The Concise Way to Descale the Gaggia Classic Pro
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video, we look at the easy, succinct way to descale the Gaggia Classic. Descaling is super important to protecting your machine from scale, and helping your machine to have a long lifespan. I have done this video exactly according to the directions of the 2019 Gaggia Classic Pro. Be sure to follow the direction to ensure the longevity of your machine.
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Tips: the directions say to descale through the steam wand, but do not mention descaling through the brew group. Internet research confirms that the Gaggia should not be descaled through the brew group, to avoid any scale getting to the solenoid valve and clogging it.
0:00 Intro / Why descale?
1:20 Mixing the Descaling Solution
2:26 Priming the Boiler
3:23 Dispensing the Descaler
4:46 Rinse 1: Steam Wand
5:35 Rinse 2: Brew Group
6:15 Rinses 3/4 and Finishing up
----------------------------
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro / Why descale?
1:20 Mixing the Descaling Solution
2:26 Priming the Boiler
3:23 Dispensing the Descaler
4:46 Rinse 1: Steam Wand
5:35 Rinse 2: Brew Group
6:15 Rinses 3/4 and Finishing up
----------------------------
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This worked great for my Gaggia Classic, too. Thanks for the concise video, I appreciate you breaking it into steps ❤
Thanx for the clear tutorial. What I missed is the check and cleaning action (if needed) on the water- or "douche"screen. In my case today the front was partly clogged and after taking the screen out it became clear the two holes to the front above it had coffee color around them, while the rear ones were completey clean. Cleaning is simple though and all you need is a crossheaded stub screwdriver to take the central screw holding the screen out for removal. I use a small inspection mirro to see what I am doing here, on another post here on TH-cam the Gaggia Classic Pro is put on its rear for easier access to this screen. Such an action I only took when I replaced the original rubber group head ring by the proper sized silicon one 😀
Thank you. Very clear, every step of the way.
Thank you. I’ve been nervous about doing this...you made it so clear.
Thanks for those kind words, Cris!
Did this all backwards. I read the directions from Gaggia, THEN watched your video. Ugh! Gaggia instructions were so confusing/vague I did it wrong. Well, now I know, thanks to your video!👍
We have our gaggia for over a year now... The boiler was completely clogged up with limescale, I had to take apart the machine completely. I now make sure I descale the machine in time. Thanks Tom, we love coffee. Regards from the Netherlands.
Thanks for your feedback. Glad your machine is running again!
Excellent. Straight to the point. I appreciate that!
Thanks for the feedback, Cris! Cheers!
Thanks for the walkthrough
You betcha! Thanks for watching. 👍🏻
Thanks a lot for this clear tutorial. I'm super un-handy and even I accomplished this without fanfare.
Glad it helped!
Wooow, thank you so much for this manual
Very helpful. Thank you
Thank you for this, very helpful. I also watched the video by ‘Whole latte love’ and it was almost identical to this!
Thanks, machine is workung great again and I know how to descale now.
Great to hear!
Super helpful. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Came here for a refresher on the times. I personally like to descale with Two (2) 20 minute descale waiting periods instead of 1. Even if not necessary. Mainly because the whole half tank of solution is there and available to do so before the rinsing process.
Nice little vid. Helped a lot. Thanks. 😀
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing.
Muchas Gracias. Thank you 😊
Hi Tom, thanks for this information. We are enjoying your videos. I got my GCP about a year and a half ago. I have been using a tablespoon of citric acid disolved in a tank of filtered water to descale my machine. Works equally as well as the Gaggia product at a fraction of the cost.
Hey Dan, thanks for your feedback! Citrus acid works well for most machines. Since the Gaggia has an aluminum boiler, I just thought it would be safer to recommend their product. Cheers! Tom
You're very welcome. I wouldn't have used citric acid untill I checked the ingredients in the "recommended product." The main ingredient in most descaling solutions is citric acid.
@@danjv gaggia Descaler uses Lactic acid and aluminium boiler protection compound. It has some citric acid but in small quantity. I would avoid citric acids especially for regular descaling.
