Unblocking a Solenoid Valve on Gaggia Espresso Machines - Gaggia Caffe TV 

Bloody hell!! It works!! I just unblocked a machine that had been standing idle for more than a year. I was about to chuck it out and buy a new one when I came across this video. Water is now gushing out of the brewhead. The only thing I would add is to let the descaler sit in the machine for a while if it doesn't unblock first or second time around. Also, collect the water containing the descaler and put it back in the reservoir; that way you won't have to use so much descaler. Absolutely brilliant!!

1. Put descaling fluid in the tank 2. Turn machine on 3. Open the steam valve 4. Turn on the coffee button 5. Turn the steam button on and off (6:05) 6. This will hopefully dislodge the bits of scale in the valve and water should start to move through the system 7. You might need to run this cycle 2 or 3 times

I have an astra machine in a small shop and I couldnt get someone out to fix the machine to get us back up and running. This video saved my life! We were able to take our machine apart, clean our solenoid valve and for the first time in 2 weeks make espresso!😭😍 So relieved. This video gave more information that any other video or forum I could find. Thank you!

Thank you so much! I was expecting to have to take mine apart before seeing this. I just tried without any descaler and after a few back and forths it flowed again!

was about to open the machine, potentially replace the pump and/or some unknown valves, stumbled across this video, and it WORKED. Thanks so much for making this video. It saved me a lot of trouble.

Being one of the lazy owners referred to by our master, my Gaggia blocked up after an infrequent descale. The same thing happened a couple of years back and I had a tricky time removing the solenoid valve and cleaning it. This process was MUCH easier. I also used a blanking plate on my portafilter after running the descaling solution through the boiler with the steam wand, then turning the pump on an off to shoot descaler backwards through the solenoid. THANKS.

I found a pretty new discarded Gaggia Classic in near perfect condition at my local recycling center, took it away no charge, did this procedure and it works better than my 10+ yr old machine. It took all of 15 minutes and cleared on the first try. I was simply going to scavenge it for parts!! This procedure needs to specify more clearly that the tank is filled with descaler when you do these steps. And, probably a good idea to run about 300 ml of the descaler through the steamer wand first and let it sit a few minutes.

This really works! And as you said ‘keep going at it!’. For me, it took a few liters of water with a bunch of descaling tablets until finally water started coming out of the brewing head. Great video, and thanks for posting this! 😀👍

Marvelous! I accidentally ran the machine without water for a few seconds, after which nothing was coming out of the brew head. So not sure if it was a limescale blockage or an airlock. Either way this solution fixed the problem beautifully. Much appreciated guys.

Great! I had this problem, phoned Gaggia, and they sent me a link to this video. I thought my Gaggia Pro had died, but I followed the instructions and now it's working fine. Saved me £450! Thank you.

Thank you!! It works like a dream again now. I’m one of those who cleans their Gaggia Classic (2010 model) religiously. I was getting very limited water through the group head so at first took off the shower plate and cleaned that and then the brass plate behind it before descaling- and that didn’t work either. I watched video and followed your instructions and boom!!🙂 top fella!

My problem exactly. Your excellently demonstrated solution worked perfectly. Till now I’ve been sending it to be cleaned every few months. No more! Thank you so much for generously sharing your knowledge and experience.

I took my gaggia classic completely apart refitted it after descaling and replace all seals and got no steam. After trying everything I followed the circuit diagram and found that somehow I wired the side lower thermostat with the top thermostat and vice versa. Also there was no continuity (bip test) on the solenoid. Tested it physically by putting a screw driver through the coil. Made my wife Happy.

Thank you kind Sir, cleared the clog in my Gaggia Classic in no time. I truly appreciate you sharing this knowledge.

Absolutely perfect for my old Baby Gaggia - a huge thank you for preventing me making a mess of the machine with a screwdriver!!!

Thank you. Your clear explanation the fault and logical diagnosis helped me fix my old 2010 Gaggia Classic. Was completely blocked with nothing coming out of the group head, but I persevered with your instructions and it was cleared. 👍💦

So glad that this worked - I am going to name my firstborn child GaggiaCafeTV!

My old machine just got a new lease of life, thank you.

Great educational instruction with the solenoid magnet valve! Fixed my machine by adding disolved citric acid and switching the solenoid back and forth. After some minutes the hot water started spouting from the coffee filter again. Thanks!!

Whoever needs addition confirmation - this works flawlessly

Thank you so much for this! Saved me from a repair charge and got my beloved ancient Gaggia Classic working better than it has for almost a year! 😎

This was so helpful, thanks you. I absolutely hate taking apart half the machine to manually clean the solenoid valve and this saved me the trouble.

My old Gaggia Baby started pouring very slowly, with a noticeably different sound, a little while after a descale, just as described. I actually tried the procedure described with water and it freed up the valve in a minute. Luckily I didn’t have to descale again. It’s now pouring beautifully with lovely crema.

Thank you. Your solution worked on my 20-year old machine. The block happened after I replaced the steam valve. A particle must have gotten knocked loose, and was stuck in the solenoid.

Saved me from buying a pump. It worked within 5 seconds. Thank you very much indeed.

