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How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

by Selena
(Granbury, Texas)


QUESTION:

I have a Keurig B60 coffee maker and the display is telling me to descale the brewer. But it doesn't tell me how! What do I do?

ANSWER:

Selena, hi

We have a Keurig B60 Special Edition ourselves and were stumped when we first saw that message on the brewer.

There are a number of ways to descale a brewer, the least expensive being to run some vinegar through the machine a couple of times, and then run cold water through a few more times to rinse it.

If, like us, you worry about a lingering vinegar taste, the easiest way is to use a product recommended by Keurig, called Dezcal Cleaner.

Good luck!


Comments for
How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 01, 2010
 I'm on my 4th Keurig!!!
by: Pam, Florida

Yep! On my 4th machine!! Thought if I upgraded to B60 that would do it. Not at all! This machine has lasted less than 6 months! I've tried absolutely EVERYTHING; descaling, paper clip, taking excellent care and being very meticulous with EVERY aspect of brewing, cleaning, etc. Looks like I'll be having a discussion with the good people at Keurig! I'm such a sucker. I still adore the coffee and the convenience of having a fresh brewed cup of coffee; that is to say a FULL cup of coffee. I'll still be a loyal customer. Wish me luck on getting some sort of satisfaction from Keurig! In the meantime, I hope all you folks keep enjoying your coffee!
Aug 31, 2010
 RE: Replacement Keurig brewing half cups
by: Anonymous

I've been having the same issue. The descaling light never came on so I never prompted me to initiate that process. Anyways I called Keurig and they stated that since I'm outside the warranty (I've had the unit for 18 months), they would only be able to offer another unit at a discounted price ($130). They claim that the unit failed due to mineral deposits accumulating on the pump and heating unit. They wouldn't even consider any other possibilities (like manufacturer defect). Why would I spend more money on a unit that will eventually break when it reaches the end of the "warranty period"?? I'm over Keurig and their terrible customer service.
Aug 29, 2010
 De-Scaling
by: Anonymous

I ran white vinegar through the machine and it didnt help. then i tried the paper clip idea to the top needle and it didnt work. i still only got a fourth of a cup. i kept trying and trying and FINALLY i get a full cup of coffee :)
Aug 23, 2010
 PAPER CLIP DOES THE TRICK
by: Anonymous

PAPER CLIP WORKS JUST PUT IN THE HOLE WIGGLE IT AROUND A BIT AND THEN IT CUMS OUT IN FULL FORCE.
Aug 22, 2010
 The toothpick in the needle "trick"
by: Anonymous

It works!!! After numerous runs of vinegar, the descale light was still on and we were not getting full cups of coffee. Cleaned the needle out with a toothpick, ran some straight water through and voila!! FULL CUPS!!! THanks everyone!
Aug 22, 2010
 Replacement Keurig brewing half cups
by: Anonymous

I had a Keurig platinum for about a year,used filtered water only but never descaled because the descale light never came on, but did clean cup holder a few times. No problems for first year, then started to have trouble with unit--would say it was brewing, could hear something going on, but only dispensed a few ounces of water at the end. Descaled with vinegar to no avail. Company sent replacement yesterday. Ran vinegar and filtered water through several cycles initially (to prevent plasticky smell and taste that we had with first unit)and before even attempting to brew coffee, the unit started dispensing only half cups of water. Measured the output on the largest cup size and it was less than 7 ounces, sometimes less than 6. So clearly not a descale or coffee grounds issue. Will call Keurig today and see if I can get yet another unit. Love the coffee when it works; otherwise I wouldn't bother with it!
Aug 19, 2010
 If the water won't flow through
by: Anonymous

My Keurig was only a couple of months old when suddenly no water would come through. I called Keurig and after a couple of diagnostic tests, they said it was probably the pump and they'd send a new machine. Then I went online and found a post that said to lift the water reservoir up a few inches and then place it down, with force. The air of that impact is enough to reopen the pump hose or whatever is stuck. It's a design issue within the coffeemaker, apparently. So, I tried it and it worked!
Aug 17, 2010
 How to De-Scale Keurig Machine
by: Anonymous

This works great. I purchased Brew Rite Cleaner, its available at most popular retailers. Fill the water reservoir half full with distilled water, add Brew Rite Cleaner, (two or three tablespoons) run it through a couple of brew cycles, rinse out the reservoir then put it in the dishwasher and wipe down all the components on the Keurig machine. The De-Scale light went off immediately. Hope this helps!

