pstock Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: toronto, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 8:56am Subject: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
My Gaggia "Espresso" machine (that's all the is written on it model-wise. I think it is one of the less sophisticated followers of the Baby Gaggia. It has the same boxy 80s look but it apparently has no solenoid.) stops pumping after having been turned on for about 20 minutes.
First couple of draws are fine then after 20 minutes, I flick the switch and ... nothing.
If I turn it off and let it cool for an hour or so, then on restart, it draws water again.
I can only suspect overheating of some sort. But then what do I know. Do these units overheat? Is there a known issue of overheating with this particular unit?
I am not sure that I understand what you are doing. 20 minutes of warm up and the pump will not run, or 20 minutes of multiple runs. Does the machine stay up to temperature? Will it make steam? Is pump the only function not working?
While it sounds heat related, I am not sure heat at which point or what is over heated. You can start tryng various circuits and parts with a DMM.
pstock Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: toronto, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 8:35pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
Mine is indeed a GaggiaEspresso model
Alas I am not really a great student of coffee making.
what I am doing and experiencing (in crass layman's terms) is this: - In the AM, I flip the ON switch (lower of the three) to heat up the boiler. - after about 5 minutes I pack a basket of coffee for my partner and "draw" her her's. - I then repeat for myself - But, by the time we are finished these -- say 20 minutes -- and are ready for a second (with the machine still Main Switch On) when I flip the Pump switch (the top switch of the three) ON nothing happens. It just sits there. pretty much stone silent. None of that reassuring pump-drawing-water-from-the-reservoir sounds.
If I then just turn it off and wait 15-30 minutes, and then power it all back up again, it will again function.
The steam function works fine (though I have not tested it after the 20min failure period. I will and will report.)
Part 24 will cut off the boiler heater and is not reusable, it is a fuse. The pump protector is self reset with cooling. If the Gaggia Espresso has a klixon or equivalent, it may be the problem. If you can find and get to the pump wiring, then you test cold and hot.
Posted Sat Jan 19, 2013, 9:39am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
I have the same machine, I sat with mine last night for a good cleaning and it ran non stop while cleaning it, so were say like 2 hours . Now then have you tried to clear a vapor lock?
Posted Sun Jan 20, 2013, 10:12pm Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
Didn't by chance leave the steam switch on?
I did that recently on my new Gaggia Classic and wondered why the pump was not working. I found I have a tendency not to turn off the steam switch when I finish making my cappuccino on this new machine.
pstock Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: toronto, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2013, 8:43am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
I don't use the Steam function so no, the steam switch is never left on. My routine now is to turn the main switch on, let it heat up for a few minutes, pull two cups of coffee and then turn it OFF until I am ready to redraw. When I then turn it back on (maybe 15-20 minutes later) all works fine. But again, if I just leave the main boiler powered ON for that interval, the pump fails.
D4F Senior Member Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 1,194 Location: USA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Classic PID Grinder: Preciso
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2013, 10:17am Subject: Re: Gaggia Espresso pump fails after 20min. Overheating?
If you run the pump with the steam valve open, any air in the system is pumped out. Most do this after steaming to refill the boiler. If you do not steam and the machine drips, you can get some steam at the top of the boiler. It blunts pressure but does not stop the pump. It could sound odd running, but should run. The only other vapor/air lock that I know of is when you get enough air in the line to the pump that it does not prime. It still runs, and you are not describing that.
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