What a great fix! The flow through my grouphead was abysmal, so I tried this and it's now the water's gushing through - no need to dismantle anything, or pay for a service - winner!

This was helpful and since I had no descaler on hand having just descaled (as was a noted potential cause) I performed the fix with only water, no descaler, and it fixed things, at least temporarily. More descaler is on the way in case it’s a band-aid solution but it saved my morning at least until the supplies arrive.

We don't have limescale in our area. i.e. nothing in our kettle (soft water). However, when I took apart the coffee boiler and it had about a teaspoon of 'grit' in there. I think it is aluminium oxide that builds up over time, so I think it is generally best just to completely dismantle the machine every couple of years. I've marked the electrical connectors with numbers and photograph it with my phone as I go, otherwise you will never remember which wire goes where. I didn't disassemble the solenoid, but just blew it through with compressed air.

Amazing!! thank you so much for this video, I was close to being desperate after spending 3h disassembling the entire machine and nothing worked. Then I watched this video! Thank you thank you thank you

Thank you so much! My Gaggia classic stopped working this morning, and after following the instructions it is working perfectly again! 👍😃

Thank you so much for helping me repair my own stuff. Such a satisfying experience when you are used to technology that either works or goes to garbage.

Thanks from the USA....I had this problem on my 2011 Classic and your solution worked even without running descaler through the machine (as I don’t have any on hand at the moment). I cycled the steam button on and off in several half-second intervals, checked the flow, saw progress, repeated a few times.

Thanks very much posting this. I recently bought a used Gaggia Classic which had been stood for a few months so was basically gunked up! I followed this video every step of the way and it now runs perfectly. Mine took 3 full cycles of Descaler so be patient. Thanks again.

Many thanks, saved me from pulling out and cleaning solenoid valve which I’ve done three times previously. Your method will be the ‘go to’ fix now. Again, thankyou for exceptionally clear video.

Thanks so much for sharing this, we are no longer having to make filter coffee (2 months without real coffee!), our beloved machine is back from the ashes. and couldn't find any gaggia repairer in our region.

Thanks so much for your video. We were about to give up and get a new machine and this entirely solved our problem. We appreciate it.

Awesome!! After 18 hours of printing, I wanted to test my new scale integrates drip tray and woke to a non working machine. With this im ending the day on a high note.!

Well that saved me a whole lot of money! Great video and very clearly explained. Three sachets of Pully pumped through and now back to espresso with a proper flow rate. Thanks.

I can't thank you enough I've stripped the valve out of machines before to unblock the solenoid this is far easier😀

Absolutely brilliant! My classic was showing these exact symptoms, followed the instructions and it works perfectly now! Thank you so much 👍🏻

Great video. Couldn’t understand why my frequent descaling wasn’t fixing the problem and flow through the group head was frequently down to a bare trickle. Has saved my 10 year old Gaggia Classic. Many thanks!

you, sir, have saved my coffee craving soul. machine fixed. thank you so much!

I really didn't think this would work in my case. But it totally did! One change I made was instead of totally turning on and off the steam button, I waiting until i heard the solinoid click and went the other direction. It took about a half hour of doing this. Also probably best to remove the shower screen and the part above that as a lot of scale came out. PSA - this wasn't my machine - i would never let something like this happen to my own machine!

my 10 year old Classic developed this problem and I fixed it using this method without descaler, just the process of activating and deactivating the solenoid got it flowing again -great video. I was googling the cost of a new machine and at £450, I wasn't giving up 😂 Thanks

Thank you so much. It works!!!!! I did almost a whole tank of descale water but nothing came out. I was so frustrated and it suddenly water dropped 😮. Thank you

Worked excatly as you said! Machine unblocked :DDDD My 2008 Gaggia still truckin' on after making excellnt espressos for 12 years :)))))))))))))))

just want to thank-you. Spot on the exact problem I had this morning. Cleared the blockage. Wife happy

Thank you so much! I just had decalcified my gaggia espresso pro when as you said a small chunk blocked off the output to the expresso head. I put 1.5 ounces of urnex descale In and very quickly I had a working machine again. Subscribed!

Thank you this saved me from disassembling my solenoid valve which was the next step.

Hallelujah.. I was at my wits end thinking my ‘changeover valve was blocked with limescale’. Took it off…Cleaned it 3 times.. it was working so ummmm….still no luck. The water is very hard I’m my area. Anyhow….very long story short, underneath the brew head plate, there is a little larger than pin sized hole to allow water through to the distribution plate that your gauze fits to. It was blocked with lime scale. Quick poke with a pin and voila, it is now letting go of water like the proverbial race horse!. So if fixing the solenoid valve doesn’t work try this!…Hope this helps someone else out there! ☕️

Brilliant tutorial, got my Gaggia Baby Classic working again. Took about a week of repeating the steps but it got there and now I have espresso again!!

Worked really well even with more modern configuration of buttons on Gaggia Classic purchased on feb 2022. Thanks.

Thank you, this was an extremely helpful video. I was planning to take the machine into a service centre but your advice solved the issue quickly

just switching the button from coffee to steam solved my problem with Gaggia Viva, thank you!

