Dear all,

All threads on issues like this are old and are, as such, closed to new comments. So, a new thread: I have a Gaggia Classic that is five months old and has been descaled once a month since I got it. I use New York City tap water filtered through a Brita filter. All of which is to say: I descale regularly, and still have a blockage.

The blockage is in one of the two holes that come directly from the boiler to the group dispersion plate. The two holes are shown in the picture below:



Of the two large holes shown here, only one of them has any water flow at all. I tried descaling with a stronger descaler solution immediately after I noticed this, but unfortunately it did not help the problem.

Considering that I've taken care of this machine well and used good water, this seems very odd (usage is one double shot per day every day).

Any suggestions? I'm game to take the boiler apart. Should I try to leave a strong descaler solution in the machine overnight? -- i.e. is that safe to do?

Thanks all!

there is only one hole that dispenses water, the far right hole (small one) the other two are threaded holes to mount the dispersion block to. as long as everything else is clean, the water dispersion block included (it has 4 holes) it should be just fine.

^ Ah, got it. Much appreciated. In that case, the more salient question would have to do with the final water distribution. My water distributes very, very unevenly on my machine when the pump runs with no portafilter on (and obviously my extractions aren't that even either). Should there be any particular reason for this? Would posting a video be helpful?

EDIT: I should mention that in the week prior to this, the group head was spraying slim jets of water instead of the usual even dribble demonstrated here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egeuQThBcG8

the video looks perfect, if it doesnt look like that I would say something is wrong.

I would start with the shower screen, the dispersion block is likely good as it's just a lump of brass with 4 holes in it, as long as those holes are clear itll be doing its job. clean them well and see if that helps.

and more information is always helpful, videos are great

^ Sorry, that video isn't mine. It's someone else's video online that shows what proper water distribution looks like. Mine looks nothing like that. I'll post a video later this week.

Another point of information that may help: My espresso pucks are quite wet once extraction is finished and come out in muddy chunks into the knockbox (usually they're reasonably dry and come out in one piece). Perhaps the solenoid as well?