Gaggia Classic "unwind"

James96

I have a question about how to do what I like to call “unwinding” for a machine, i.e. after I have pulled a shot, steamed some milk, cleaned the wand, purged the group head etc.

What is best practice for a Gaggia Classic? Should I let a good bit out of the steam wand before turning the machine off? Or does it not really matter? I’m just wondering about the build up of steam inside and if it’s best to let it out before I turn off the machine and leave it?
Thanks in advance.
Learning every day!

hornbyben

James96 The classic is a single boiler, so you need to refill the boiler.

My comment is based on the Rancilio Silvia, but all single boilers are pretty much the same so this should apply.

Usual approach is:

steam
turn off steam switch to stop heating
wipe down the wand so it’s clean
open the steam valve and run the pump until water comes out (I.e. same as you would for hot water)
- this replaces the water that has been boiled off, cools the boiler (helping lifetime), and ensures the boiler is full of water.
- not refilling the boiler and running it with a partially exposed element is one of the quickest ways to kill a SBDU. Personally I flush some water through the wand when I first turn on my machine as well, to ensure it’s full