly the PCB or some wiring I can't quite remember. It can all be rectified, but I believe it involves fully dismantling the unit and modifying part of the steam system. If you're up for it that's what you'll need to look at doing and hopefully there'll be someone more knowledgeable than me here to help you on the way.

            Comment


            • #8
              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.


              Comment


              • #9
                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.

                Comment


                • #10
                  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.

                  Comment


                  • #11
                    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

                    Comment


                    • MrMin
                      MrMin commented
                      Editing a comment
                      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.

                  • #12
                    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.

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                    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

                    Comment


                    • #13
                      Day ?? Update (Part 1)

                      Sorry I got a bit lost in other domestic matters

                      The Steam Boiler
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                      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.




                      Comment


                      • Stavros
                        Stavros commented
                        Editing a comment
                        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.

                    • #14
                      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

                      Comment


                      • EspressoAdventurer
                        EspressoAdventurer commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Do yourself a favour swap out the phillips / pk for a straight slot head screw!
                        better long term

                      • MrMin
                        MrMin commented
                        Editing a comment
                        When you say better, can you explain why?

                    • #15
                      New shiny bits/Re-assembly and trouble shooting

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                      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

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                      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)
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                      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.


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                      ​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)




                      Comment

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