Also, I ran two or three more full reservoir cycles with distilled water, as to get out all of the cleaner.
Aug 14, 2010
 Pin plug
by: Anonymous

My B60 after 10 months plugged even on soft water My needle seems to have only one hole
I removed the cartridge & the bottom coffee delivery funnel 4 holes & blew out the needle while covering the other holes
All is good now
Aug 03, 2010
 Thank you Everyone
by: Office Worker

I purchased our Keurig when the boss was out of town about 4-5 years ago. Just this last 2 months I started getting 1/2 cups and today the de-scale message came on.

So, off to google I went and found y'all and I am happy to say that my machine is working fantastically again!
Jul 29, 2010
 De-scale
by: Barbara

I never used vinegar to clean my machine out until last week and I've had the machine since 2007. I was slack in doing so but after I started getting 1/2 cup of coffee I did it. Today my machine says de-scale and I thought to myself "now it says de-scale after I de-scaled it for the first time". I read these comments below and thought I needed to try something without going through the process of vinegar again. I took a toothpick and poked it around in the water intake area in both the water container and the area in which the water comes out of through the pod itself. That worked for now as the de-scale light went off and I am getting a whole cup. We'll see how long it works.
Jul 22, 2010
 On my 4th Machine
by: Anonymous

Look I love the K-Cup coffee thing. It's the best way to make coffee. The coffee machine, on the other hand, are another story. I am on my 4th machine now. everyone has failed within a year. Ok so maybe the first one i wasn't as vigilant as i should have been with cleaning, but after that i descaled once a month and used ONLY filtered water. And my home water is not exceptionally hard. I have done all the rest of the "regular" things too the needle up the spout, the brush on the screen. sooner or later they all fail. All i can say is that if they can't make the machine work with filtered water and reasonable maintainence, they should redesign!
Jul 21, 2010
 2nd comment
by: Ben

Paper clip did not work, called Keurig and they had me to the paper clip also. Still did not work. Keurig is sending a new brewer.
Jul 21, 2010
 Cleaning pin worked!
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much for this tip. After de-scaling twice with white vinegar it was still flashing but poking a paperclip into the pin at the top worked. I then brewed a cup of water with no kcup holder and it came out the colour of weak tea. The second cup was clear and now it is like new again.
Jul 17, 2010
 easy fix for reduced water intake
by: Anonymous

look up "easy fix for Keurig coffee maker" on you tube. Toothbrush and toothpick worked for me as well. My coffee maker is now putting out full capacity of coffee after descaling. Thanks for the easy fix.
Jul 16, 2010
 Descale
by: Ben

My 6 month old Keurig machine shows descale for the second time in a month and will try the tooth pick/paper clip as i am certain of the grounds plugging it up. That being said I use Newmans Own almost all the time. Is Newmans Own causing problems for others or is it all types of kcup brands.
Jul 09, 2010
 Keurig = Piece of Junk!
by: Sue

I have descaled with white vinegar, poked the needle with a paper clip, and still can't get this piece of junk to work. It says it is brewing, and I can hear that it's doing SOMETHING, but it seems to get stuck there. I'm getting rid of this frustrating piece of junk, and going back to my Hamilton Beech Brewmaster. At least that one will give me a full cup of coffee, not just a half cup of very expensive mud.
Jul 08, 2010
 After paper clip failed...this seems to have worked...
by: RandomEsq

I only use filtered water and decided to do a de-scale again not because the light went on but because I was getting only 1/2 cups or so. I de-scaled, cleaned the needle out with wire, ran the machine again and again...and nothing worked.

Until I decided to go on UTube and search and found a video entitled "Easy Fix for your Keurig coffee maker" and a guy had removed the water resevoir and at the little circular place where the water is sucked into the machine, he ran a sonicare toothbrush to clean the intake.

I happen to have a sonicare and so I gave it a try and I'll be darned, it worked. My machine started to give me the full 11 ounces on the largest cup size.

Here is a link and I hope it helps someone else, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIBvzWWI-LY

Best of luck!