The official Gaggia product might be overpriced, but is actually really good, and developed specifically for an aluminium boiler. I do occasionally use other (cheaper) descaling agents when I am out of the Gaggia stuff, but I wouldn't personally go with pure citric acid on a regular basis. I'm sure it descales perfectly fine, and won't break anything if you use it once or twice, but might just damage the boiler and cause metal leaching over time. Lactic acid is absolutely the most reasonable replacement, if you want to save a few bucks. But personally I don't mind paying a bit extra for the official descaler, as the chemistry involved in descaling is actually much more complex that most laymen would assume, and especially important when dealing with an aluminium boiler.
Great job mate!!Love the gaggia.The perfect espresso for home!!
Thanks Roberto! I agree, the Gaggia is a great home machine. Cheers!
Thanks!
Thank you kindly, Keith!
I really like the TCC videos, even if they're not GCP-related, but this is good for maintenance. Ah, and there is also a purist radio that fits. And CEE 7/3 sockets... that looks like in .... ;-)
Whole latte love,recommends to not descale,or rinse through head when descaling. If there's bits of scale released from boiler,it's a straight shot through steam arm,whereas the head unit has smaller,easier to clog passageway. Makes sense to me,I'll do there recommendations.
What if your wand doesn't work..
Great video. Do you let the boiler come back to temperature after waiting 20mins?
I have the same radio 👍
It’s a nice one!
Great video. I'm wondering why the scaling solution is only passed through the steam wand and not the group head? I would have thought that it's important to pass the solution through the shower screen it to remove limescale from there as well.
Well, Mark from WLL and even the manufacturer say to just put it through the steam wand. The thinking is, that if a piece of scale would get lodged in the expansion valve at the bottom of the brew group, it may clog it, requiring a disassembly. But, this is the case with any machine really, and I normally also purge through the brew group, without any issues.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner thanks for your answer. I do pass some of the solution through the group head too and was wondering if that was wrong. So far I haven't had any issues either. Thanks
One of the first machines I restored was a Gaggia baby 06. I made the mistake of running descaler through the group and ended having to tear it completely down to get it pulling agai
Hey you can fill up water from....oh never mind😊
Thanks👍
Thx a lot, a verry nice and clear instruction video. However the official user manual of the GCP instructs to dispense water and cleaner from the steam wand AND brew unit as well (alternately) in the first steps during the cleaning cycle - one might think also the brewing unit could need some descaling. So what would be the right thing to do? Best regards from The Netherlands
Hi there, you are right, and that is how I originally made the video. But, people claimed that it's not good to do that, because you could clog the brew group expansion valve, so I cut that part out. In the end, I am not sure what is 100% correct. For myself, I do generally send some through the brew group.
I generally run some of the water through the group head during the priming cycle, to get some of the descaling solution in there. But then only use the steam wand for the first couple of rinse cycles, to flush any large pieces of scale out that way. You don't want a piece of scale to plug up the solenoid valve, as that will generally mean replacing it. But I don't really think it's all that important to descale the group head this way, as it is easy enough to open up and clean manually once in a while. The descaling process is mostly for the boiler, as it's such a pain to get to by other means.
Hi Tom, great info again, how often do “you” clean/de scale? Andrew
Hey Andrew, that depends on how hard your water is, and how much you de-mineralize it first. I would say every 2-3 months with filtered water is good where I live.
😢 ok, then I don't want this machine. I love my time more than drinking coffee , thanks anyway!
Hi Tom!
Thank you very much for this clear and detailed video. I have tried to do this several times over the last year after I bought my Gaggia Classic. I also used the original Gaggia Descaling solution. BUT my Gaggia only dispenses very few hot water, only when in the „Priming step“ (about 100ml) through the steam wand. Only the first few seconds it dispenses water afterwards, then it‘s just steam, although I press both buttons… Do you have any advice what to do and what could be wrong? :)
Hmm, if you have both the middle and right switch engaged, then that should turn the pump on. Silly question, but do you have enough water in the tank? It sounds like the pump is struggling to find water. Good luck!
My coffee taste super acid after descaling how is that possible if I had multiple reservoir went through afterwards
The instructions on the bottle says to put the entire bottle in, then fill, etc.
Hello Tom! Quick question please: If I’m always using bottled water + filter in the water tank, do I still have to do this descale process? If yes how often should be? GCP Evo. Thanks!
