Problems With Your Keurig Coffee Brewer? You would be surprised how common it is or a Keurig to develop a fault – we have had several ourselves over the years of owning a Keurig brewer. What we have set out below are the common Keurig problems that do arise across the different models, along with and the solutions to help in fixing them.
Not Ready Message
Sometimes you may receive a “Not Ready” message on your Keurig. But not to worry as this can be easily fixed with a few easy steps to follow.
First turn off the brewer and unplug it from the wall; then detach the water reservoir. After waiting at least five seconds repeat these steps in their opposite direction now by plugging the brewer back in, turning it on and replacing the water reservoir back into the unit. You will probably still have a “Not Ready” message, so press the menu button several times and then lower the handle down.
You should now be ready to go with your favorite brew. You can also now reset the clock etc as is required.
Now, if the brewer still comes up with the “Not Ready” message it can sometimes relate to a problem with the machine’s heating element. Get in touch with us to see what might be able to be done.
Brewer Will Not Power On
The first thing to do is check to see if the brewer is actually plugged; we know, you checked that already … but you would be surprised how that old plug isn’t sitting right or never quite made it into the plug. The other thing to watch out for is if you have it plugged into a GFI outlet, which stands for Ground Fault Interrupter (or sometimes called a surge protector). If the brewer is plugged into a GFI then it may have tripped or something has set it off in the house or office. So check it’s working as it should.
Of course the other obvious thing is to make sure is the on button has been pressed on the brewer. For example on the Platinum brewer, like our Keurig B77, the switch is on the back of the machine at the bottom. And for say the Mini Plus series, the brewers are designed to turn off 90 seconds after they have been left alone and so you will need to power them up again.
Update:
We have done some more research into this problem as we have had a number of emails from readers with just this issue. It seems that one of the most common causes of this problem is a power transformer failure. This failure, which can be sudden or intermittent, arises from a leaking solenoid. In most Keurig brewers the transformer sits underneath a solenoid that, over time, can develop a leak. This of course is not good news for the transformer below and so the mixer of water and electrical current ends up with the in evidential result of power unit failure.
If you think this might be problem with your brewer then we are recommending to our readers to get in touch with Keurig directly.
Brewer Will Not Brew When Used For The First Time
When you use your Keurig brewer for the first time it needs to be “primed” We won’t go into the priming process here, but rather refer you to our Keurig Manual section. The Quick Start Guide for your respective brewer series will talk you through the priming process. The other issue to note is that if the brewer is frozen (ok, who put it in the freezer) or been stored at a very cold temperature, then it needs to be left for a few hours to bring it up to room temperature. After it’s warmed its little feet it should be turn on once powered up.
Brewer Will Not Brew
So we will assume that the brewer is actually switched on at the wall and the on switch pressed. The other stumbling block for some first time users is making sure the handle is pushed back down correctly after the K Cup portion has been placed in the K Cup holder. The holder handle has to be pressed down to ensure it pops into place, but not too firmly now. If the handle is down correctly you should see displayed on the screen a Ready to Brew message with a flashing button. This may be the Left, Right or Brew button, depending on the model you have. If you have all of this then make sure the little flashing button has been pressed.
If the holder handle is down correctly then it may be due to insufficient water in the water reservoir. If the screen displays Add Water, then you will need to add some more water the brewer has worked out it does not have enough to complete the brew (clever little thing). All the models have a minimum amount of water needed to complete the brewing process and part of its start-up sequence is to check on the water level.
The other issue which can sometimes arise with the reservoir is that it is not seated correctly on the brewer. Make sure it’s slotted in correctly and some making the correct connections with the machine.
Brewer Turns off Automatically or Shuts Off
The most common cause of this is problem is that the Auto On/Off timer has been set. This is a particular issue when you are cleaning the brewer and doing a descaling of the machine. To change the Auto On/Off function press the button below the Menu and scroll through the list to ensure Off is selected. Your brewer’s manual should contain some more details about this and the menus. Again, our Keurig Manual section may be of help for you and it can be accessed by clicking here.
Partial Cup Brewing
Sometimes a brewer can start to only brew a partial cup. This problem is generally the result of the brewer not being cleaned and in particular the exit needle being clogged with coffee or other grounds from the different K Cup portions.
