I have a Gaggia Evolution that has been sitting for about 1 1/2 years. I went to use it and I am not getting water out of the area where the porta filter goes. The machine turns on okay and I am able to get water out of the frothing wand. I took off the mesh filter above the porta filter and cleaned it. It was not that dirty. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

It probably just needs to be primed. With the power on, flip both the brew and steam buttons at the same time, and open the steam valve. Water should come out of the steam wand. Obviously, you'll want a cup under the wand to catch the water. Let a few ounces of water come through the steam wand, then turn off the steam valve and steam and brew buttons. Try running water through the group with the brew switch. It should be flowing normally.

If not, you'll also need to descale the machine. For that, you'll need some descaling solution, which you can buy from an online vendor like espressoparts.com. Mix it into the reservoir with some hot water. Turn the machine on and run the brew cycle to fill the boiler with descaler. Then let the machine sit for a while, at least 15 or 20 minutes. Then run some more descaler through the group and let it sit again. Continue until you've run the whole reservoir of descaler through the machine. Then run a couple of reservoirs of clean water through to clean out the machine. That should do the trick.

Unscrew the showerscreen. There is a springloaded plastic valve that stops water leaking out of the boiler. It's stuck, loosen it.

Again, on the topic of newbies giving advice: when troubleshooting specific machines, it helps to have used one before.

Thanks for the replies. When I try to free the valve I feel a lot of resistance. I think it may have moved a very very small amount. I did not feel it spring back. I don't want to force or break it, because you said it was plastic. Can I turn the machine upside down and spray or pour something in there and let it soak to help loosen it?

There may be no way of getting it out without breaking it; not to worry, it's a replaceable part and you can get spares. Chances are either coffee gunk or scale are what's glueing it in, so our best bet is to turn the machine upside down as you suggested and try first flooding it with strong detergent (dishwasher liquid) and then with lemon juice. That may unglue it. But chances are you'll need to use a tweezer or needle nose to pull it out and replace it.

Again, on the topic of newbies giving advice: when troubleshooting specific machines, it helps to have used one before.

I guess this is aimed at me. Actually, I've used plenty of Gaggias before, including Espresso, Coffees and Classics, though not the Evolution specifically. If you're implying that I gave bad advice, I'd have to disagree. Your suggestion is one possible solution to the problem, mine is another. I'd say it's worth trying both options and seeing which one works. Fair enough?

I removed two allen screws and took off the part that the shower screen is screwed to. In the center is a hex nut that has a threaded hole in the center of it. Will removing this nut give me access to the plastic valve? Also, is there a place that I can go to view a schematic of this machine? Thanks.

It's part 38, the group valve assembly.

I think this is starting to turn into an educational project on the workings of an espresso machine for me. I took out the valve and turned on the machine and water came out the unit. I put my finger over the hole (before it heated up) and I was able to stop the flow. It stopped when the unit was turned off. Also, I noted with the valve in the unit that when the unit heats up I can hear and see bubbles coming from hose attached to the boiler returning to the reservoir. The water in the reservoir is very warm. Thanks.

If the Evolution has the poorly designed self-priming valve, that is what is causing the bubbles in the reservoir and the warming of the water there. The best thing to do is disable the valve. See the link below for details:

http://home.earthlink.net/~r_harm...g%20Valve%2001.pdf