You just saved me the trouble of opening up my machine to clean the solenoid! Thank you!

Amazing! I didn’t believe it until by the end of the first tank a drop appeared. Then it went quite quickly from there. My gaggia is saved 👍

Fixed it right up, thank you! Haven't used the machine in years and never descaled it in 13 years 😅 gotta do that next then

Thanks you saved me money getting my machine repaired.

OMG!!!! Thank you! I cleaned the entire machine and couldn't figure why my water flow was so poor to non existent. Your video saved my gaggia. I have had this machine for 12 years and it has always worked like a charm. I do not use the frother because I like my Nespresso frother. So I think cleaning out that valve that you cannot get to was the problem. Thank you!

Fantastic, sorted mine right out after sitting unused for two years! Now just needs a really good descale! Thanks

Before I found this video, I was about to press buy on a new £400 Classic. A little bit of tinkering later, I could finally make my much needed morning coffee. Water flow was not perfect but I at least managed to squeeze enough espresso to take my mind off the problem till later :-D

Worked like a charm, didn't even have to descale! Thank you!

Thank you! This diagnosis allowed me to pinpoint my problem and get my coffee back! I was almost going to replace the pump or even order a whole new machine. Thanks!

Excellent video. I had the same symptoms on my Gaggia Classic. The diagnosis and solution were well explained and worked perfectly. Problem solved. Thank you!

Brilliant. Had no idea how to fix it and started to take my Classic apart before I saw this on your website.

This worked perfectly! I was facing a difficult task to take my machine apart to access and clean the solenoid valve, when I came across this video and learned I could avoid all that. I went through the first tank of descalant and cycled the switch many times with no effect and was starting to get discouraged, but you advised it might take more than one and, sure enough, the second pack and more switch cycling did the trick! Suddenly I had water flow again. It’s working perfectly now. Thank you!

thanks so much for the description of the solenoid and how it worked. I had seen other vids to fix this problem but didn't see the point of the switching repeatedly from steam to water until after you explained it. It still took a while, but once I understood the issue I stuck with it and now it's working 100% again. Cheers!

Thanks for taking the time to make this video and explain the mechanics of the problem. Brilliant (even the focus issue added to the charm!)

You are great. Thank you for this very good explained video. You saved my machine! I was planning to crash it because I had the same problem. Thank you so much...

No words. Worked. Wow. Already drinking my perfect shot of espresso. Thank you mate

So really really great!!! Thanks a 1000 times. It was exactly my problem! And I already thought I would have to buy a new machine.. 😎 All the best from Salzburg Bernhard

Thank you so much! I tried readings forums and stuff. Nothing was as good as this!

Fantastic, and simple. Do this everytime you descale!

Thank you so much for this video. I had exactly this problem on my Gaggia Classic Pro 2019 and following this method completely fixed it.

i just fixed my gagia thanks to this video and i learn how its work

This is Brilliant! It saved me tons of time and $ compared to buying and installing a new solenoid or trying to fix another possible cause of the problem. I did this first on 2/18/21, and then again just this morning.

This is brilliant, great video and saved me pulling apart everything. Thank you so much -

This fixed my blocked coffee machine. Thank you so much!!!

This worked for me right now! I got a free gaggia classic with this issue. Amazing!

You sir, are a star! Thanks to your helpful video my Baby Class is now working again. Thanks again!

Another option after descaling and this issue: Tip it on its back, stand it up, repeat. Essentially, shake it up. Not a long term solution, but worked for me instantly

Absolutely worked! Thank you. Got crema back! Happy days.

Thank you so much! This was e xactly how I was able to resolve my Gaggia problem. Worked immediately thanks to your great tutorial.

Thanks, very useful. This saved my gaggia baby. Was nearly going to get it serviced so saved me a bit of money. Nice one.

Worked for mine - switching from one to the other a few times - thanks so much 👍

I'm so sad I didn't try this before disassembling my classic pro...but at least I know how to do that AND my machine is fixed, thanks so much!

This was 100% spot on for me too - thank you so much 🙂

Thank you for taking the time & sharing this useful information...It worked a treat! Coffee time 😃

Thank you for this, amazing. All fixed, 100% thanks to this video. Thank you, thank you!

Excellent, many thanks. Just saved me taking the solenoid out which which I was dreading

Great video! Managed to fix my ailing haggis classic thanks to this excellent tutorial. Thank you

Thank you! follow your method I solved the problem of no water comes out through the brew head!

Thank you!! You saved our machine!

Brilliant solution it works fantastically!

Just tried this and it worked a treat! Thanks for the video.

Thanks! This fixed my Gaggia baby!

Thanks, just did this and it fixed my Gaggia Classic!

It worked! Amazing! Saved my Sunday!

This was an excellent tutorial! It works perfectly on my 2014 Classic!

Great video, having a hard time unscrewing the base of the brass housing (on the pre-2015 model), haven't got a vice and long spanner. Clearly it comes apart but I guess most people replace the whole 3WSV assembly? Not exactly cheap at least A$100. Fun stuffing around with it anyway.. Thanks!