VentGuard for Gaggia Classic

Has your Gaggia Classic ever splashed water up out of the drip tray? It's a pretty common problem. Common enough that on the original Gaggia Classics a splash guard plate was placed above the drip tray, below the grate. 

Its job was to prevent this from happening:

For some reason this plate was removed with the Gaggia Classic V2 or Pro (depending on your area). I'm not sure why - possibly cost-savings, possibly because it slowed drainage into the tray. Whatever the reason, I'm here with a solution: A flow-diffusing VentGuard for your Gaggia Classic or Pro/Eco/Evo/E24 variant. 

There are two variants, each with a drop-in and clip version. 

• VentGuard_Reg - Not compatible with low-profile drip trays or Gaggia Classic drip trays from 2018 and earlier, only for the Gaggia Classic Pro/Eco/Evo/E24 drip trays.
• VentGuard_Short - compatible with Gaggia Classic, Pro/Eco/Evo/E24, and low-profile drip trays (at least the ones I tested).
  Might have a slightly higher risk of small splashes because it begins venting higher.

Note on clips: gently pinch at the base of each clip to break them free before inserting. Try to not insert and remove repeatedly as the plastic will likely abrade slightly on the sheet metal each time. 
 

Printing:

Material: PETG, ABS, PC. Basically anything with a higher temp resistance than PLA

Recommended Settings: 2 wall lines, 0.4 nozzle (critical). 

Possibly the only time you'll hear this, but for this model internal stringing is totally fine :)

Other Options:

I also designed a SplashGuard for the same purpose. There are pros and cons to each.  

• The SplashGuard works the same regardless of the water level, but may make it more difficult to see when the tray is full. 
• The VentGuard is a small, fast print, and allows water visibility, but it may allow slight splashes at certain water levels with high enough shot pressure. 

My recommendation is to try this model first - it's a smaller, faster print, and it's working for me. If you're still getting some splashes, then try the SplashGuard. 

Changelog:

• 2024-11-15 - Reduced length of short variant by 0.6 mm, added clip options, improved printability slightly

License:

This is open-source under a CC BY 4.0 license, so feel free to remix, modify, or sell it. All I ask is that you properly acknowledge me when doing so. For example: 

VentGuard for Gaggia Classic by Loogle is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Ko-fi | If you'd like to show your appreciation and help turn the ideas bouncing around in my head into models :)