If you have ever researched purchasing a single serve coffee maker you no doubt have discovered the Keurig line of coffee makers. These machines are a wonderful addition to any kitchen and provide a large selection of single cup coffee blends and flavors.
Keurig coffee makers range from the Keurig B31 Mini Plus Brewer to the Keurig Special Edition B60 Gourmet Single Serve Coffee Maker to the top of the line Keruig Platinum Brewing System. While these are great machines you will soon discover that there are a number of complaints by consumers posted on the internet.
The most common complaint is that the machine simply quits working after some period of time. For example, reviews on Amazon show that about 10% of purchasers have complaints about the units they received while the remainder of the reviews is very positive, giving the machines an overall satisfaction rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
It appears that most of these disgruntled consumers return their unit for replacement, and in some cases the replacement works no better. However, it appears that the problem may be related more to the quality of tap water used than any other factor.
If you use well water it will be full of a variety of minerals including calcium which can build up within the thin water lines and filter of the Keurig coffee maker. While discouraging the problem can be fixed quite easily, and it may be better to use bottled water which has most of those minerals removed.
If your Keurig coffee maker quits here is how to descale and clean the machine:
Pour undiluted white vinegar into the brewer's reservoir to the fill level mark;
Place a coffee cup on the drip tray;
Make sure the lid is closed and then run a brew cycle;
Pour the contents of the coffee cup back into the water reservoir, run a second brew cycle - HOWEVER, this time turn the machine off as soon as it begins dispensing the liquid into the coffee cup!
Let the brewer stand for 30 minutes after disposing of the contents of the coffee cup before continuing;
Fill the water reservoir with distilled water and then run another brew cycle into a coffee cup throwing the contents of the coffee cup away;
Repeat the previous step until the reservoir is empty.
Once you have accomplished the above you may find that there is a nasty taste to your coffee left behind by the vinegar. In that case you will need to run multiple brew cycles with just distilled water before resuming use of your coffee maker.
In addition to these problems there have been some reports of leaking from the Keurig brewer water reservoir. This is generally caused by a blockage in the filter or water lines which does not allow the water to flow through the coffee maker and into your cup.
Again, the best solution is to thoroughly clean the machine until the leak is stopped and the brewer works properly. As with all mechanical devices your Keurig coffee machine requires periodic maintenance in order to make sure it continues to work properly.
