From:
Robin.
Question:
I cleaned my Keurig last night and it continues to show the descaling what can I do to fix this as well the cup does not fill all the way to the top like it should and it takes forever to brew a cup what can I do to fix this as well the cop does not feel all the way to the top like it should and it takes forever to brew a cup.
Response:
There are two problems with Robin’s Keurig and we’ll try and help with each on below.
Descaling
A week back we had a similar question from Drew asking what can be done when a descaling message appears after a machine has just been descaled.
What we recommend in these cases is running a descale process through the machine using one of two products. The one we use at the moment is marketed by Bosch and we find very good and use it in all of our different coffee brewers.
The other is marketed by Keurig themselves and this should do a good job (we haven’t tried this product ourselves yet). We do like their cleaning kit that, in addition to the descale cleaning liquid, comes with two water filter packs.
Partial Cup Brewing
The other problem Robin mentions is the brewing of a partial cup of coffee or taking a long time to brew. These two symptoms are normally the result of a faulty air pump. The purpose of this pump (pictured below) is to build the correct pressure in the boiler unit to enable the machine to force the heated water out of the boiler and in to the waiting K Cup and then in to your coffee cup.
When the air pump is under strain or failing this process doesn’t work so well with the pump either failing to achieve sufficient pressure to get the correct amount of water out or taking a long time to achieve it.
The technique that often works with this problem is the Keurig Burp, which we have a guide on. What this approach does is apply a sharp, but gentle, slap to the side of the machine, about where the air pump is, to help jolt it back into action.
What can happen over the time with the air pump is it can become clogged by contamination either through lime scale or water damage and rust. These contaminants impede the performance of the pump leading to partial cups of coffee.
Air Pump Replacement
If the the Keurig Burp does not work then the only option, for a best long-term solution, is to replace the air pump. We have a detailed guide that takes one through all of the steps, with descriptions and photographs. That guide can be accessed through this link or the “Repair Guides” tab on the menu.
The part you are looking for is pictured below and normally costs around $20 from eBay and Amazon.
