How To Clean and Calibrate a Gaggia Platinum Grinder

If you have a Gaggia Platinum and you hear the grinder running but it's not sucking the beans in and not dispensing any coffee - this video is for you. Todd from wholelattelove.com shows you how to clean and calibrate the grinder in the Gaggia Platinum espresso machine. He takes you through the process from start to finish in great detail. Procedure valid for all Gaggia Platinum models including: Vision, Swing, Swing-Up and Vogue.
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[@bluetorch13]

I bought one with a red light and this video was incredibly useful, the guy fixing and the camera man made it great with the extra comments!

[@seanharp33]

The grinder on my 12 year old Gaggia Platinum Swing-up had failed and I was getting the dreaded "error 1". I found this video, disassembled the machine and discovered that part of the grinder assembly had broken and ground coffee had been partially spilling into the inside of the machine. I ordered a new grinder assembly for around $60 and with the help of the video my machine is now completely cleaned out and working perfectly again! Thanks so much for providing such detailed breakdown videos.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Sean, That's awesome. Also awesome a super-auto on a 12 year run and you taking the initiative to do the repair! Any idea/estimate how many drinks you've made on your Gaggia over the years? We had an Accademia come into the shop the other day with over 30,000 drinks on the product counters. Marc

[@svenhuber6533]

You saved my day, the first time a technician came because I thought the machine is broken for good, then he cleaned it and we paid 100 USD for that what you did (was ok he had to come here that already took him 30 min).

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SH, Happy to help!

[@teekol]

Great video. Brought my gaggia back from the dead.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Brian Kayfitz Hi, that’s awesome. Happy to help!!!

[@jojopf99]

I cant tell you how much I appreciate your video , very very helpful information Thank you very much !

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jwhoopi1417]

Thanks so much for the video. Well done and very informative. It didn't actual fix my issue but it gave me the info and confidence to start the process. One thing, the video kind of skipped over the process of reinstalling the spring and the little chute with the door. It wasn't rocket science to figure it out, but I did end up having to go back in and redo it. Just be careful in placing the spring so it doesn't fall over, gently place the grinder straight down upon the spring and make sure that the plastic "chute" with the door if firmly in place before screwing it back together. Note, for the plastic chute, you might be able to just take off the top (hopper) and take out the brew group and click it into place without taking the rest apart by pushing it into place from underneath where it meets the brew group with your fingers. At Least I was able to do so. Just be careful, and feed it up wiggling it back and forth until it clicks into place. Second, for those that might have a similar problem, my gaggia platinum was giving me a "restart to solve problem" error message after selecting either the espresso or Long coffee options, but would let me make a cup with ground coffee. It would start grinding for just a second, maybe grind a bean or two's worth of coffee, then give me the restart error. Since it involved the grinder, I suspected that was the culprit, and that's how I got here. It wasn't. I wanted to try everything I could think of prior to buying parts to replace, so I cleaned the grinder, the brew group and everything else. Nothing worked. On a hunch, I disconnected the ribbon cable on the heating element for the coffee warmer and voila, my precious coffee maker sprang back to life. In retrospect, I believe in washing it, I had accidentally gotten the plastic heating mat wet and it was shorting out the machine. I don't use the cup heater anyway so I just left the cable off. I probably won't bother replacing it, but I might try to hook it back up after it has had time to dry out. Hopefully this saves someone some time or money. I was about to buy a new motor, grinder and/or circuit board, so this saved me a bunch. Anyway, thanks again for the video. It was very helpful and my machine got a thorough cleaning out of the deal, which it probably had never received.... considering it has a build date of 2008, it needed it anyway. I now have my third favorite thing in my life back again! (While doing all this I decided that it ranks just below the dog and cat and slightly above the girlfriend.) ;-)

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi jw, Thanks so much for sharing the details! I'm sure it will help someone else. Also have to say you must be getting your money's worth out of that machine and obviously maintaining it well! The Gaggia Platinum has not been available for many years now.

[@Msdaffyjo]

Thanks Whole Latte Love for another great video! Just followed the instructions in this video....perfect instructions! Easy to follow and worked as described. One suggestion is to use canned/compressed air to also clean out the motor brush 'dust' since the motor is out and accessible. A good time to also check the length of the brushes to determine how much life remains in them.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi, You are welcome and thanks for your comment and suggestion. Spot on!

