malzkaffee Senior Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 43 Location: right above the center of the earth Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Gaggia coffee Grinder: Gaggia MDF, Rossi RR45 Vac Pot: neither... Drip: ...nor Roaster: I dont push it so far, yet
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 7:27am Subject: Boiler exploded
When I visited a friend yesterday we switched on his old Gaggia Classic to let it warm up and enjoy a cup.. 30min later the boiler exploded. The lower part of the boiler remained in the machine, the top of it was blown of with the steamwand still attached. The bolts connecting both parts were still in place at the lower part with fragments of the upper part around it. The steelbase for the boiler bent outward about one centimeter. The top cover went through a dry-wall. Both machine and boiler landed on the floor about five feet apart. All the plastic switches exploded shrapnell-like and were later picked up some distance away. The ceiling was covered in water. Three hours earlier we were sitting around the machine for a longer time. Boy, we really had plenty of luck.
P.S. I will disassemble the remains of the machine soon. I presume that the safety-valve was packed with dirt and did not work properly.
MrFollies Senior Member Joined: 3 Oct 2003 Posts: 98 Location: Amsterdam Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Isomac Tea Grinder: Mazzer Mini Roaster: Prima Popper
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 7:38am Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
Not to be goulish, but could we see some pics of the damages? As discussed on alt.coffee recently, it is healthy to respect the equipment. Maybe seeing what could happen might just make someone get that urgently needed checkup.
Although, you shouldn't expect a boiler to blow....
malzkaffee Senior Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 43 Location: right above the center of the earth Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Gaggia coffee Grinder: Gaggia MDF, Rossi RR45 Vac Pot: neither... Drip: ...nor Roaster: I dont push it so far, yet
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 7:56am Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
I can shoot a couple of pictures, no problem. But I cant put them on the web, due to a lack of knowledge and equipment. If someone vounteers, I will mail them to him.
johannabanana Senior Member Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Vienna, Europe Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La San Marco 1,2,+3group,... Grinder: 2 LSM, 3 Tourmix, 1 demoka... Vac Pot: not yet Drip: Melitta aroma boy,... Roaster: Precision & Mr. Gunter :-D
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 1:38pm Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
Hallo Alexander,
send me the pics. Or I'll explain you how it works to put them on the CG site. If you have them digital and you can read these site - you can easily post pictures here, with just a click. Or are your pics developed paper-pictures? You can send them to me, too, to scan them for you. As your name and nickname sounds German...and you say you are above the center of earth, I asume you are in Germany - as the center of the earth is Austria ;-) ...where I am from >sheepishly grinning<
"...dann könnte ich es Dir auch auf deutsch erklären" (this was an language test :-)
I'd love to help, and I'm curious to see the rest of the boiler, too :-D
greetings joey
"Do everything right. You will gratify some people and astonish the rest." (Mark Twain)
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 3:25pm Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
Wow, you guys sure were lucky! I can't wait to see the pics! Hope my Clasic doesn't go the same way, but then again it would certainly give me an excuse to "upgrade" to an ECM Giotto or Isomac Millenium. Does your friend have plans to replace his Classic or has this put him off for life?
mhodges Senior Member Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 29 Location: Cambridge, MA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: ECM Giotto Premium Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: Bodum Santos Drip: Mr. Coffee Roaster: Fresh Roast+
Posted Tue Nov 4, 2003, 9:05pm Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
Earlier this year the boiler on my Pasquini Livia exploded blowing off the bottom portion of the boiler (I had it for 15 months at that point). Fortunately, no one was in my kitchen at the moment of the explosion in my case as well. After having a dealer inspect the machine, there was a great deal of lime scale build-up (despite my always using water from a pour-over Brita filter) and the bolts holding the bottom portion of the boiler together appeared to have experienced some corrosion (I am not sure if this was due to the lime scale build-up or something else).
I do have a new machine now - the Giotto Premium, and I am now using the Brita pour-over (changing it EVERY 3 weeks, no matter what the internal gauge of the filter says - the gauge usually does not indicate that it is anywhere near ready to be changed at this point). In addition, I am using on water filter placed on the water intake line of the espresso machine. I hope this prevents a repeat of the previous incident.
espressotweek Senior Member Joined: 13 Aug 2003 Posts: 117 Location: Florida Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Francis Francis X5 Grinder: Rocky - doserless
Posted Wed Nov 5, 2003, 7:03am Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
Without a doubt, one of the most frightening things that can happen! I had a Moka pot blow once due to a cloged safty valve. It went up loud and just made a hell of a mess! I could only imagine this one. Well, at least no one was hurt:-) thanks for reminding us.
tom_b Senior Member Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 537 Location: Maui, Hawaii
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia/PID Grinder: Nuova Simonelli MCF Roaster: USPS/Popper
Posted Sun Nov 9, 2003, 3:19am Subject: Re: Boiler exploded
So the moral of the story is: cleancaf/citric acid powder? Is there any consensus on how often? Randy G lists every 6 mo at first, changing based on what muck you see come out when you do it..
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