I'd still do it occasionally. Bottled water does still contain minerals, albeit fewer than tap water. I'd suggest every 3 months, to be sure.
Hi Tom. Tell me, is it possible to do reverse cleaning with a blind filter? Can I use URNEX CAFIZA2 for these purposes? Thank you.
Cafiza not Cafiza 2, huge diffrence and I'm not talking about the price. Be careful!
I just got a used Gaggia New Classic. As all newer Gaggia Classics it has an aluminium boiler which should not be descaled. Acids destroy the thin chrome layer of the inside very fast. In the end aluminium poisons the espresso. In my opinion the Gaggia descaler fluid is not meant for Gaggia Classics with this boiler. Do you know how I can descale without risk? Thank you
Hi there! Well, I use the descaler that Gaggia recommends in the manual...so I am not sure of a better one, and I am guessing that they suggest the descaler that is compatible. But who knows? Maybe someone else can answer this question as well?
Gaggia descaler is aluminium friendly. If you buy other companies as urnex you gone see that they write not to use in aluminium.
@@DimHim7473 If I used a descaled which shouldn’t be used on aluminium but only once, do you think that should be okay?
@@wagonwheel2022 I wouldn’t do it cause if I start a rusting situation in my boiler, this won’t heal. I’m afraid of doing that. It’s the same thing for aggressive chemicals. If you try it once for very little time, you gone have minor damage but there will be damage that won’t go back afterwards.
Hey Tom, could I ask a question regarding the Rancilio mod on the gaggia classic? I’ve fitted one to mine but I’m finding the chrome nut that I removed from original wand and fitted to new wand “turns” with the Rancilio wand when I use it? If I tighten it the wand won’t move, if I loosen it enough I it turns with the wand and eventually almost undoes itself? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks Andrew
Hey Andrew, I have not tried replacing the steam wand on the Gaggia yet...if you compare the base of the old wand with the new, how are they different? Did the old one come with some kind of plastic nut to swivel on?
My water goes through an industrial filter and into a professional quality water softener. I only make one double espresso a day. I'm figuring I should be good for about twenty years before I need to descale. What do you think?
Hard to say for how long. I don't know how effective a professional water softener and industrial filter are, to be honest.
Descaling is still important in my opinion, just not as often in your case.
Why couldn't one use distilled water to brew?
@@sgc603Some minerals are good for taste.
Hi, could I use Dezcal brand? and how much should I use. It is in powder. Thanks.
Hi Melih, considering that this is an aluminum boiler, I would really stick with what the manufacturer recommends. Cheers!
@@TomsCoffeeCorner thank you for you quick reply. I went ahead with the Dezcal anyways :D since I am in the Dominican Republic I it will take weeks to get the manufacturer descaling. I think it has been a year since I havent done any descaling in this machine. I only use it once or twice a day only espresso no milk frothing. I have it paired with the Baratza Sette 30. All my stuff is bought from amazon or ebay from USA. Since here there is no shop or place to buy it. As the fees are crazy high here you can expect to pay double the price tag in the and. Just an example the Baratza Sette 30 cos me about 300 usd and customs clearing another 400 usd :}Baratza Sette 30 :(. Thinking to upgrade my setup but dont know where to begin. The machine or the grinder. Let me know your thoughts about it. Thanks again.
Hi Tom, My problem is with the steam valve. It worked fine at first, but now, it seems to go round and round in either direction. So the water comes out of both the steam wand and steam valve at the same time. Any thoughts? Bye and thanks, George.
I meant that the water comes out of both the steam wand and the brew head simultaneously! Bye, George.
Hmm, well water should only come out of the steam wand if you press the brew and steam button, and open up the steam valve. A video would be helpful.
Why do we not run descaller through the group head?
Descaler is for the boiler. There's cleaning powder for the group head.
When you did the rinse through, I cannot tell if you pressed both the brew button and the steam button and opened the steam valve OR did you just press the steam button? You didn't specify it either, so I am confused. I tried it just pressing the steam button but since my machine didnt preheat the steam, nothing came out. So now I don't know what I am supposed to do.