-R.
Jul 07, 2010
 paper clip worked for me too!
by: Amy

I 'descaled' my K-Cup machine 3 times to try to get the "descale" message to disappear, and, thanks to this post, I finally was able to solve the problem using the paper clip suggestion. Thanks so much! I was just about to go out and purchase a new machine!
Jul 06, 2010
 Paper clip works great!
by: Anonymous

We've had our Keurig pot for a year and this was the first time the "descale" light came on. Well after reading the suggestions, I can attest the the paper clip working!! After wiggling it up inside the holes in the part that pierces the cups, I ran several cups with water only. As described below, the grounds came out. After running just one cup, the stream of coffee returned to normal and the correct amount of water flowed through.

Use the paper clips, quick and very easy!!
Jun 22, 2010
 the best thing that ever happened to coffee
by: Karma

I could not live without my Keurig. Descale with vinegar and all is good. I have owned for 5 years and at least a dozen people I know have purchased one since experiencing it at my home. Love it!!!
Jun 20, 2010
 de-scaling Keurig B60
by: Anonymous

The paper clip (or, in my case, I used a sewing needle my wife had in her sewing box) worked like a charm. I haven't had that good of a stream out of the coffee maker since it was brand new, about six months ago. Thanks. I think the troubleshooting section in the book mentions the paper clip fix, but I either forgot about it, or never knew about it in the first place.
Jun 19, 2010
 grrrr
by: grumpy

After using a descale product, vinegar (white), paperclip, unplugging it for a minute to reset the descale message and leaving it on all the time ... I got a nearly full cup. Hopefully tomorrow will be better or 1-866-901-BREW here I come a calling!
Jun 13, 2010
 Brewing Slow
by: Dan

Mine brews full cups but brews slow now. After brewing it takes much longer than before to refull itself and be ready to brew another cup. I had it for years with no problems then descaled it a few months ago (no indicator light came on) just for maintenance and now having problems. Still no descale message. Anyone else with the same problem?
Jun 09, 2010
 Use a wire!
by: Anonymous

Many thanks to the tip about taking a wire (i used a metal cake tester wire) to poke the grounds out of the piercer! I used a flashlight to find two holes and after pushing the wire in and giving it another push it went up another 1/2 inch and dislodged some grounds. There are now four perfect streams of water coming out of my machine. Descaling alone did not work as the vinegar was just trickling out until I used the wire. Am looking forward to that cup of coffee in the a.m!
Jun 01, 2010
 owner of several non working machines
by: Kevin

ok update...the new machine with the larger pump evidently did the trick..Perfect cup of coffee every time every day...keeping my fingers crossed
Jun 01, 2010
 bitter!
by: Anonymous

I have a B60 Keurig offee make and why is my coffee tasting so BITTER?
Jun 01, 2010
 Dates of original machines with faulty pump
by: Mike

We got a B60 Xmas 09, does anyone know the dates and\or model numbers of the defective machines?
May 30, 2010
 Back to normal!
by: Anonymous

The paper clip did the trick!
Thank you for all your tips everyone!
May 08, 2010
 hi debbie
by: Kevin

Debbie, sounds like you have one of the older machines with the smaller pump and it has gone out..call kerig and they might replace it at no charge since they had a defective pump in their original machines..
May 08, 2010
 B70
by: San Diego

The info column in this column is great. We were on our secnd machine when we saw tht the irregular functioning was possibly internal and not related to scaling. We use filtered (reverse osmosis) water only, and routinely clean the machine per directions.
Contacted Keurig with our issues, and after doing a couple of simple diagnostic tests for them, they greed that they were having a problem with pump and/or? and would send us a replacement at no charge. The customer rep was very receptive to our complaint.

