u/Fo0lishNinja

Hope this is useful to someone else here.

Ordered the Etsy big gauge kit. Knew it was black and thought it looked OK in the pics with the retro green robot. Got it and hated the look in person, was like I'd bolted on parts of a different robot.

Looking for a solution, realised my OPI nail polish in the color "Verde Nice To Meet You" ($6) was a very good match.

It looked like an exact match in the bottle to the base, but it dried down slightly darker and also I realised the robot base is just slightly darker than the head on my unit (not sure if it came like that or it's lightening in the sun after only a few days which would be a worry). So if I was going to do it again I'd mix in a drop of white but nonetheless, the color itself it perfect - that exact creamy green with a blueish hint, same sheen, everything.

I know those familiar with "boilergate" on the GCP are likely also familiar with the galvanic corrosion question.

For those who arent, brass and aluminium directly touching in the presence of water/electrolytes causes the aluminium to corrode a lot faster than normal, and basically disintegrate into aluminium oxide. To stop this happening:

- pre-boilergate GCPs had uncoated aluminium boilers but chrome-plated groupheads
- boilergate GCP Evos had coated boilers but unplated brass group heads
- Current E24 models have a brass boiler (and group head)

However, for a short time in the first half of 2024, after boilergate but before E24, Gaggia had to quickly withdraw the coated boilers and went to fitting uncoated aluminium boilers straight to Evo brass group heads. They also repaired boilergate machines like this. A lot of people on this sub conjectured that it would cause galvanic corrosion but Gaggia/WLL denied it would. This was all unknown to me when I bought my GCP in August 2024 with a production date in April 2024, which is in that batch.

After a year or so the solenoid valve kept getting regularly blocked. I couldn't understand it as I was doing everything right (soft filered water, backflushing, descaling). I'm a light home user pulling 2-3 shots a day.

Eventually, I discovered boilergate, did the test, saw big black flakes mixed with white lumps, assumed that must be my issue - but to cut a long story short its not, I have an uncoated boiler (confirmed by WLL), its corrosion. The boiler is crumbling. Pics of output from steam wand attached - thats what is still coming out after descaling and pulling 12 litres of water through. Note the lumps of aluminium oxide, easier to see on my hand, that's not scale.

The response from Gaggia/WLL on this is that they wont repair or replace it under warranty (it's been less than 2 years still since purchase), because "the condition of the boiler is consistent with corrosion related to water chemistry over time" and "can develop over time as a result of normal heating cycles and the chemistry of the water used". So Gaggia's stated position is that their boiler can't cope with being in contact with water or heat for a year and that's absolutely fine and not at all a design flaw.

I'm so pissed off with this response which I have, of couse, challenged but to no avail, that I created an account to post this after a lifetime of lurking. Don't buy a Gaggia - yes they might have fixed this specific issue on this machine but they won't be there for you if something goes wrong.