Gaggia · bean to cup
Gaggia La Solare — PSSR examination & servicing
La Solare machines are used in offices, dealerships and small hospitality sites on a coffee supply contract nationwide. The engineer carries out the statutory PSSR examination, the front-end service and the water treatment on this model — a standalone examination is £265 + VAT, or £405 + VAT with the service included.
Quick answer
Does a Gaggia La Solare need a PSSR examination?
Yes, if it operates in a workplace. It carries a single steam boiler with its own protective devices, which is the pressure system in scope. Steam is a relevant fluid under PSSR 2000 and steam systems are covered at any pressure and any volume, so the boiler must have a Written Scheme of Examination and be examined periodically by a competent person.
- Examination only
- £265
- With service
- £405
The machine
Why the La Solare matters to the Gaggia owner
Gaggia's professional bean-to-cup, with twin 0.8 litre boilers — one for coffee, one for steam — sealed inside the body. One of the most common automatics in the UK and one of the least examined.
In practice you will find it in offices, dealerships and small hospitality sites on a coffee supply contract — which shapes what the examination looks like on site: how the machine is accessed, how long it can be offline, and how much scale it has accumulated.
On the day
- The steam boiler is located and examined. On a sealed stainless vessel the examination is external — wall thickness, corrosion at fittings, and the condition of every connection — with internal inspection by borescope only where the vessel design allows access.
- The safety valve, expansion valve, pressure sensor and thermal cut-outs are identified, checked and function tested.
- The pressure gauge is verified against our calibrated test gauge, not against itself.
- The vessel is small and sealed, so there is no drain-down and refill to wait for. The time goes on getting to it, which is why the brew unit and panels come off.
- The Written Scheme of Examination records the vessel as sealed and sets out the external examination and the protective devices it relies on.
Typical rates for this model
- Standalone PSSR examination
- £265
- Service + PSSR bundle
- £405
- Certified safety valve, if it fails
- Quoted per machine
- Water filter, fitted on a visit
- from £107
- Grinder calibration & deep clean
- £89
- If it does not pass
- Explained in writing
All prices exclude VAT. A single steam boiler with one set of protective devices to examine. We confirm the exact figure on the call.
Filters are fitted on site by an engineer and are not posted out. The filter price applies when ordered with a PSSR examination, service, call-out or water test; booked alone it is charged at the standard call-out.
What we see on this model
- Two separate 0.8 litre vessels, so there are two sets of protective devices to test, not one. The coffee boiler and the steam boiler are examined separately.
- This is also the machine that shows why our own records need cleaning: it was typed into the service portal as both 8.0 litres and 800.0 litres. The real figure is 0.8 — the decimal point moved twice in opposite directions.
- Dealers list it as "Gaggia Solare". It is the same machine as the La Solare; the shortening is not a different model.
- Bean-to-cup with two separate 0.8 L boilers - one coffee, one steam - so two sets of protective devices are examined, not one. 3200 W, 230-240 V, 47 kg, 368 x 586 x 783 mm, rated 250 beverages/day. Brochure variants: ES+2IN+FM, 2ES+IN+FM, 2ES+IN+FM+SW, plus the LatteVelluto milk-foaming version. La Solare is no longer listed in Gaggia Professional's current superautomatic range (G-100, G-300, G-300 Prime), so it is a legacy model - expect parts to come through the shared Necta/Evoca platform. Public brochure revisions run from 2021-09 to 2024-12.
- The fault list here comes from engineer reports rather than a Gaggia document — Evoca keeps the La Solare service material behind a dealer portal and we could not re-verify it against a published source. La Solare has also left Gaggia's current range; parts come through the shared Necta/Evoca platform.
Verified boiler data
What is actually inside this machine
| Configuration | Steam boiler |
|---|---|
| bean to cup | 0.8 L |
Manufacturer's published boiler capacities. Where a maker publishes no figure we say so rather than estimate.