It helped that we had our facts in order as to ho we had been cleaning the unit,and that we had been checking the internet and knew there ws a problem
May 02, 2010
 problem with machine
by: Debbie

I am having a problem with my Keurig which is only about 2 years old,the coffee maker will not dispense any water, keeps saying not ready, any suggestion. I miss my coffee in the am. thanks
Apr 10, 2010
 Keurig Customer Service
by: Anonymous

To descale your brewer vinegar is actually very easy. Keurig.com does have manuals on the website for brewers that explain the process. PLease keep in mind that the brewer needs to be descaled every 3-6 months depending on your water quality. I use city water, but I automatically descale every three months. I did not properly descale my last brewer as often as I should have... and then my brewer stopped working. Unfortunately once water can't flow through it there isn't a whole lot that can be done to fix it. I called Keurig and got a discount on purchasing a new brewer because mine was out of warranty. My new brewer did at one point shut off on me right after a brew. I went through troubleshooting to discover that the brewer had a weak connection with the reservoir. Reseating it and pushing down on it firmly resolved the problem. If you are having problems I highly recommend you give their Specialists a chance to resolve the issue. You might have to wait for a call back, but it is worth it.
Mar 31, 2010
 descale
by: Anonymous

I've had my brewer for close to 5 years with no problems. I'm "descaling" for only the 3rd time. I love my Keurig!
Mar 28, 2010
 Same problem as everyone!
by: Cassie from NJ

I started having the same problem a few days ago...incorrect cup sizes, stalling when brewing, etc. Then finally the descale light came on. My machine is 8 months old and I love it! So I decided to run the water without any Kcup and when I looked into the mug there were so many coffee grinds! I guess they were stuck in the pin. I ran a few more cups of water and no problems with those. Hopefully the problem is solved but I'm going to buy Descal and run that through. I knew the machine was up for a cleaning sometime soon. Keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have any more problems with it. Hope this helps someone out there!
Mar 21, 2010
 half cups
by: Annika

Thank you so much for the information on clogged needles! I used floral wire, then ran two cycles with plain water and voila! Regular size cups again!
Mar 18, 2010
 Easy fix!
by: Anonymous

Thank you for suggesting the paper clip! I had just recently run vinegar/water through my Keurig b/c it was coming up on a year that I had had it. Then a few days later, the Descale button lit up. I took the paper clip and poked it through the needle holes and also underneath where the spout is. Then I ran a full cycle of just water. The descale button went off immediately. Thank you!!!
Mar 16, 2010
 Fixed It!
by: Anonymous

I was having the same problem, low flow output, half cups, etc.

You need to take a tooth pick or wire and clean the small hole in the metal piece that pierces the top of the K-cup.

Once I got the tip of the tooth pick in there and pull it back, old coffee grounds came out.

Use a flashlight to see where the opening is, mine was toward the front.

Clean the hole a few times then run a couple of cycles without the coffee K-cups and watch the gunk run out!

I'm drinking my first cup after a week of puzzling over this.
Mar 15, 2010
 1/2 cup again
by: Anonymous

With the list of complaints for the same issue, it's time for a different brand. I finally woke up, even with a 1/2 cup of mud.
Mar 14, 2010
 Pumps
by: Donna

I would be curious to know just how long your new pump does last as mine went as well and I returned the brewer. All of the ideas with the paper clip , vinegar , filter are all great but when the water will not pump ...there is ZILTCH you can do !!
Mar 13, 2010
 keurig cleaning
by: Anonymous

I have had to clean the needle on my B66 Ultimate and run Vinegar through it and I got it working again. It took a bit of doing but it finally started working like new. Now my son started having the same problem, half cups and back flowing to the resevoir. I told him i would try and fix it because i had been lucky on two other machines. This one is a bear however. I have tried vinegar and clearing the pin and it still backs up into the resevoir. i even tried dezcal still won't make a full cup. I keep pokin' and hopin'!!!
Mar 12, 2010
 six machines later...
by: Kevin

ok, after returning five machines back to them with pump problems(it would stop working)in the last two years...they finally told us there was a problem with the pump in the old machines and would send us a new version or model with a bigger pump in it..we have had it two weeks and it is working great....It sounds much louder when brewing, must be the bigger pump..Ill let you know if it quits working also...
Mar 11, 2010
 PAPER CLIP
by: Anonymous

i kept getting the descale message even after cleaning it with the dezcal as they recommend. My machine is 3 years old , was about to replace it and tried the paperclip trick to clean out both pins where the water flows and sure enough the descale light went away.... the first cup of water had a lot of coffee grounds in it that must have been clogging it! THANKS for the tip!
Mar 11, 2010
 descaling and cleaning the pin
by: Anonymous

I tried cleaning the pin with a toothpick as well as scrubbing the K-Cup filter. The super fine screen also is key to having the water flow out of the pot. I was coffee dripping from the outer edge as well as through the K -cup and now it is fine.
Mar 06, 2010
 Keurig Cleaner
by: Anonymous

use white vinegar not just vinegar
Feb 27, 2010
 De-scaling
by: Anonymous

Have had my B60 for 3 years, going on 4. Awesome product!