You need to press brew AND steam, plus open the steam valve, to get water out of the steam wand, and therefore rinse through it.
please tell me why Gaggia does not recommend using citric acid to clean the boiler. but their branded product contains this acid
And can i use milk acid ?
So you say not to dispense the descaling solution via the coffee brew unit but it clearly states in the instructions that you are meant to dispense 300ml from the steam wand and 300ml from the brew unit. I'm confused
Hello Sam, your directions might be different than mine, and there are various models of this machine made over the years. In my directions, it does not say to let any descaling solution through the group head.
Also, people who are more expert than me have said to avoid allowing the descaling solution to go through the group head, because dislodged particles of scale may end up clogging the group head solenoid valve.
Cheers,
Tom
In my Manual attached to Gaggia they say to dispense only via steam wand. Later I made a search and found a Manual in internet (for exactly the same Gaggia as mine - RI9480/SIN035UR) which states that you have to dispense water both from steam wand and group head. I followed my Manual in the beginning but tried to dispense from group head as well 2 months ago and now looks like I have my valve clogged. Going to repeat descaling now, hope it will release the valve.
Dezcal and cafiza packages say they're not recommended for aluminum. How does that affect Gaggia's boiler?
Not sure, but those are cleaning agents for the brew group and not to descale, as far as I know.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Cafiza is, but I thought dezcal went into the boiler as well, as it goes in the tank afaik 🤔
Can I use DeLonghi EcoDecalk for my GCP???
I would just order the Gaggia stuff, since it's made for aluminum. Delonghi has SS boilers/stainless steel lined thermoblocks.
how do you know to use only half the descaling solution? The instructions on the bottle although vague says to use entire bottle
You are right. I just looked at the directions, and it says to use the whole 250 mL bottle.
Good question. However the sollution is also meant for other brands and bigger espresso machines. Of course you can use the whole bottle for the GCP 'to be sure'...
My Gaggia Classic has been sitting unused for nearly a year. I am not able to get water through the steam wand or the brew head. Will this process solve my problem?
Hey Susan, in my experience that is unlikely. What probably happened is that air got in the line somewhere. You can prime the pump with a turkey baster and water. There should be two hoses going from the water tank up into the machine. The longer one is the one that needs to be primed. Give that a shot and let me know if it helps.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner thanks for your quick reply! I guess I am going to need instructions on priming with a turkey baster!
@@susanchandler1208 Hey Susan, you just have to force water up the line with the baster, trying to fill the air space with water instead. Good luck!
I have the same solution and the instructions clearly state to use the entire bottle of descaler.
Or maybe Gaggia is trying to sell me more? How did you arrive at that 1/2 a bottle per descale?
It's normally 100ml that is needed for most machines. I'd have to look at the bottle again, but you might be right.
The bottle instruction gives a completely different set of instruction compared to the one in the GCP manual
Is it safe to have an aluminum boiler?
Hmm, I am an electrical guy, so hard to answer for me. Anyone else know, who has more experience in metals?
Anyway, I found this article on a Google search: drinkpathwater.com/blogs/news/is-it-safe-to-drink-from-aluminum-bottles-1
Do you need to descale even if you have a water softener?
I still would, since a water softener doesn't remove all the minerals. Cheers!
@@TomsCoffeeCorner it's quite intensive. Maybe just using purified bottled water would negate it entirely then?
How often we should this?
I'd recommend every 2 months. But it depends on how hard your water is. Also, try to use filtered water to avoid subjecting your machine to unnecessary hardness.
Why do you press the steam button with the water pump button? Water will flow from the boiler through the steam wand with just the water pump button pressed, as long as the steam knob is open.
Hello Ralph, engaging both buttons bypasses the brew group so that the water only goes out of the steam wand. The general consensus is that the descaling solution should not go through the brew group; at least the directions do not say to do such. Cheers!
I was wondering this also..
Is that a g-shock 6900 your wearing on your wrist?
No, but it's similar. I forgot the model...
@@TomsCoffeeCorner I have a 6900. It's a Navy Seal recommended watch.
WHY CANT OTHER CHANNELS BE AAS CLEAR AS TOM?????