If you suspect this to be the case then a good clean of the machine should do the trick. If you would like some guidance on this, in particular the cleaning of the exit needle, which can be a little fiddly, we recommend you have a look at our article on how to descale a Keurig by clicking here section for this particular process; and in particular our new article on how to clean the exit needle.
A key issue to remember with these cleaning processes is to always make sure you do a good rinse through of the brewer. In particular when running white vinegar through the machine, this can leave a rather bitter taste and you will soon know about it if the brewer hasn’t been sufficiently rinsed.
Keurig Prime Message
The PRIME message is programmed to come on when your Keurig is not able to draw water from the water reservoir to then place it into it boiler unit for heating and the making of your coffee. On the classic Keurig machines (for example the B40) the Prime Message is indicated by a flashing blue light next to Add Water, red flashing light next to Heating and a blue flashing Cup Size button. On the Platinum and Special Edition units (for example the B70 and B60 respectively) the message PRIME comes up on the LCD screen.
There can be a number of causes of the PRIME message and we’ll initially cover the main three. If after doing these steps your Keurig is still displaying this message get in touch with us and we can see what else might be able to be done get the machine back into working order.
1. Cleaning the Water Reservoir
The first thing to check on the brewer is that the water reservoir itself is clean – its pretty basic, just empty the reservoir and then clean with warm water and dish washing liquid. Its best not to dry the inside of the reservoir with a towel but rather just let it air dry. Once this is done fill it again with water and run 3 water only brew cycles through the machine.
2. Cleaning the Entry/Exit Needle
If these steps haven’t done the trick then its time to look at cleaning the machine’s entry needle. Please refer to our instructions here for further details in how to do this safely.
3. Cleaning the Filter Screen and Water Reservoir Port
Coffee Grounds Floating in Cup
We haven’t found this problem comes up very much at all, largely due to the design of the Keurig machines. However if you are experiencing this then it’s probably due to the exit needle becoming clogged from coffee or other drink’s grounds from the K Cup portions.
As mentioned under “Brewing a Partial Cup” problem above, we recommend you have a look at our How to Clean a Keurig section as it includes details on the exit needle cleaning process or our article on cleaning a Keurig exit needle.
Blinking Blue Light in Removable Water Reservoir
Well (normally), its fortunately one of the easiest problems to solve; with the solution being just add more water to the water reservoir. The Keurig brewers are clever chaps as part of their start-up sequence is to check on the water level in the reservoir to make sure it has enough. All the Keurig models have a minimum level and the blinking blue light is normally just the result of the water level being too low.
However, if the obvious isn’t the problem here the issue could relate to a couple sensors that are used to detect water pressure levels. The first looks at the water pressure in the internal tubing and internal boiler tank. This sensor information is tied into the solenoids and maintaining and controlling water pressure.
There is a separate magnetic sensor that aligns with the black circular magnet in the external water tank. When you have low water in the tank, the floating black magnet drops below the sensor, and tells the brewer it needs more water. When a brewer is stuck on “Add water” it normally means this magnetic senor needs replacing. However, to do this repair the internals of the brewer need to be accessed and this is quite job.
What we recommend to our readers with this issue is to get in touch with Keurig directly. We are going to develop a fix for this problem as we see it coming up a bit more often now, so we should have this prepared shortly. However, Keurig Customer Service is your best bet at the moment.
No Time on LCD
As clever as the Keurig’s are they cant, at the moment at least, set their own time. Although we thought that a nice little hook-up to a wi-fi would be nice feature in a future model. But at the moment the time missing from the screen is probably the result of the power being interrupted from the brewer.
For instructions on setting the clock for your Keurig brewer we suggest a quick look at our Keurig Manual section to find your model.
Installing the Water Filter
The water filter, not available on all models, provides an excellent means of ensuring you have the best quality of water going into your coffee. To ensure the water filter works to its best there are a few steps that need to be followed to ensure it is fitted correctly.
The first thing to do is soak the filter in some clean, cold water. It doesn’t need to be in there long, but enough so it soaks up a good amount of water over the whole filter mount. Once the filter is placed at the bottom of the Water Handle Assembly, remember to set the timing dial to two months from the day to ensure it is replaced in a timely fashion. The filter needs to be placed firmly into the Assembly to make sure it’s correctly placed to do its job.