I always use Brita filtered water to fill the reservoir, and have NEVER had a de-scale message.

I am sure that by using filtered water I have prevented any mineral buildup in the unit.

Once a year, I perform the de-scale procedure with vinegar as preventative maintenance.

Feb 24, 2010
 new basket
by: Anonymous

people, wise up. If descaling doesn't produce the desired results snd you use the k-cup coffee filter, just replace the filter. But first run your coffee maker without anything in the holder, and see how fast it fills your cup up. If the cup fills up fast , apparently the problem is the filter. Don't buy a new coffeemaker, just replace the filter. I did it and it works like new now.
Feb 23, 2010
 water not refilling machine from reservoir
by: Anonymous

this is my third machine...and again, after about 3 weeks, after an initial brew, the water does not pump from the reservoir to the machine. I have to take out the water reservoir, put it back in, then it starts to pull in the water. B60 machine. I took the first back to Macy's for a replacement, then the after that one failed I called Keurig. They sent me a replacement. She said they had "issues" with them. and she assured me that it wouldn't happen with this one...but apparently they did not fix it. REally a bummer.
Feb 20, 2010
 Keurig B60 replacement
by: Anonymous

Ours never gave a descale message, but stopped making full cups. We descaled anyways. Still no full cups. Called Keurig and they told us that there were some defective models sold around the holiday and they are sending us a new one. Told to keep the old one for parts which I may need because I have heard about others with problems with the water tank.

May be worth it to get the top of the line model next time, because the one at work is bulletproof and gets used heavily.
Feb 14, 2010
 Warrantied Platinum
by: Christine

After messing around w/low/no-flow & Descale message for days (vinegar & Dezcal), finally spent about three days on the ph w/Keurig. After initial run-around (they claimed that my 11 month old machine has a 2006 build date serial #), they said they'd replace. Took two more weeks & another half-dozen calls, but got a replacement. Hate to send old, perfect-looking machine to the landfill so kept it for "spare parts," which seems nearly useless. I'll be doing Dezcal monthly. I recommend that if you're having problems to call Keurig immediately & stay on them. Ph time was more productive than the descaling.
Feb 14, 2010
 Paper Clip works
by: Gene

I kept getting a 1/2 cup. Unit is 3 months old. I kept cleaning the bottom piece with a paper clip forgetting about the top piece. Once I cleaned the top with the paper clip (small), she works like new again. Thanks to the others who mentioned that!
Feb 14, 2010
 fixed
by: JDR

loads of troubles all fixed by cleaning the pin with a paper clip. thanks for the heads up.
Feb 09, 2010
 Stop Working
by: Donna

I was lucky enough to be able to bring back my Keurig to the store where I purchased it and they replaced the machine for me ..the pumps are not the best on these machines . Do not expect more than 3 years out of them if used on a daily basis. The store is not out of anything as the company in turn replaces the machine for them, I was lucky.
Feb 09, 2010
 One for the landfill
by: Anonymous

Our Keurig Platinum is a few months past warranty so I've been 'Googling' for help. Our machine would not brew. Finally I did everything I found re: cleaning & de-scaling. Got the de-scaling light to come on & kept pushing the 'brewing' button every 3 minutes to get a full container of vinegar through the system. Let it sit overnight with regular water and its still not pushing anything thru except maybe a 1/2 tsp every 3 minutes.

I'm going through the 'cleaning & de-scaling' process again this morning and going to order a new one by end of day if no improvements. Sad that Keurig hasn't figured out this problem because our machine still looks perfect and its going to the dump, along with a zillion others sounds like. The next Keurig will be our last if this problem happens again.
Jan 31, 2010
 Descale
by: Donna

Like all of you I love my Keurig so this morning when the descale sigh appeared I followed through with a cleaning , etc ..but I find I cannot DESCALE as my water will not pump through to let me .
Can anyone help?
Jan 25, 2010
 2nd Keurig has stopped working
by: Vici