[@JamesWisecup]

Mine has a black locking mechanism over the sensor pin assembly. How do I remove it? 6:31 I figured it out. You have to slightly lift up top portion of the black clamp.

[@zb3740]

Thank you for the video. So I did this tonight on ours and it just does the same thing after the cleaning... Sometimes it grinds the coffee and then brews it, other times it does not grinds the coffee properly, we are getting the 'insert coffee beans' message after it finishes grinding. Perhaps the type of coffee might have an impact? Is there something else anyone recommends to try please? Thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

“Hi z, you're welcome for the video. Are you sure the grind output path is clear and unobstructed? Thje machine may not be sensing the ground coffee due to blockage or faulty sensor. Coffee type like darker beans with lots of visible surface oils can cause problems.

[@JamesWisecup]

I get this issue when beans are too oily

[@juliocosta5778]

Very nice video and every time I nedd to clean the grinder system, I use it. But now I'm getting another problem: the signs "coffee grounds" and " descaling" and the first (qty button) green light at the right side, are flashing. What das it mean?

[@a.f.7154]

Thank you for this. My grinder works fine but the beans are not going down into automatically and it keeps thinking it is out of beans. So I have to use a knife or something to feed the beans down into the grinder for it to work. Can you help with this issue please?

[@concrete5]

I followed the video and took apart and cleaned my machine. Put it back together and keep getting error message to close bean hopper cover. It is back together correctly, but I can’t get past this error message now.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Trevor, are you certain the bean hopper cover sensor (seen here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqelkJZ6gMt7fqM ) is properly installed? Also be sure the magnet in the hopper cover which triggers the sensor is in place. If missing the magnet you can trick the machine using another magnet.

[@bryoneichelberger8656]

Todd, great video, simple to follow, now that I'm finished I get an out of service code that won't clear. I've retaken the grinder assembly apart multiple times now to ensure the sensor and everything else is correct still get the out of service error. Any ideas what I may have missed?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Byron, Probably best if you contact our Tech Support for some one on one assistance. Here's contact info: www.wholelattelove.com/contact-us

[@nadakakos]

What a great teaching video thank you so much I have one problem with the same machine the steam knob leaks a lot of water I think the sealer needs to be changed can you please upload a video how to change the sealer for that machine thank you again

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi nk, Thanks for the request. Unfortunately I no longer have a platinum for demonstration :(. If in US do contact our tech support here: www.wholelattelove.com/pages/contact-us They should be able to advise on repair and needed parts.

[@nadakakos]

Whole Latte Love thank you for replying back I leave in Australia Melbourne 😔

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Just so happens I know the Gaggia distributor in Melbourne! Not sure if they can help but you can contact then here: www.coffeemio.com.au/#season Marc

[@bondtraderjim]

We like dark roasted, oily beans, as they "seem" to be freshly roasted and full of flavor. We too, are having this issue, and plan on cleaning the grinder. 1) your video says "clean and calibrate" your grinder, but I wasn't sure what the Calibration action was. and 2) what kind of beans (brand) would you recommend to avoid this in the future, which would produce very good coffee and espresso?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Jim, The calibration happens when you replace the burr after cleaning - just about lining it up in the proper position. On the beans... As mentioned you should stay away from beans with an oily sheen on their surface in super-automatic machines. A spot here and there is okay, but anymore than that and you risk clogs - especially when your grinder is set very fine. That said, there are a number of coffees in darker roasts that have good flavor. From you description of preference it sounds like you may prefer Italian style blends a few that will do well, have deep rich flavor and produce a nice crema: Lavazza Super Crema www.wholelattelove.com/products/lavazza-super-crema-whole-bean-espresso-coffee Lavazza Top Class www.wholelattelove.com/products/lavazza-top-class-espresso-coffee-d1a11fc5-2d5d-4675-abda-ee72c5ce2087 Maromoas Orphea (my personal favorite in this category) www.wholelattelove.com/products/maromas-orphea-whole-bean-espresso Malabar Gold (has spotty surface oil on bean so back off a couple notches to a coarser grind setting) www.wholelattelove.com/products/whole-latte-love-malabar-gold-espresso FYI in some cases beans are over roasted to the point of developing lots of surface oils to cover defects in sub standard coffee. Not always true, and that's what some people prefer. While I drink and enjoy all the above coffees my personal preference is for very fresh, high altitude, single origin, 100% Arabica medium roasts. Trying some of these a few years ago changed my espresso world. If you prefer the dark roasts they might not be something you like. Coffee grown at high altitude tends to grow slower and therefore concentrates more flavor in the bean. Those flavors tend to be brighter and more fruity - a very different taste experience than the dark, bold Italian style blends which typically contain some Robusta beans. Again, maybe not for you but I've seen more than a few people have their socks knocked off when trying for the first time!

