Look, we get it. Your morning coffee should be a quick thing. Rolling out of bed and meandering into the kitchen should be an enjoyable experience. You’re in anticipation of a warm, inviting cup of joe. But solving the unfortunately common issue of your Keurig dripping slow kills your vibe and puts a damper on your morning, as if you didn’t have enough to think about!
We at Gamble Bay believe it should be one and done; coffee on demand.
Any time you want a quick caffeine boost of your favorite roast, you should be able to have it. Just turn your amazing Keurig machine on, load the water, pop in a K-cup, and you’re off to conquer your day.
If your Keurig is obnoxiously dripping at a snail’s pace, today’s article will help you fix it. From top to bottom, we’ll cover why this happens, what to do about it, and how to prevent it in the future. You invested a lot into your Keurig, so it should bring you back a lot of joy.
You’ve been waiting on that cup to brew for ages now anyway; what’ve you got to lose by reading this? Spend a couple minutes on today’s article to fix this annoying issue once and for all.
Let’s get down to the grinds…
Oh No, Am I Going to Have to Take This Thing Apart?!
Okay, first off… we wanted to cover a quick misconception: that of needing to disassemble your entire Keurig.
You’ll need to take your scenario on a case-by-case basis, but in general, the strong, sturdy Keurig machine was built for customers to have quick, easy coffee brews on demand. It wasn’t created with the thought in mind, that end consumers (coffee lovers like yourself) would have to take the thing apart like a mechanic in a chop-shop.
Its value lies in one-push, 10-second delectable coffees.
Keurig wanted you to be able to invest in ease and convenience, and have a reliable machine you didn’t have to hack away at.
So the point of today’s article is to clear up the frustration when you find your Keurig running slow.
And furthermore, there is a last resort option to disassemble your machine. But that is only done when all else fails. In fact we’ve covered this in-depth in this article.
So… Why is My Keurig Brewing So Slow?
The primary reason your Keurig gets blocked (and your coffee takes ages) is due to a blocked water line or channel. Plain and simple.
Your coffee passes through a small, concentrated needle, and blocking that would block the natural flow of coffee into your cup, and in some cases, stop it completely.
A secondary reason for your Keurig not working properly could be that the water lines inside the machine are plugged up. However, recognize this is nowhere near as common as a blockage in the dispenser needle.
Remember that your coffee is being made inside the machine, it’s just not reaching its final destination: your cup. And ultimately, your blood stream and good mood…
Usually all you have to do to get your Keurig working properly again is to unclog the puncture needle and/or give the entire machine a good deep cleaning which we have a dedicated guide for right here.
Of course there are a few other things to consider listed below.
How to Decide What You Should Do About a Slow Keurig
Alright, in the last section, we mentioned the most common reason for the agonizingly-slow coffee brewing: an issue with the puncture needle.
So in this situation, most people can easily fix the clog with a strong toothpick, or a sharp object like a regular sewing needle. For more severe cases, you may have to replace the needle entirely, but remember this option would still be far cheaper than buying a new Keurig coffee maker.
So, if it is in fact a problem with your needle, the toothpick/needle route should be able to solve it. If it’s an internal water line issue, it may take a bit more effort or parts replacement. Today we’ll go through the seven steps for either scenario.
Read on to figure out where you stand in a scenario like this one.
Your 7-Step Guide to Fixing Your Slow-Dripping Keurig Issue
If the following doesn’t solve the problem, there’s a high probability that a deeper issue exists inside your Keurig. If that’s the case, you might be better off disassembling your machine, or taking it to a parts and service professional.
If you do need to take it apart, you can first read our guide on disassembling your machine safely, if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person! But we hope that doesn’t happen to you, so we’ll lay out a step-by-step guide for you to follow, so you can be back to steaming cups, warm pajamas and Netflix in no time.
1 – Turn off Your Keurig with the Power Button
Kind of a no brainer for number one, huh?
If you try restarting your machine, it could lead to a reset that’d help you get back to baseline. After all, lots of Keurig loyalists keep their machine plugged in and on all the time, using it as a faithful, automated coffee barista.
Turn it off and back on again after a few minutes. And if you do plan to perform an autopsy on your dead Keurig, be safe and cut the power off before you do.
2 – Take The Protective Reservoir Off
Self-explanatory here; you’ve got to get to the important pieces.
Even more important to a normal cup than this, you’ve got to alter and clear out the pieces causing the problem. If you don’t take the reservoir off first, you won’t be able to get to them, obviously.
3 – Open The Lid Like You Normally Would to Insert A K-Cup
Open up the top, so you can access your needle and your K-cup.
Just lift it as if you were to add a new K-cup, and reminisce about a better time when it was simply that easy to get a beautiful, warm, and caffeinated cup of yum.
Optional: Use this longing as extra motivation to get your hands dirty and fix this problem once and for all, so you can get back to that blissful, caffeinated state.
4 – Remove the K-Cup Puncturing Needle
Look up at the open lid, above your K-cup reservoir.
This part requires your full attention and care.
You need to watch your hands and fingers when you dig around in this area. This is because there’s a needle inside this piece that punctures the K-cups to make coffee.
Ideally you don’t even use your fingers at all; you straighten out a paperclip, toothpick, or ideally use another needle here. You’re aiming to clear out the blockages and restore the flow, but you don’t want to get poked.
It’s an important, expensive piece to your Keurig, so be careful when handling it and poking around in there. Take it out, clear it with a toothpick or a needle, but again, be very careful you don’t prick your fingers.
This is the point where pressurized, boiling water shoots through your K-cup to make coffee instantly. And as we mentioned, if it’s blocked, you’ll grow old waiting for your cup of coffee.
5 – Clean the Tubes Behind Your Puncture Needle
If you saw and removed a clear blockage in the needle that punctures the K-cups, then you probably fixed it.
If, by prodding it, a piece of lint, sugar/coffee grounds or a small family was hiding inside, then you’re probably all set. You can re-insert the needle and return to quick cappuccinos on the daily.
But on the other hand, if you pulled out the needle and it looked normal, there’s a good chance the tubes behind it are blocked or clogged. It’d be a better idea not to use a needle here, but a toothpick or a straightened paper clip would do the job in a softer way.
No need to create one problem when you’re trying to fix another.
Take your time and clean out the inside of these tubes, wash them or use a Q-tip to “squeegee” them out if you can. Clear out whatever was blocking it inside, and again, if you find and remove something clear and obvious, then you’ve probably found the culprit.
6 – Re-Assemble Your Keurig In Reverse
Everything you just did to destroy your Keurig, reverse it and put it back together in the opposite order.
If you bring this article down to the kitchen on your iPhone, to remember the backwards-order, we won’t judge you. We won’t even tell anybody. This stuff can get complicated, and you didn’t ask for your Keurig to give you only one coffee per decade.
It’s not your fault.
7 – Turn Your Machine Back On & Resume Drinking Responsibly
Now that you’ve finished yelling at your kids for breaking your Keurig, have re-assembled it in reverse, kissed it and apologized, you’re ready to flip the power back on and try again.
You might want to run it once with just hot water into your cup, to see if the normal flow’s returned. No sense wasting a K-cup if it’s not all the way fixed. But if the water looks normal, nice and steamy, and your flow speed is back to regular…
Pop in a new K-cup to resume your normal coffee-making happiness!
If you followed these instructions carefully, and this was the actual problem, you should be good to go. If not, it’s likely a deeper problem that will unfortunately require more work and or service.
Read our guide on how to safely disassemble a Keurig coffee maker here.
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Gamble Bay Coffee