My second Keurig in 2 years has stopped working. Both machines has the same issue. When the first machine stopped brewing without any reason I called the customer service line they said that it was my fault because I didn't run vinegar through the machine and that it shouldn't be used with well water. Yes, we have well water but as a special note we also have a water softner system that removes all of the issues of hard water. Because I love this machine I decided to purchase another new machine but, this time I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I ran vinegar through it about once a month. So, you can imagine my shock when in less than a year it stopped brewing exactly the same way my first machine did.
Any ideas on getting them to work again? I miss my Keurig coffee in the morning but, refuse to buy another one that will only last one year or less.
Looking forward to getting help
Jan 24, 2010
 now brewing full cups
by: Jim

I wrote a post a few days ago about our brewer not making full cups. I read the book over and over and I read that the brewer should be left on at all times. We've started doing this and now we're getting full cups again. I cleaned everything but nothing appeared to be clogged since the machine is still new. Not sure if this is what solved our problem but I'll go with it and see what happens. So for those having problems, try leaving the machine on all the time.
Jan 23, 2010
 Only brewing half-cuts
by: Jim

We've had our Keurig brewer for only 3 months and we're only getting half-cups. I've cleaned everything several times with no improvement. I have noticed that when the coffee is brewing, there's a steady stream of water running back into the water reservoir via the little rubber hose. The pins are free of clogs and everything has been thoroughly cleaned. Yesterday I reported our problem to customer service. I was on hold for a while and since they were so busy (not a good sign) they said they'd have to call me back and that may take up to 48 hours.
Jan 16, 2010
 Where is the pin?
by: Elizabeth

Where is the "pin" everyone is writing below about??
Thank you!
Elizabeth
Jan 11, 2010
 de-scale message
by: Anonymous

After running two tanks of vinegar through my B70 and using a paper clip, I was still receiving a flashing de-scale message. I unplugged the machine for about 30 seconds and after plugging it back in, the de-scale message disappeared.
Jan 10, 2010
 fourth machine just stopped working this morning
by: Kevin

we have the plantinum model and have gone thru four machines in a year..they always end up with the same problem. It stops sucking water and the descale light never comes on. sure it gets stopped up all the time and we do the toothpick thing and clear the needle..that usually works but eventually it stops all together with early signs of a short squirt of water and nothing. YOu can hear the machine running and it says brewing but nothing... the only thing good about the whole thing is that their customer service is Excellent. I wouldnt buy another machine after all these problems. I believe their problem stems from too narrow a water line making it ez to stop up not that im an expert on coffee makers..waiting now for tech support to call us back and let us know if we need to send this forth machine back
Jan 09, 2010
 De-Scale
by: C.Taylor

I found if you catch it early enough you can just run hot filtered water through with no attachments.
Jan 08, 2010
 www.kuerig.com
by: JD

go to www.kuerig.com

"help" section has a pdf that explains the descaling process

it's due to calcium deposits in your water.

descale every 6 months....
Jan 06, 2010
 Still no luck
by: Christine

Without warning got the Descale & then no flow. Tried cleaning w/vinegar, ran a gallon through it (took about six hours of small pours) & then bought the Dezcal but now only maybe 1/2 t. flows through each "Brew." Tried toothpick, then two increasingly larger sizes of paperclips in poker thingy. Still no luck. Any other suggestions?
Jan 01, 2010
 Flashing Descale and delayed fill
by: Anonymous

I followed the instructions on Keurig. (It does tell about cleaning with paperclip) and did everything suggested there and below. Still flashes descale, but also, it doesn't finish the brew cycle till a delayed filling of the tank when the balance of the water comes out. A good 30 seconds between the first part of the brew cycle and then the balance.
Dec 12, 2009
 Tried with a paper clip and toothpick, no luck?
by: Anonymous

Platinum Brewer one year old gives de-scale warning and does nothing when Brew cycle is started, just sits there. Tried vinegar, no luck, tried poking the needle, no luck...any ideas?
I live in Phoenix which has very hard water, but this is frustrating. Suggestions appreciated!
Dec 10, 2009
 not brewing???
by: Anonymous

My coffee maker said brewing and nothing happened...I followed the suggestions above and cleaned the top pin that pokes the K-cup 2x with a toothpick and VIOLA!! Coffee!!1 thanks1
Dec 09, 2009
 Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by: Terry

Cleaning the pin worked! Thankyou! Thank you!
Dec 05, 2009
 Thanks for the helpful hints! IT WORKS!!!
by: Kathleen

Thank you to all who took the time to post your suggestions! I had the same problem, flashing descaling light, resivoir backflush etc. Used the paperchip and voila! Works fine!

