As Doug said, the thermostat is probably not original.Did the switch on the front panel have a high/low setting? this would indicate it would have had an emissions valve with no pstat installed.You set it to high for initial warm-up, then low for idling, and the emissions valve lets off excess presure.Most of the north american Oriones seem to have Penn pstats installed, maybe by ABC as part of their conversions.My later model Tell had a mercury psat.Unless you're really keen on keeping it original, i would just put a Sirai in there - easy to install/adjust, and bulletproof.

kitt wrote:Did the switch on the front panel have a high/low setting? this would indicate it would have had an emissions valve with no pstat installed.You set it to high for initial warm-up, then low for idling, and the emissions valve lets off excess presure.

Hi Mike, it had a 4 position switch with I/II/III/IV. No clue what any of these would translate to in temperatures. With Sirai - is there a one that is a solid performer with out being over kill. As I've stated, his is all new to me - the chromalox has a probe, that I assume is reading the water temp controlling the elements, turning them on and off to keep a steady temp - not sure how that 4 way switch would have worked with this. I'm starting to stress out - thinking that I'll never get it done, and that I'm in way over my head.

Easy does it....there are many ways around these problems...your way my way, somebody else's way. A Neanderthal like me, wanting to try a shot of espresso from the machine would bypass the pstat and turn it on and off manually until I had a pstat. But i am impatient and have a nasty Mcgyver streak.....Hey if you think this is over your head look what I jumped into


I'm over my head and I've got guys telling me it's no big deal fixing/modifying and maintaining a 58 year old highway coach.
Cheers, patrick.

Hi Lyndon, don't worry - you'll get there Here's a pic of the Sirai installed on my Gaggia.



Last time i looked, Doug had some very reasonably priced Sirai pressurestats.My machine already had the mercury pstat, so installing the Sirai was easier because it already had a pipe/fitting to boiler.If you're not confident with installing a pressurestat, you could always try running your machine as it was with a thermostat.I'm not familiar with those thermostats, so can't say if it works or not.If you're not sure - maybe get it checked by a sparky before you do a test-run.

gaggia oriones from the 70's came with a 5 position switch (0,1, 2, 3, 4).
here is how i wired mine:
0- off;
1- off;
2- low wattage heating element (750w on mine);
3- high wattage heating element (1300w on mine);
4- low and high wattage heating element (750+1300=2050w on mine).

i leave the machine on 2 the entire time. if i have high turnover and have to fill the boiler between shots i switch to 3 or 4. on 4 from room temperature to full heat it's around 18 min.
on 2 the heating cycle in idle is 50%.

these are 110v elements. if i had a 220v hookup only (for enough amperage reserve), i'd wire the elements in line. therefore only on/off would be possible.

use heat resistant wire, not the regular one. they will work for a couple of years but then start drying out and cracking.

the sirai stats are perfectly fine on the gaggias. i just bought one from doug for $55 for my 1954 esportazione. dial in the deadband to 0.9/1.2 bar.

cafebmw wrote:gaggia oriones from the 70's came with a 5 position switch (0,1, 2, 3, 4).

Thanks for posting all of this info. This is the switch I have - forgot about the OFF position.

cafebmw wrote:these are 110v elements. if i had a 220v hookup only (for enough amperage reserve), i'd wire the elements in line. therefore only on/off would be possible.

use heat resistant wire, not the regular one. they will work for a couple of years but then start drying out and cracking.

I've got 220v with 500w and 1000w (both stamped 66 - this is the only reference I have for a year on the whole machine). Wiring it inline, would I be missing out on anything eleminating having either low or high heating?

cafebmw wrote:the sirai stats are perfectly fine on the gaggias. i just bought one from doug for $55 for my 1954 esportazione. dial in the deadband to 0.9/1.2 bar.

I've been using your Orione page as a reference and I thought you had a Penn pstat in it - did you switch this and is this the Sirai you bouht from Barb/Doug?

hi lyndon

pressurestat:
on my orione it's a sirai, original equipment. i ordered a sirai for my esportazione...

electrical schematic:
don't wire your 220v heating elements in line; then it'd require 440v.
you have to wire them parallel. when i find the time i will send you a schematic.

cafebmw wrote: when i find the time i will send you a schematic.

greatly appreciated!

These are pics of the Penn pstats that were in many of the Gaggias sold by ABC Pasta in the 80's.

Awwwwww, don't leave me hangin'......... I want more pictures of how the machine turned out...... and how does it make espresso...... Great rebuild thread..... I learned a lot, and hopefully it will help me when I get an old vintage machine one day....... Still hunting...and saving....

That Gaggia is SSSSSWWWWWWEEEEETTTTT!!!