Hi there,

I have an old second hand Gaggia Classic from 2011. It is working fine, but because the boiler and brew group are looking quite worn, I'm wondering if I should replace them, and if so, if it is worth the cost?

As you can see in the pictures, silver layer in the brew group is crackled and coming off. I'm not sure what the purpose of this layer is? Is it still safe to use like this?


When I look at pictures of other boilers, I saw that pitting is quite common, but I think it looks a lot worse on this one.
What do you think?





Replacing boiler and brew group would cost €90.
But if I would replace the boiler, should I replace the thermostats as well? (€12)

Kind regards

I wouldn't use it with any flaking plating, but are you sure it's actually flaking? Hard to tell from the photo if that's flaking, or coating of some other substance.

As to the boiler, I'd carefully resurface the mating face with a mill file, brush the inside clean, and re-use.

What's the cost of the brew group, without the boiler?

Best source of parts. https://encompass.com/model/SAERI9303|00

Group body is $12

The aluminum boiler is basically a wear part because it eventually pits enough on the sealing surface that it needs to be replaced.

The group body chrome eventually erodes enough to increase the rate the boiler pits.

The fact that these are two different metals is the reason for the pitting. The parts are cheap compared to Silvia parts.