Descaling your Keurig coffee maker is annoying enough. Now add on top of it new problems with the machine afterward and you’re reasonably very frustrated. If that's your situation, this guide is for you!
Descaling is an important maintenance task for a coffee maker as it helps to remove grime and mineral buildup from the machine's internal components. However, if not done correctly or if the machine has underlying issues, it may not work properly after descaling. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why a Keurig coffee maker may not work after descaling and how you can fix those problems quickly and easily.
So why is my Keurig not working after descaling?
There are many reasons why a Keurig will not work after descaling. The most common one is that the machine overheated during descaling and the thermal safety switch has been tripped, shutting the coffee maker off. The thermal switch can be reset by taking apart the Keurig and pressing the center of the switch with a paper clip.
Let’s get started!
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Keurig Won't Turn On After Descaling
If your Keurig coffee maker won’t turn on at all after you have descaled it, here are a few solutions:
Power outlet issues: Before you begin to worry about your Keurig machine, check your power outlet to ensure it's working correctly. Try plugging in another device to see if it works. If it doesn't, then the issue may be with the outlet, not your Keurig.
Damaged Power Cord: It may seem obvious, but make sure your Keurig is properly plugged in. Ensure that the power cord is securely plugged into the machine and the outlet. If it's loose or unplugged, then that may be why your Keurig is not turning on.
Tripped Thermal Switch: If you’re Keurig isn’t working after descaling, this is most likely the reason.
If you have a K Slim, K Supreme, or K Supreme Plus that won’t turn on after descaling, it’s probably because the sensitive thermal switch on your machine has been tripped.
The thermal switch is a safety component of the Keurig that shuts the machine off if the internal components get too hot. This is to prevent the plastic from burning and possibly causing a fire.
The problem with the K Slim, Supreme, and Supreme Plus is that the thermal switch is super sensitive. And so when the machine is descaled and lots of brewing cycles are run in a row, the machine overheats, and the thermal switch trips, shutting it off.
This is a super common problem for owners of these machines.
If the water reservoir runs dry or the add water light doesn’t come on in time, this will cause overheating and trip the switch.
The good news is that the machine isn’t broken and a tripped thermal switch can be fixed, the bad news is that to fix it you have to take the Keurig apart, find the thermal switch, poke the center with a paperclip, and put the machine back together. A task that is not for the faint of heart.
If you’d like to learn how to reset the Keurig thermal switch or at least see what resetting the thermal switch on your Keurig involves, check out my article How to Fix Keurig K Supreme & K Supreme Plus Won't Turn On here. The guide includes tons of pictures and links to youtube videos to make the process as easy as possible.
Keurig Shutting Off After Descaling
If you have descaled your Keurig and now it’s shutting off when you try to brew coffee, there are a few easy fixes you can try.
If you’d like to get in-depth about why your Keurig is shutting off while brewing, check out my popular guide on it here.
The bottom of the K Cup is Not Punctured
This tip isn’t descaling related but is a common reason why a Keuirg will shut off when you try to brew your morning coffee.
When you insert your K Cup pod into the pod holder, a needle on the bottom of the holder will puncture the bottom of the K cup. This allows for hot water to flow from the top of the K cup, through the coffee grounds, and out the bottom.
Sometimes, especially if your machine is older and worn down, the needle will not fully puncture the bottom of the K cup. This will not allow for water to flow through, cause a backup, and shut the machine off.
So if your Keurig is shutting off when you try to brew coffee after a descale, make sure that the bottom of the K cup is punctured.
The Brewing Process Has Been Disrupted
This tip also isn’t descale related but could be a reason why your Keurig isn’t working.
If you turn your Keurig on and walk away without immediately adding your K pod and water and starting to brew, it will turn itself off automatically in a few minutes. What I’ve noticed is that if I do this with my older Keuirg, when I return to actually make coffee it doesn’t work. It's only after waiting a few hours that it will begin to function again.
To avoid this issue just make sure that you brew your coffee right after turning the Keurig on.
The Water Reservoir Magnet is Misaligned
After messing with the water tank during the descale process and adding a bunch of water to rinse the machine, you’re Keurig may not be brewing right simply because you haven’t reattached the water reservoir fully.
Make sure that the magnets on the machine and the water tank are fully lined up and clicked together.
The Auto Off Timer is Triggered
While you were initiating the descale process and cleaning your Keurig, you may have accidentally turned on the auto-off timer feature.
To toggle the auto-off feature, begin by navigating through your Keurigs settings screen. The moon icon is the indicator of the auto-off mode. Simply turn this mode off.
If your Keurig doesn’t have a screen, you can control the auto-off by pressing the strong and ten-ounce buttons at the same time. Hold these together until the auto-off light turns off.
You can watch how to turn off the auto-off feature on Youtube Here and Here
Again, if your Keurig is shutting off while descaling and you want a more in-depth explanation of the solutions above be sure to check out my full guide.
Keurig Descale Light Won't Turn Off After Descaling
If the problem you’re having with your Keurig coffee maker post descale is that its light won’t turn off even though you’ve descaled it, below are some tips to help you fix it.
And just like my other solutions above, I’ve written an in-depth article for those whose descale light stays on after descaling that you can find here.
Usually, the issue is that the Keurig was never correctly set into descale mode, so it never even knew that it was being descaled.
To initiate the coffee maker into descale mode before beginning descaling simply hold down the 8 and 10-ounce buttons at the same time until the K button begins flashing. Tap the K button and your machine is now aware it's being cleaned. Once enough cleaning and rinsing brew cycles have been run the machine will consider itself cleaned and shut off its descale light.
Keurig Customer Service
If your Keurig is broken and you purchased it less than a year ago, you may be eligible for a free replacement under warranty.
To check, contact Keurig Customer Service (7 a.m. – 12 a.m. EST) at 866-901-BREW (866-901-2739).
Final Thoughts
I hope this article could be helpful to you. If you didn’t find what you’re looking for, our website has tons of resources on Keurig coffee makers that I hope you can use to get your problem fixed. You can also contact us directly at any of the contact information below and we’d be happy to help you.
To fix other Keurig-related problems, check out my articles below:
Why Your Keurig is So Loud (And How to Fix It!)
What Keurig Model You Have – With Pictures!
Do You Need a Water Filter For a Keurig?
How to Remove a Keurig Pod Holder – With Pictures
How to Set a Keurig Coffee Maker to Auto Brew
This article was written by Josh, the founder and owner of angryespresso.com. You can learn more about Josh on our About the Team page.
