In a recent thread, this link was posted regarding how three-way valves work/why they are needed.

On the second page, at the bottom, this is written:

WARNING - There are some machines that, for some reason, are designed with the 3-way valve between the pump and the boiler- not in the brewhead as shown above (one example may be some home machines manufactured by Gaggia). If you suspect that you machine is so designed, refer to your owner's manual before attempting to backflush.

lberg wrote:For some reason, I seem to think that I came across this question once before...but I don't remember who to give credit to for the information....

I seem to remember reading something that said that the very hot water that comes rushing out of the 3-way valve when you're done backflushing can supposedly splash up out of the drip tray, and Gaggia doesn't want to be responsible for burns, so they don't recommend it. Again, I don't remember where I read that, or who wrote it. There's a very good chance that it was just someone's speculation on the very question you're asking.

The things companies do to avoid being sued...

I was told by the Techs at Importika (now WLL) not to backflush Gaggia Classic because it could damage the seals. Just to tell you what they said.

another_jim wrote:(now take a deep breath, and for a magical, theatrical moment, suspend your belief that these are commercial machines)

You just made so many people here so sad. What's the point of having a three-way valve if we can't play pro barista? Take that simple and practical solution elsewhere, please.

(Just kidding. The above comment was purely sarcastic, in case my tone was not understood. To be clear, though, I never thought I could just fill my Gaggia tank with a cafizia solution and clean the entire machine. I have used CleanCaf though, but I know it is a descaler and not a detergent.)

another_jim wrote:Backflushing isn't recommended for either the Gaggias or the Silvia for a very good reason ...

(now take a deep breath, and for a magical, theatrical moment, suspend your belief that these are commercial machines)

... it is unnecessary for small single boiler machines. Put Cafiza in the tank, run the pump in the tank, and clean out the entire water path. This is better than back flushing and less strain on the valve.

That was meant to be a joke, wasn't it? Because once you fill your machine with detergent, it will have to be disassembled to get all the traces out. Worse, it doesn't even clean out the "entire water path" without a blind filter, and then whoops, we're backflushing again.

Alan

I know nothing about Silvias, but with Gaggias, there are models that do and models that do not have a 3-way solenoid.

For models like the Espresso and the (new) Coffee that not have a 3-way, a simple Citric Acid solution is adequate for descaling, and backflushing must not be attempted (Without a 3-way valve, backflushing could force detergent into the boiler -- very bad!!!).

For models like the Classic and the Baby that do have a 3-way, descaling is the same (Citric Acid solution), but a detergent solution (TSP will work; Cafiza will work) should occasionally be backflushed to clear out the coffee oils that accumulate in the path between the solenoid and the brew group.

Susan