Service interval. No service interval is published in the public La Solare brochure. It documents a fully automatic milk-circuit cleaning cycle; Gaggia Professional's service schedules and fault tables sit behind the Evoca reserved-area portal, so treat any
Fault finder
What actually goes wrong on a Gaggia La Solare
Owners usually call us with a symptom, not a diagnosis. This is what that symptom most often turns out to be on this machine, and what putting it right involves.
| Symptom | Usual cause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| A whole drink category becomes unavailable | machine monitors current absorption of each motor doser and mixer, if a motor's current falls outside its window every selection using that doser/mixer is disabled ('doser fault 1...9', 'whipper fault 1...6') | identify the numbered doser or mixer, clear the obstruction, check motor and connection. |
| Group of selections disabled, sometimes no water at one outlet ('valve fault 1...7') | solenoid valve current outside its set window - failing coil or stuck/blocked valve | check coil resistance and free movement, descale if scaled. |
| Shots weak then machine reports no coffee | if the ground-coffee dose is not reached within 15 s the 'no coffee' fault is recorded - worn burrs, grind too fine, or partly blocked chute, not necessarily an empty hopper | check burrs and grind, clear the chute. |
| Machine out of service reporting a heating-unit leak | loss of heating-unit pressure during a pressurised cycle - internal leak or pressure-sensing path fault | pressure-test the heating circuit and unions, treat as a real leak until proven otherwise. |
| Brew cycle jams or unit parks in the wrong position | brewing-unit control microswitch reports wrong position (start / brewing / dispensing / discharge / idle fault) - switch, cam, or a genuinely jammed unit | clean and lubricate the unit, check the microswitch actuator, replace switch. |
These faults come from engineer reports and service experience rather than a manufacturer document we can point you at. Worth knowing, and worth treating as a strong hint rather than a quote.
Common parts
Common parts for the Gaggia La Solare
The components most often replaced on this machine, listed by reference number, as a reference for engineers and owners identifying a part.
| Part no. | Description |
|---|---|
| #1586 | Shower Plate 52 X 5mm |
| #0371 | Shower Plate 60 X 17mm |
| #0932 | Shower Plate 52 X 5.8mm |
| #23477 | Shower Plate 34mm |
| #18785 | Fuse 0.125a 5x20 Glass Body |
| #FC222L-RW | Fracino Water Knob Lid Black - Original |
| #0347 | Rubber Blanking Disc 49mm |
| #0369 | Standard Blanking Disc |
| #MAC64ITA-HPCP | Eureka Helios Grinder Blades 65mm |
| #18631 | Black Drain Hose With Elbow 14mm X 3/4f |
| #2102 | Parker 3 Way Grp Solenoid Valve 24v (Plus 3 housings in) |
| #2841 | Element Protection Thermostat - Original |
Parts most often needed on this model
| Part | Number | What it fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Brewer seal (Necta platform) | 264399 | Group/brewer seal - the routine wear item |
| Shower plate 47.8 mm | 264396 | Scaled or damaged dispersion plate |
| Gaggia main harness | 264318 | Board-to-machine wiring faults |
| Gaggia door harness | 264320 | Door/display-side wiring faults |
| Necta front assy. | 262567 | Front assembly damage |
Questions
La Solare questions, answered
How a boiler of this size is examined, how often, and who carries the duty — see the complete PSSR guide.
0208 037 9340
How much does a PSSR examination cost on a Gaggia La Solare?
A standalone examination is £265 + VAT, because a single steam boiler with one set of protective devices to examine. Combined with a front-end service it is £405 + VAT, which is what most offices, dealerships and small hospitality sites on a coffee supply contract choose, since the boiler has to be drained for the examination either way. We confirm the exact figure on the call.
How often does a Gaggia La Solare need examining?
The Written Scheme of Examination sets the interval, and for a commercial machine used in offices, dealerships and small hospitality sites on a coffee supply contract it is typically 12 to 14 months. A single boiler on this duty normally sits at the middle of that range unless the water is hard, which we test on the day and report with the certificate.
How long does a Gaggia La Solare examination take, and what happens on the day?
The vessel is small and sealed, so there is no drain-down and refill to wait for. The time goes on getting to it, which is why the brew unit and panels come off. The visit runs: the steam boiler is located and examined. on a sealed stainless vessel the examination is external — wall thickness, corrosion at fittings, and the condition of every connection — with internal inspection by borescope only where the vessel design allows access. the safety valve, expansion valve, pressure sensor and thermal cut-outs are identified, checked and function tested. The gauge is then verified against our calibrated test gauge, the system is pressure tested and held, and the machine is re-assembled, refilled, heated and function tested. The Written Scheme of Examination, signed report and asset record follow within 48 hours.
Other machines covered
Call and we'll price your La Solare on the spot.
Same-week appointments nationwide, the Written Scheme of Examination issued within 48 hours of the visit, and a fixed price agreed before we travel.