[@tanyarochelleragsdale]

Hi! I have a Gaggia Platinum Swing and it's giving me the "out of service [4]" code. I watched your video and re-calibrated the grinder and also the video on how to reset the switch to get the brew unit back in but the switch will not stay down.. so I put the cardboard in to try to reset it that way and restarted, it is still giving me the same error and the brew unit part did not reset itself 😔

[@bryanbarton77]

Thanks for a very helpful and informative video Whole Latte Love! I bought this Platinum Vision machine from you about 7 years ago, and it is a really great machine. I'll be using this video just to do a cleanout of all the old stale grinds stuck down in the grinder. I also have a dripping/leak issue with the steam wand that seems to be common with all of these machines. I know it has something to do with a valve that is worn out. Do you guys have an equivalent video on how to replace a leaky steam wand valve? Or is there some other instructional resource you can point me to that is specific to the Platinum Vision? MANY THANKS!!

[@stephenbile3932]

Is that the same grinder as the accademia? How do you change the burs?

[@bryansandiego]

Thank you so so much!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Bryan, You are welcome and thank you for the comment!

[@megleonard3901]

what is a "tortz 10"? I am using an Allen wrench, 5/64, but what the video guy is using looks a wholelatte easier.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Meg, it's Torx. A little different than an Allen/Hex. Here'smore info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

[@ZombieSheeple]

My grinder will spin but as soon as i add coffee beans, it wont spin.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SN, sounds like a clog in the ground coffee delivery chute after the grinder. Suggest cleaning as demonstrated in this video

[@lmenefee9]

what if you don't have a T10?

[@ReefBrosCanada]

Is this similar to the gaggia synchrony RS?

[@uaerc]

Hi I have got the same coffee machine and i keep getting the error fiII coffee container evev when the coffee is there so wiII these steps heIp me out of do i need to do sometihng esIe thatns for this video BTW

[@Wholelattelovepage]

+Heavenly Homes Hi Heavenly. Steps in the video may help you out. The fill coffee error is the result of the grinder thinking there are no beans because it's spinning at a higher rate of speed than when grinding. This usually indicates a blockage of some kind such that beans can't get into the grinding chamber. Here's a link to a support document which should be helpful: wiki.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia_Platinum_Vision#No_Beans.2C_Grinder_Blocked.2C_or_E01

[@uaerc]

Whole Latte Love Thanks for the quick response :) wiII check it out

[@gf.channel]

How does one descale it though?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey GFS, Here's a link to the manual with descaling instructions: wiki.wholelattelove.com/images/9/96/PLATINUM_SWING_Machine_Manual.pdf

[@gf.channel]

@@Wholelattelovepage thanks guys 👏👍

[@ssunilkumar775]

Price of spare grinding Plates

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SSK, If in US give us a call at 585-924-7170 for parts.

[@jacqueslortie7851]

Machine acting bizarre. I had the problem with the grinder not sucking the beans. I cleaned the machine doing the same steps as in the video. When I started it over, it made 2 coffees, then from the third one it grinds the coffee (I see it falling into the brewing group by peeking through the "gound dispenser"), then it tampers, abort and request for coffee.... the hopper is full, any idea?

[@jacqueslortie7851]

I finally solved the problem by reading other comments and articles. The coffee I was using is too oily, I changed for another brand (Lavazza Doro) which is a lot dryer and it now works flawlesly. Seems that the grinder was free running a bit due to the sticky coffee making it think that they where no beans left.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi JL, Sorry I missed you comment and happy to hear you discovered the issue. As you found beans with visible oil coatings do not play well with these machines. Marc