From:
Robbynne.
Question:
Today my Keurig decides it wants to dump heated water back into the reservoir. I have turned it off, unplugged it re inserted the reservoir, dumped the water put new in. Nothing is making it work through the K-cups. The blue light is on inside the reservoir with it full of water something I only see when it gets low in water. HELP I need coffee.
Response:
The problem Robbynne describes relates to the air and water pressure regulation carried out by the solenoid and the air pump.
Shown in the photo below is the top of the boiler unit on our B60. The tube I’m pointing at is used by the brewer to feed pressure information back to the solenoid, which connects to a pressure sensor (FPN-07PG water pressure sensor) on the main logic board (pictured below: it’s the small black and white box on the top left of the board, just underneath the LCD – the plastic tube sticking out from the top connects it to the solenoid).
When the brewer determines there is excess pressure it releases this pressure through moving heated water back in to the water reservoir rather than the risk of putting it through in to the K Cup holder (or portion pack holder as Keurig like to refer to it as).
The solenoid unit (pictured below), connects to one of the two pressure relief tubes that feed water back to the water reservoir. The other tube, the narrower one, comes from the water pump and this releases cold water straight back in to the reservoir instead of feeding it to the boiler unit.
The photo below shows the two pressure relief tubes, the wider one coming from the solenoid and the narrower one, as mentioned, coming from the water pump.
Solution 1 – The Keurig Burp
This quick fire fix is more designed for the partial cup brewing problem, in that it helps to “encourage” the air pump back in to action. However we have heard from readers where this has helped with the problem Robbynne comes to us with today.
We have a short guide that takes you through the few simple steps required and that guide can be accessed here.
Solution 2 – Descale Cleaning
We can’t image that the dumping of the heated water back in to the reservoir is being caused by any lime scale or other contaminant problems. However it is worth trying before any major repairs are attempted. The product we use is shown below and we use it in the three different types of coffee machines we have at home (yes, three probably is a couple too many).
The other product we have heard good things about is one marketed by Keurig themselves and we do like the look of their new cleaning kit pack. We haven’t used this ourselves yet, but once we have we’ll provide a write-up about it under our News and Views section.
Solution 3 – Solenoid Replacement
If neither solution 1 or 2 have worked then we think the best solution is to replace the solenoid unit itself. Having to replace anything inside the brewer puts many people off as it does take some time and is a hassle. However, for the cost of between $10 to $20 for a replacement part, as pictured below, this should get this brewer back in to action.
We have a detailed guide that helps you through each step with photos and descriptions and this guide can be accessed through this link or through our Repair Guides section.
We have mentioned a few times about our reader Terri who replaced three different parts on her B70 and got the brewer back working like new. For the total sum of around $35 and some leg work Terri did a fantastic job. You can read about her story here in one of our recent posts.