Gaggia Brera: Diagnosing Flow Issues
Learn how to resolve flow issues in your Gaggia Brera, such as having difficulty producing coffee or steam, or getting no flow from the steam wand or coffee spouts.
Diagnosing Flow Issues
First, if you have the Mavea Intenza Water Filter installed, remove that from the reservoir and make sure the reservoir is fully inserted and not obstructed in any way from making a good connection. If that solves the problem it may be an issue either with the reservoir seating or the water filter not being fully activated. Let the water filter soak in a bowl of water for about 5 minutes and make sure to squeeze it under water to expel the air bubbles and make sure it is fully activated. I'd recommend leaving the filter out just until the flow issue is resolved.
If that does not resolve the issue, it may be that your machine just needs a bit of help getting water into the system. This can happen on new machines, or machines that sit idle for an extended period. Once primed and in regular use, the pump should be good to go without having to repeat the process. If you get water dispensing at any point, even directly to your drip tray, skip the force priming step.
If you're getting the machine going through the process of brewing and you're not getting any error messages, but also not getting anything dispensing or dispensing more slowly or unevenly, there is likely a problem in the brew unit area. It will either be a blockage or a connection that is not happening properly. If you are getting an error message of some kind, there may be different steps to try (see below). Descaling can be helpful as well, but if you're having some flow problems, you may need to address those prior to attempting the automated descaling process. If you’d like to try descaling, use this Manual Descaling Procedure. Here is some more information on some of those error messages, if your machine has an error or indicator displayed:
- A Priming Request may not be an issue. Turn your knob to the right to dispense water from the steam wand. When the lights change again, return the knob to the center.
How To Prime a Gaggia Brera A Top Lights Error can indicate a few different potential issues based on when it appears. Use this link for more information on the Top Lights Error on your machine.
If you have water dispensing, but it is all going directly to the drip tray, I'd recommend checking out the following information to make sure everything in your brew unit area is operating properly. For what it's worth, when it comes to brew unit cleaning, I'd ignore the part about taking the selector valve apart. Typically that is not going to be clogged more than just a rinse can resolve, and it's pretty easy to either lose those parts or get them re-inserted incorrectly after cleaning. The shower screen will be the main area to focus on when cleaning the brew unit.
Warranty Disclaimer: Failure of normal wear and tear items such as group gaskets, seals, and shower screens are not covered under warranty. Issues due to scale build-up or lack of maintenance are not covered.