Thanks again!
Dec 05, 2009
 Clogged Pin...Nice Solution...
by: Frank R.

Just clean the pin that pokes the k-cup. I have one of those cups that you put your own grinds in. I think this might be even worse at clogging the pin than your standard k-cup.

Anyways, once the pin was clean and the water could flow freely, I let it continue to flow until it stopped. Once the flow stopped, all was good to go.

Thanks for the pin cleaning advice.

Dec 02, 2009
 descaling the keurig
by: Anonymous

I just tried the toothpick trick and it worked beautifully. Descale light is out and I got a whole cup of coffee.
Nov 29, 2009
 choosing cup size does not work anymore.
by: Jean

We have had Keurig not quite a year. It has always done very well until today. I picked the center cup size. When I made a cup of coffee about an hour ago, all of a sudden, it only gives a small amount of water. I have tried resetting the cup size and no matter even if I put the larger size cup I still get a small amount of wanter into the cup. I can't find help anywhere in the book. Can someone help me. I know this section is for descaling, but I can't find help anywhere.
Thank you.
Nov 23, 2009
 Just clean the pin
by: Anonymous

Follow the instructions of person that suggested the toothpick cleaning around the pin. I actually used a paper clip. After running a tank of vinegar through the machine with no help, I used the paper clip around the pin (be careful since the pin is hot and sharp). The Descale light immediately went out and the machine works like a charm.
Nov 08, 2009
 fixed!
by: Emily

Before you try vinegar try just water with no k cup first. It fixed mine. What does "de-scale" actually mean?
Nov 08, 2009
 fix de-scale issue
by: Anonymous

if you run vinegar through your machine and still having problems it is the pin that actually penetrates the k-cup through the top is clogged with grinds.this backs up the pressure causing the water to be rerouted back to the tank causing half cups.the fix is very easy take a toothepick and just clean out the pin that penetrates the k-cup through the top run a cup then reclean untill you see no more grinds in cup.this should be disclosed by keurig as i have purchased 3 machines that all are now fix and good to go.
Oct 09, 2009
 De-scaling
by: Anonymous

I too got the message to de-scale and at the same time the amount of coffee dispensed reduced to half a full cup. On the advice of a friend, I ran the vinegar through the machine (mixed with water) and had to run at least 3 tanks of water afterwards to get rid of the vinegar taste. After about 4 days I'm having the same problem again. What to do?

Editor's Note:

If the vinegar doesn't seem to work, try this:
http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/Accessories/Descal_Descaling_Cleaner
Aug 23, 2009
 Vinegar taste stays
by: Kathy

I've used the vinegar to clean mine several times but unfortunately i have to run 2 or 3 times of water to full capacity to get rid of vinegar taste and then it says to descale again....I've had a lot of trouble getting rid of that vinegar taste!
Jun 20, 2009
 Descaling a Keurig
by: KC

This takes a bit of time (most of it inactive) but works like a charm.

1: Drain your Keurig coffee machine over a sink.
2: Fill the machine with undiluted white vinegar.
3: Run the brew process at least four times, pouring the cups of vinegar back into the coffee maker.
4: Let your Keurig coffee maker sit for four hours, then run the brew cycles again. Pour the vinegar into the sink and drain any remaining vinegar.
5: Fill your coffee maker with fresh water. Run multiple brew cycles to rinse out the machine before returning to normal use.

Apr 26, 2009
 descaled twice
by: Anonymous

I did exactly what it said to do...twice...and less than a week later it's showing de-scale again. I'm thinking vinegar doesn't work in this machine or my machine is on it's way out.

Editor: I would call Keurig or GMCR, if that's where you bought it, and ask them for help or a replacement.
Feb 04, 2009
 cleaning a Keurig
by: Anonymous

my Keurig is doing the same thing, won't run at all. what do we do now?
Jan 25, 2009
 how to start descaling?
by: Anonymous

What if it won't run water (or vineger through) and just shuts down?

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