I have a Gaggia Coffee model espresso machine that I bought in 2006 (Fed actually so it's exactly 4 years old this month) and have used daily since that time. I do de-scale it on a periodic basis and clean it daily. Last week I was descaling it and was running clean water through it when the steam wand stopped producing water or steam. I was still getting water through the brew group but nothing through the wand. So I turned the machine off thinking maybe it would work later. I've been brewing espresso now for a few days but the wand is still not working. I have used a pin and it's not clogged down as far as the pin reaches.

Today however, I was not able to get anything through the brew group or the wand so the machine is stuck.

I'm thinking of taking the machine apart but afraid of not being able to get it back together. I'm not sure if there is some sort of blockage or if the pump is just failing.

Any ideas would be very helpful. Thank you.

Mary

The Gaggia boiler is made of aluminum. Descalers are very aggressive against aluminum and the inside coating. Corroding aluminum gives a white powder that blocks all passages.
It's a common fact that these machines get clogged after descaling. Strange however that the steam wand stopped.
If you remove the shower screen, you will see a other part you can screw out. It is a small one way valve. Cleaning this often solves the problem.
The complete steam valve can easily be removed from the top of the boiler.

Frank

Thank you for the reply. I did already take the shower screen off and the plate underneath and the piece with the spring on it. I normally do that as part of cleaning/descaling. I also unscrewed the steam wand and blew through it, not blocked at all. I also took the top off and looked around inside. I have no idea how to do anything but everything looked fine and clean to me, on the outside.

I also visited the shop where I bought it (Peets) and they told me since the water was heating up, it might need a new pump. I'm going to call a repair place south of me tomorrow, hoping they can help.

OH and BTW, I use a non-acidic descaler.

So, it seems like a valve issue to me. If you remove the steam valve I think you may find that it is blocked itself... like something got lodged somewhere between the fitting on the boiler and the location where the steam wand attaches to the output of the steam valve. Just pull it off and try cleaning that up.

Karl