Water Won’t Discharge Into Coffee Cup

Air pump failure …

This issue comes from our reader George. George’s Keurig would heat the water, but when it came to pumping it out into the K-Cup, the brewer stopped. George had tried a vinegar rinse cycle, but of course, this didn’t prove easy with it not releasing water from the boiler unit. So what is going on with this coffee maker?

In this type of Keurig problem, the brewer’s water pump appears to be working just fine as it can take water from the water reservoir and pump it into the boiler unit. You can hear this pump working a short while after the machine has been switched on. What is generally at fault is the air pump (as pictured below).

An Air Pump from a Keurig B60 Brewer

The purpose of this pump is to force water from the boiler unit into the entry needle top assembly and then through the entry needle into the K-Cup portion, which of course, then delivers the coffee to your cup. The air pump achieves this by forcing air into the boiler unit, forcing the hot water out under pressure. Now, of course, if the air pump is faulty in any way, this pressure change doesn’t take place, and so the water isn’t forced out – or not enough of it.

The problem with the air pump often arises from rust or limescale buildup inside its casing. This contamination can occur from solenoid leakage, with the pump picking up some of this moisture. The solenoids leak from their sealed housing ends or the connection points into the brewer’s tubing system.

Solution 1 – The Keurig Burp

The easiest solution to this problem is not very elegant and doesn’t always work for some readers. We call it the Keurig Burp. We have written a short guide for this procedure, and you can find that by following the link – or by using the menu on the right-hand side under Keurig Repair Guides and scrolling down towards the bottom of the page.

Solution 2 – Replacing the Air Pump

Showing you a Keurig air pump for a B60

 

However, this is the more permanent, more difficult fix where we will need to replace the air pump. This does take some work and time, but you can do it. With a new air pump, you will overcome the lack of air pressure to move the water from the boiler. However, this repair does require taking the outer casing off the brewer and replacing the pump with a new one.

If you would like some guidance on this process, you may wish to watch our two-part video series on removing the outer casing from a Keurig. And once you have that done, you may like to look at our easy-to-follow guide on replacing the air pump. The pump you need is on our spare parts page.

If you have any problems with the process, you can always get in touch through the comments section below.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Hi there. From what you describe it does sound like the air pump is suffering with the extra load, or pressure required, when the K-Cup portion is in place. We have found in most of these cases the replacement of the air pump solves the problem. Thanks, Andrew

  • Hi there. We have found in most of these cases the problem is solved through the replacement of the air pump. A new pump is able to generate the required pressure to get the hot water into the K-Cup and then into your coffee cup. We have a number of repair guides, including the replacement of the water pump is our Repair Guides section: https://fixingthek.com/keurig-repair-guides/
    If you have any questions about a replacement drop us a note, happy to help. Thanks, Andrew

  • KL, thanks for sharing.

  • Louise ,

    My Keurig is finicky. This morning it made 4 individual cups of coffee no problem, 3 hours later I wanted tea without a k-cup. water would not pump through. This has happened on a number of occasions and it seems that after 4 or 5 hours it works. Very aggravating when you want a cup now not in 5 hours. Louise

    • Hi Louise. Thanks for your question. Very frustrating this type of problem. Generally the two causes of this problem are either the air pump or the processor/logic board. I wouldn’t say its the air pump as it sounds like it has no problem in getting water out of the boiler into the coffee cup. It doesn’t sound like it is overheating or under strain. Which leaves the next culprit being the processing board. Here the problem generally stems for either how the data is being processed or a senor issue. We have found in the past a board replacement solves the problem. However this is quite a major repair and for most people they generally put up with the inconvenience rather than the hassle of the repair. However if it is something you would like to look at our repair guide explaining the board replacement can be found at this link: https://fixingthek.com/keurig-repair-guides/replacing-a-keurigs-lcd-screen-and-processing-board/
      The other option is a call to Keurig Customer Service and try and get a new brewer out of them. Even if the machine is well over a year old, we have heard back from readers with machines over two years old receiving a free replacement. Their details can be found on the second link, also providing their toll-free number to call. Hope this helps. Andrew
      https://fixingthek.com/understanding-your-keurig-warranty/

  • Mike Iversen ,

    Does the long impact tool used the B60 case removable video work with a B70?

    • Andrew Shephard ,

      Hi Mike

      Yes, the same technique does work. Having what others have published online with the B70 this method should be just as effective. Sorry its taken three years to reply … life does get a but busy at times.

      Andrew

  • David Badovinac ,

    My Keurig coffee maker wouldn’t work today. It made nosies that sounded like something was plugged up and it didn’t pump any water through. So, I just tried “burping” my Keurig coffee-machine. Actually, I slapped it firmly on the side 3 times like was suggested. That seemed to work.
    Coffe immediately started pumping through again. Thanks for the good suggestion.

    • Andrew Shephard ,

      Hi David

      Really pleased that got the machine going again. I’m always surprised how effective this simple technique is. Sorry for the late reply too, just getting back to the site after letting it sit for a few years.

      Andrew