I panicked yesterday. I turned on my Keurig, waited for it to heat, inserted my K-cup and then pressed the brew button. Nothing happened but a small sound resembling a ‘clunk’.
This cannot be happening! My first attempt to solve my “You may not be having any coffee today” problem was to repeat the process all over again. Guess what, same result. So I did what any caffeine and sleep deprived person would do. I initiated the same steps again and again and again. My Keurig continued to give one ‘clunk’ for each of my efforts. Realizing I was getting nowhere, I unplugged the machine, placed it on a shelf in my pantry {giving Keurig a time out} and drove to Starbucks.
Last night I did not have any contact with my Keurig. I did not look at it. I did not talk to it. I did not touch it. My Keurig had let me down and I was nursing some very injured feelings.
This morning, I googled “how to fix a Keurig when it will not brew”. To my surprise, one of the fixes involved spanking {aka the burp and slap method}. Yep, that is correct. If your Keurig is being naughty, just give its bottom a good spanking.
After reading K-Cup Barista‘s tips for fixing my coffee maker, I decided to bypass all of the simple troubleshooting ideas and went straight for the spanking. Here are the steps:
- Unplug the Keurig.
- Remove the water reservoir and the drip tray.
- Turn the Keurig upside down and give it a good 10 slaps on the bottom.
I followed the steps and after I was done, I plugged in my Keurig, replaced the water reservoir and tried it out. It did not brew but now I heard a ‘clunk’, a ‘chunk’ and a ‘gurgle’. Progress! I unplugged the machine and repeated the spanking all over again.
The result of that second spanking? Well, I am happy to report that my Keurig and I have come to an understanding about who is the boss around here. And…the coffee I am sipping is, oh so, delicious.
Check out the full post ‘What to Do if Your Keurig Won’t Brew‘ at K-Cup Barista
Prairie Wisdom 
That’s hilarious! Usually I just spank appliances out of pure frustration and end up breaking them :)
MJ
I know, I was lucky that this time the banging worked ;)
Well, wonders never cease! Who knew?! I don’t have a Keurig, but have used them, and there are several around my office space…I’ll pass on your wisdom! ~ Sheila
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
I’ve often longed for the days when a good smack would fix the TV or the stereo or whatever. I think I may just buy a Keurig so that I can once again have that satisfaction!
Thanks, PW!
Smacking at least relieves some frustration and if not done too hard, evidently can help.
Spanking my phone when it misbehaves only leads to more mischief, I’m afraid. Although it typically doesn’t respond with any clunking or gurgling as feedback, either. Do you suppose your Keurig and my phone are in cahoots?
I would bet all electronic gadgets are in cahoots and will some day rule the world ;)
Hi there, Just wondering if they recommend a periodic cleanse for these machines; you know, like what we used to do for the old coffee makers; the old 1/4c vinegar in a full réservoir of water to clean out the gunk and calcium deposits trick? Not nearly as satisfying, but a lot cheaper in the long run. Just a thought; )
Hmm, here’s another thought… Do you have to give these things a pacifier to make them run plain water; or perhaps run some spent cartridges through for a second time?
I’ll pass this information on to my husband who could not live without his Keurig.
We just got one for our breakroom, so I’ll remember this. Thanks for the tip.
Ha! I can see the headlines now! “Capital punishment contributes to needed caffeine fix”
;)
De scale your Keurig pot. Apparently my sensor was not detecting the scale build up very well. Mine reached that point this morning – no water coming through at all. 1/2 a water reservoir of vinegar and the rest water, will de scale the interior of the pot. I used cider vinegar so I could tell when the water cleared while rinsing. Make sure to run at least two reservoirs of clean water after the vinegar mix. The pot now runs like new.
Funny stuff. My Keurig was spurting out just a half ounce of water from the outlet and then was draining hot water back into the water reservoir. Online there’s a well-illustrated site that says that may be the solenoid .. I’m giving my unit a time out while I consider if I really want to spend the money and time to fix it..Meanwhile, I’m going to see if it gets jealous of my resurrected old Mr Coffee and decides to work..
Sounds like a great plan!