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Jack’s Kingdom | |||||
| espresso 1/3/2024/td> | ||||||
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December 2023 - Mixed a couple of tablespoons of citric acid with a liter of water and ran it through the Gaggia to descale. Followed that up with pushing 2 liters of water to flush out the solution. November 2023 - Water did not come out of the grouphead, but steam came out from the wand. The cause is a bad 3-way solenoid coil - it does not activate with a click when power is applied. No dealer has it is stock and eBay was about $55 + shipping from Europe. It was also difficult to find just the solenoid coil. A Froogle search turned up a $21 price for the coil at Blue Star Coffee. They are near Galway, Ireland. Even with shipping, it was the least expensive solution. They only carry complete 230v solenoid valves. A bit of trivia - we unknowingly drove by this business in Kilcolgan during our September 2019 vacation to Ireland and Northern Ireland. A 52w spare pump EFP5 was ordered and 2 blue silicone grouphead gaskets as well.
December 2022 - Purchased a tamper/distributor. After weighing 15.7 grams of ground coffee beans, it goes into the portafilter. The distributor is placed on and rotated a half turn, flipped over and grounds are then compressed. This creates a fairly consistant espresso without relying on how much force to tamp. I try to buy Lavazza Espresso medium roast beans at Costco Business Center. 
In May 2020, water was leaking between the boiler and the group head. It is a simple job to order a gasket set to replace all the consumables. Twisting off one of the boiler’s rusted on connectors broke the terminal just beneath the ceramic isolator. Using nippers, I got an 1/8” of it to show. The steam thermostat plastic cap broke when trying to pull off its connector. Due to a leak from the steam wand, I wanted to inspect the steam valve. Both the allen bolts loosened and Liquid Wrench was dripped on. One loosen, the other broke off. Using a vise grip broke off another piece. As there was condensation from the steam valve, most everything on top of the boiler was rusted and stuck. At this point, I ordered a new boiler, steam thermostat, and an O-ring set from Nomar Supply in Houston. While waiting for the shipment, I got rid of the rust from the allen bolts, tubing clamps, and terminals with Naval Jelly. Two M6 x 20mm stainless steel bolts were cut to 15.5mm with a Dremel cutting disk - astronomy spares. Assembly was the reverse of disassembly. The steam valve was flushed earlier with a citric acid solution so it drips very little now. The steam from the wand is stronger and froths milk in 1/3 the time. There is still a bit of steam escaping between the steam valve body and handle from fully closed to fully opened. I need to protect the top of boiler connections and the now painted inside top from condensation and rust.
On 12/24/99, I ordered a Gaggia Tebe espresso maker along with a Gaggia MDF grinder from The Best of Italy. Both were backordered and arrived here on January 5 and 6 - still quite fast from Italy. UPS separated the second box of this shipment and wrote that on the 2nd box - I signed for the Tebe. Later that afternoon UPS returned, but nobody was home. A yellow adult signature required was on the door. The next day, the driver dropped it on the doorstep with no signature. I found some porcelain cappucino and espresso cups and saucers at IKEA. In July 2011, I took the boiler and valve assembly apart and added a rubber-vinyl ring since it was leaking. On December 26, 2013, there was no steam and no water, so I will see what needs to be done to get this working. The check valve inside the Eaton (Invensys) CP3a 55w pump would not open to allow water to flow. Parts Guru had the pump for $65 and gasket for $12 + $15 for shipping. In April of 2016, I got a used ULKA 52w (manufactured 4/30/13) with a Klixon 120 deg C thermal circuit breaker for $25 from eBay. This was difficult as 230v units dominate the listings. I reused the old thermal switch as the wiring was a heavier gauge. A couple of weeks earlier, I had to use a Dremel to grind part of the old group head gasket which hardened and stuck to pry it out. I got a replacement from eBay. A descaling solution of 3 tablespoons citric acid and 1.5 liters of water was run through the steam wand and group head. The pump is quieter and struggling less to push water through the group head. In early 2014, a Primula stainless steel 6 cup stove top espresso maker, purchased at Macy's, was initiated to service. |
Several sites of interest - |