Thanks for such a nice comment! 🤗
His method is the best to ruin your gaggia! First of all you have to use the entire 250ml gaggia descalifica solution and the most important do not use the espresso machine pump to rinse all the water in the tank at an unique cicle!!! 👎🏻 and not to forget never rinse descalifica solution through the group head!
I hear the boiler coating flakes off after the descaling in can be dangerous
Only on the newer Evo models.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner I guess I won’t buy one
Your saying that the boiler coating 'flakes off' on the new EVO models when descaling?
Isn't it overkill to empty 4 times the container to clean the boiler. I think 2 times is just fine. More is just waste.
Hi! The directions do say four times, but twice would probably do. Cheers! ☕️
The manuel GCP - also for the evo, which i own) mentions rinsing 4 times. That means first descaling (descaling cycle with 20 min. and 3 min. intervals), then rising one tank through steam wand, one tank through brew head, again one tank through steam wand and the last tank through the brew head. For descaling and the first two rinses i use tap water (which is pretty soft in The Hague, Netherlands). For the last two rinses (tanks) i use low calcium mineral water 'Spa Blauw'. After this i fill the tank again with 'Spa Blauw' (i think it tastes very good with espresso) and the machine is ready to go! But perhaps you're right and two rinses would be sufficient. By the way, i know opinions are divided on this but at the end of the 3 minute descaling cycle i also dispense 300 ml (2 cups) through the brew head
I feel like such an idiot. I went ahead and done this the way I thought made sense. Basically did what you did in this video but 90% through the group head instead of the steam wand. I’ve ruined my machine haven’t I? 😢
I wouldn't say that. There are different opinions on it. Some people say to avoid going through the brew group, because a dislodged piece of scale might clog the solenoid valve. But it really depends on how much scale is in there in the first place. I feel like it's good to get some solution through the brew group as well, but yes there is a slight risk I guess in doing that. Either way, if your machine still works (water exits the brew group), then you haven't ruined your machine. Cheers!
@@TomsCoffeeCorner thank you for reassuring me Tom! I made a cup of coffee this morning with no issues so I must’ve got away with it this time. Glad I seen your video so I’ll know what to do next time! Appreciate your reply :)
Ja wat nu? Brita Wasser oder Gut und Günstig? ;D
Das kommt darauf an, welches Wasser weniger Ca und Mg hat. Flaschenwasser hat auch Mineralien...
that's the easy way? it looks like the normal way.
Haha, it’s easy than that you don’t have to dig out your directions. You can just watch the video. 👍🏻
@@TomsCoffeeCorner nice glad I subscribed then.
It's pronounced "Gajja" not "gasia". I know foreign languages have lots of sounds we can't produce easily. This is not it. American has all the consonants and close enough vowels to sound out "Gaggia" in a way that it would be clear in any country. Of course you can be an expert in something without reading it right. Maybe.
You've got to be joking....right? Gaggia are Italian...how about you ask them how to pronounce it? I think you'll find that Americans may need to adjust..
I don't know for sure, but I think gia, cia, and such sounds are pronounced as one syllable in Italian. Maybe I said it wrong - I don't remember.
@@y2kcurran In Italian it is pronounced Ga jjia (example just)
Don’t do this. I used this method and it clogged my solenoid. I watched another video from the American distributor of Gaggia, and it said to never descale through the group head because it’s not designed to do that. You are supposed to flush everything through the wand.
If you follow his instructions clearly he doesn't actually descale through the group head, he only rinses with cold water after having already rinsed through the wand. This would be no different to brewing the next shot of espresso in terms of what is flowing through the group. You must have been unlucky and got a breakaway piece of scale at that point. This risk is always there for the first use of the group after descaling.
Agreed. Thanks for clearing that up for the original commenter. Cheers!
The Gaggia North America webpage says to dispense through the basket too. "Now, press your brewing button and allow about 2 oz to of solution to be dispensed from the group head.." But the solution I bought from Gaggia says steam wand only. I have not been this confused since they switched Darren's on Bewitched. And yes the typo is on the webpage.
But could you aswell descale group head? Or it doesn't require descaling and it could even damage it? I was descaling through both wand and head and only after finishing I found these comments. 😅
what a boring drag!
Haha, thanks!