Water debit problem

[John F]

My problem started a few days ago when I went to pull a shot and things did not work out right....super restricted shot that I sunk.

Grind adj....another sink shot.  
Adjust again...sink again.  
One more adjustment and yet another sink shot.... say what?

At this point I pulled out the AP and by luck figured out how to make a passable AP Latte all things considered.

The next day I had a hunch and sure enough I was having a water debit issue but didn't feel like looking into it so AP lattes until just now when I pulled it all apart. I took out that rubber stopper on the sprig gizmo and when I hit the switch I had enough water going that I no longer feared my pump was going out and knew it was some trash stuck somewhere.

So now that everything is back together I'll have to check and adjust my brewing pressure tomorrow but this is what gets on my nerves. I don't know when this problem started and how many shots I pulled that were compromised because of this issue. I do know that I was getting the feeling that something was amiss in my shots before things got obviously out of whack.

I'm not sure if I have a question like is this common to Gaggia machines or if I'm just complaining because it was a PITA.  

I guess something to think about for the future ( I will anyway) is that if you get a sneaking suspicion something might be a little off with your machine...you might be right. Do some diagnostics. Trust your instincts.   

[Tex]

Diagnostics: http://home.earthlink.net/~r_harmon/simple%20diagnostic%20tests.htm

If you don't descale on a regular basis the water path will plug up, and you'll think the pump is bad. It takes just a tiny amount of loose scale to cause problems.

Maintenance: http://home.earthlink.net/~r_harmon/Gaggia%20maintenence.htm

[John F]

You caught me. I have not descaled in a while....my bad. 

I didn't know that is the type of problem that would present, won't happen again for sure.

[mp]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

[Tex]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

What, we're supposed to read your bleepin' mind? How about a quick pic showing what lever you're talking about.

[John F]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  

Have you noticed it in the shots?

I normally descale on schedule so I have not had this happen before. I assumed the problems with scale build up would be inside the boiler not in water debit.  

What has me worried is the shots we pull during the decline but before the problem is evident...

I am going back to regimented descale schedule.

[Tex]

You caught me. I have not descaled in a while....my bad. 

I didn't know that is the type of problem that would present, won't happen again for sure.

For any of you blessed with ever passing calcium carbonate kidney stones, the calcium built up in an espresso boiler is exactly the same stuff. 2 tablespoons of plain citric acid mixed into a liter/quart of warm water is what I recommend to decalcify Gaggia boilers. Piece of cake - see the maintenance link.

[Tex]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  

Have you noticed it in the shots?

I normally descale on schedule so I have not had this happen before. I assumed the problems with scale build up would be inside the boiler not in water debit.  

What has me worried is the shots we pull during the decline but before the problem is evident...

I am going back to regimented descale schedule.

I hear you - I'm always looking for some tell-tale sign that something's wrong. It's reassuring when you know your machine is properly tuned to begin with: then it's a matter of checking a shorter list for problems.

BTW: I descale every 2 months like clockwork - the water here in Pearland must come right of of the Brazos River. I miss the Seattle area and the clarity of the water from the Cascades!

[mp]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

What, we're supposed to read your bleepin' mind? How about a quick pic showing what lever you're talking about.

Lord Tundering Jesus you drive a hard bargain ... very well then ... check out the photo.

That would be the handle just to the right of the portafilter.

 

[Tex]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

What, we're supposed to read your bleepin' mind? How about a quick pic showing what lever you're talking about.

Lord Tundering Jesus you drive a hard bargain ... very well then ... check out the photo.

That would be the handle just to the right of the portafilter.

 

All that shiny s/s & chrome looks like it belongs in some pimps kitchen! :icon_rr:

[mp]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

What, we're supposed to read your bleepin' mind? How about a quick pic showing what lever you're talking about.

Lord Tundering Jesus you drive a hard bargain ... very well then ... check out the photo.

That would be the handle just to the right of the portafilter.

 

All that shiny s/s & chrome looks like it belongs in some pimps kitchen! :icon_rr:

Yeah ... and the thing is ... I never paid anymore for it than a brand new Sylvia.  But it will pull a better shot than the Sylvia any day of the week.

 

[Tex]

When my machine is getting a scale build up I notice it on the pull lever.  It becomes harder and harder to pull back into the "stop shot" position.

 

What, we're supposed to read your bleepin' mind? How about a quick pic showing what lever you're talking about.

Lord Tundering Jesus you drive a hard bargain ... very well then ... check out the photo.

That would be the handle just to the right of the portafilter.

 

All that shiny s/s & chrome looks like it belongs in some pimps kitchen! :icon_rr:

Yeah ... and the thing is ... I never paid anymore for it than a brand new Sylvia.  But it will pull a better shot than the Sylvia any day of the week.

 

Funny how that worked out - did you ever properly repay the person advising you to get a HX? 

[grinderz]

BTW: I descale every 2 months like clockwork - the water here in Pearland must come right of of the Brazos River. I miss the Seattle area and the clarity of the water from the Cascades!

Yep, sure is nice! Six years without descaling once.

[John F]

The good news is I just pulled a shot and I am still locked down on 9.25 bar.

I was worried about when this water debit problem started and if I might have even set up from a compromised condition to start when I added OPV but it's all good.

Now I think it was just a sudden event. Maybe a chunk of scale broke loose and jammed something causing an immediate issue. Maybe, but I swear I was getting a funny vibe a week before this happened.

Either way it's a good reminder to descale for those of us using hard water and have gotten lazy on maintenance. 

[Tex]

BTW: I descale every 2 months like clockwork - the water here in Pearland must come right of of the Brazos River. I miss the Seattle area and the clarity of the water from the Cascades!

Yep, sure is nice! Six years without descaling once.

But on the flip side, we can drink our water straight from the tap in the winter without defrosting it first!