Amberale wrote:Hey Smo.
What Gaggia did you have and do you know what caused the damage to the copper pipes?
My Classic only had one copper pipe, from the steam valve to the steam wand.

The three-way valve has collapsed.

Castillo2001 wrote:Is this just a fear of manufacturers that people are getting less handy and will end up harming the machines so they are trying to avoid the "you told me to do it, so now you're responsible for fixing my mistake" situation?

That's distinctly possible.

Years ago, a vendor told me that he had some Rancilio Silvia espresso machines returned under warranty. The "problem" was that the owners had used a few TABLESPOONS of espresso cleaner powder to backflush, not the tiny smidge recommended. The machine was clogged with undissolved powder. You can imagine the back-n-forth between the owner and vendor: If they refuse to repair it under warranty, the owner is furious. If they repair it under warranty as a gesture of good will, they eat the cost of the repair plus shipping. As a stopgap solution, the manufacturer "solved" this problem by documenting that the Rancilio Silvia should not be backflushed.

As others have said, the best solution for handling scale is avoiding buildup in the first place. That's not always easy, since some regions of the world have very hard water and new owners are reluctant to invest in water treatment or bottled water. Like the old saying goes, it's "pay me now or pay me later".

Hello again Smo.
I wonder if it was a collapse or something stuck in the valve?
At least it is relatively cheap and easy to replace.

The copper burst. Where the arrow points to my picture.

Amberale wrote: At least it is relatively cheap and easy to replace.

I decided it was better to use good water. Don't waste time cleaning and repairing.