Picture this: You're all set to jumpstart your morning with a steaming cup of coffee, but your K-Express behaves strangely. Seeing it blink twice and then shut down hints at potential problems with your machine.
You might need to unclog the needle, descale your machine, or just check if the water tank is empty or misaligned. There are easy fixes to these issues and you can have your usual cup of coffee ready for you at any time.
In this article, I will be talking about the reasons why your K-Express blinks twice and turns off. I will also give you some troubleshooting tips to fix your Keurig.
In this article:
- Cause of the Blinking Lights.
- How to Fix the Blinking Lights
- When to Call Keurig Customer Support
Causes of a Blinking Light on the K-Express
There could be several reasons why your K-Express blinks twice and then turns off. It is typically a sign that there is something wrong with your machine and something needs to be fixed.
Unfortunately, two flashing lights won’t tell you a lot and you may have to troubleshoot your Keurig a couple of times to figure out what’s wrong. Let’s take a look at what could cause your K-Express to blink twice and turn off.
Related: Why Your Keurig is Shutting Off While Brewing + How to Fix It
Clogged Needle
One of the common culprits of flashing lights on a Keurig is because of clogged needles. While you may descale your Keurig regularly, you might forget to clean the needles as well.
Keurig coffee makers have two needles – entrance and exit needles.
The entrance needle is responsible for piercing the top of the K-Cup so that the water gets in contact with the coffee grounds. The exit needle, on the other hand, punctures the bottom of the K-Cup to let the brewed coffee flow through.
If not cleaned, the needles can get clogged and could cause issues with your machine, such as the flashing lights.
Empty or Misaligned Water Reservoir
Another reason why your K-Express could be blinking twice and then shutting off is because the water reservoir is empty or not placed properly. The reservoir should be placed properly so that it can work as intended.
Keurig Needs to be Descaled
If you have not descaled your K-Express in a while, this could also be the reason why it is blinking twice and turning off. Calcium and mineral deposits build up over time inside your machine due to hard water.
Not descaling your Keurig can cause it to clog and cause issues like this one to your machine.
How to Fix the Blinking Light
Fortunately, the issues I talked about earlier have easy fixes and you can do them yourself without needing to call Keurig’s customer support.
To Fix a Clogged Needle
When unclogging both the entrance needle and the exit needle, all you need is a straightened paper clip.
To unclog the exit needle, you need to remove the pod holder from the machine. Before taking the pod holder out, make sure that your machine is unplugged and has cooled down. The pod holder can be hot and you could burn yourself.
To take the pod holder out, open the lid and press the bottom of the pod holder up. It’s where your coffee dispenses.
While pressing it up, squeeze the sides of the top part of the pod holder and gently pull it up. Make sure not to poke your fingers with the needle as it is very sharp!
Once you have removed the pod holder, separate the upper and the bottom parts. You’ll see a separation line where you can split the parts.
Working from the bottom of the upper part of the pod holder, stick the paper clip through the needle. Repeat it several times until the needle is no longer unclogged.
You can also do this under running water over the sink so the water can help push the clogged coffee grounds through. Clean the other part of the pod holder as well to remove any gunk inside.
Once clean, dry the pod holder thoroughly, assemble them back together, and place the pod holder inside the K-Express.
To clean the entrance needle, just lift the lid and carefully poke the paperclip through the needle’s holes making sure to get all the clogged deposits out.
Once everything is unclogged, plug your machine back and it should no longer be blinking twice and then turning off. Run a freshwater cycle (without any K-Cup inside) to clean your Keurig and you are good to go!
Fill or Position the Water Reservoir Properly
If the reservoir is empty, all you need to do is fill it with the appropriate amount of water and it should stop the blinking. If that’s not the issue, take out the water reservoir and place it back.
Before taking out the reservoir, make sure to unplug the K-Express first.
Make sure that the base of the reservoir is aligned with the machine. You should also check that there is no damage in the reservoir or there is no debris on the bottom of the tank.
Descale Your K-Express
To descale your K-Express, you will need a descaling solution or equal parts water and white vinegar. When descaling a Keurig, make sure that the K-Cup holder is empty.
- Start by pouring the descaling solution into the water reservoir. Fill in the empty descaling solution with water and pour that in as well into the water tank.
- Make sure that the K-Express is plugged in but powered off.
- Enter descale mode by pressing the 6 oz and 10 oz at the same time for 3 seconds. The buttons should start blinking.
- When the buttons are blinking, press the 8 oz button to start the descaling process. You should have a mug placed on the drip tray to catch the dispensed solution.
- Once the solution has been dispensed, carefully pour the hot liquid into the sink.
- Place the mug back on the drip tray and continue brewing 8 oz cups until you see the “Add Water” light up.
- Remove any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir and replace it with fresh water.
- Press the 8 oz button once it starts flashing to begin the water-only brew cycle.
- Pour the dispensed water into the sink and place the mug back on the drip tray.
- Repeat the water-only cycle brew until the descale light turns off.
Related: Keurig Add Water Light Not Working – How to Fix Quick
When to Call Keurig Customer Support
If any of these troubleshooting tips do not work for you, it is your sign to call Keurig’s customer support to ask for assistance. They should be able to tell you what else you can do to fix your K-Express.
The worst-case scenario is you’ll have to replace your K-Express with a new one. If your machine is still under warranty, Keurig can repair or send you a unit at their discretion.
If you are worried that your warranty might be voided due to trying to fix the machine yourself, you can go ahead and call customer service first. Ask them what things you can do to try to make the blinking lights go away.
Wrapping Up
There might be no need to panic yet if you see your K-Express blink twice and then turn off. I mentioned why the K-Express does this and offered some troubleshooting tips for you to try and fix your machine.
If nothing works, calling Keurig’s customer support is always going to be an option. Even if your machine is not under warranty, you can still ask them for any advice on how to handle these kinds of issues.
I hope this helps fix the blinking lights on your K-Express!
