# Keurig Coffee Machines ~ constantly break!



## Melensdad

Anyone else think that Keurig machines are a great idea *but the machines actually suck *

I'm on my 4th machine.  

It, like those before it, loses the ability to keep pressure up and push hot water though the coffee pod.  Just like the others, I get about 1/2 a cup of coffee out of the pod, with water just barely dripping out.  Restarting the cycle again, using the same pod, I get the second 1/2 of the cup.  

Oh each machine works great, right up until the warranty ends.  

And I only use my Keurig machines a couple times each month, but these are LIGHLY USED machines.


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## squerly

Melensdad said:


> Anyone else think that Keurig machines are a great idea *but the machines actually suck *
> 
> I'm on my 4th machine.
> 
> It, like those before it, loses the ability to keep pressure up and push hot water though the coffee pod.  Just like the others, I get about 1/2 a cup of coffee out of the pod, with water just barely dripping out.  Restarting the cycle again, using the same pod, I get the second 1/2 of the cup.
> 
> Oh each machine works great, right up until the warranty ends.
> 
> And I only use my Keurig machines a couple times each month, but these are LIGHLY USED machines.


That doesn't make any sense MD.  I've had mine over 3 years, use it every day.  You need to clean them occasionally but that's as easy as cycling lemon juice through them every few months.

My main bitch is the price of the coffee pods.  (I'll call them pods, not sure what the real name is.)  So I seldom buy them and instead use a little device that allows me to substitute the less expensive coffee sold in the larger containers.


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## BigAl RIP

Sometimes the wheels of progress do not roll right .
 I like this one . Never a problem and works every time . The price of the coffee grounds is cheap too !


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## Melensdad

Al I agree with you.

I use a simple coffee maker for my morning coffee.  But every once in a while I feel like a single cup in the afternoon.  We have the Keurig machine for those rare times when someone wants a single cup.


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## Leni

Mom gave me a little plastic coffee filter that is designed to make one cup.  It sits in the cup and steeps like a tea bag.  No muss, no fuss.


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## Melensdad

Leni said:


> Mom gave me a little plastic coffee filter that is designed to make one cup.  It sits in the cup and steeps like a tea bag.  No muss, no fuss.


Picture?

Brand?

Link?

Something???


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## Leni

If you Goggle single cup coffee filters you'll see several different versions.  None look like mine which I've had forever.  Several of them are reusuable like mine.  When I get home I'll see what brand mine is.


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## BigAl RIP

Folgers make a single tea bag style for  coffee .I think there is about 24 serving to the box .  We put them out at the building in town . Makes a decent cup up coffee .


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## Melensdad

BigAl said:


> Folgers make a single tea bag style for  coffee .I think there is about 24 serving to the box .  We put them out at the building in town . Makes a decent cup up coffee .



I may have to look into something like that in the future.  Or the one that Leni has.  

But in the mean time I have about 35-40 of the "K-Cup" coffee pods that I'm going to have to work through because I don't want to waste the coffee ... nor do I want to go through the effort of picking them open and dumping them into my big can of Folgers.


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## JEV

My kids have wanted to buy me one of these ever since they came out. Initially I declined their offers because I thought it was the most expensive way to make coffee at home or in the office, but as time went on, I experienced the 'half-cup syndrome' on more occasions than the 'full-cup syndrome' from the machines of the kids and others who own them. bar none, they ALL fail well before they should. Even my bank has a Keurig in the lobby for customers, and that one suffers the same problem that the lobby receptionist reminds everyone to run it twice to get a full cup. I don't even waste my time anymore.

Expensive K-cups and prematurely degrading equipment performance are reason enough for me to not own one. If I want a fresh cup-o-Joe, I pull out my little 4-cup Mr. Coffee and brew it up. Perfect cup every time, and ALL of the water flows across the grounds each and every time, because God gave Mr. Coffee gravity flow, and arrogant man gave Keurig a Chi-Com water pump with an inferior prostate.


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## Danang Sailor

Our experience parallels Squerly's.  The machine gets a vinegar douche every six weeks and continues to put out coffee in
whatever size we select - no problems.


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## rlk

I just bought one of the new Keurig 2.0 machines.  Don't know why, but they will only work with a new type of K Cup - it must have a certain label on it for the machine to work.  I guess it's to prevent you using coffee that's not approved by Keurig.

I purchased mine from WalMart.  Apparently they make a different model for WalMart, Target, and a couple of other stores.  The Keurig website shows the model numbers as: K350, K450, and K550.  WalMart, Target, etc. has model numbers: K300, K400, and K500.  WalMart prices are $30 cheaper than what's on Kerrig.com

WalMart has fairly decent prices on the K cups: you can get an 18 pack of Green Mountain & Donut House for $10. I know online prices are a little cheaper, but I needed some to get started.

I also got an 18 pack of Lipton iced tea.  That is without a doubt the best glass of iced tea I have made in quite a while.  I was afraid that since it is already sweetened it would be too sweet or not sweet enough, but it's just right.  (We Southeners have to have sweet tea - none of that unsweetened stuff for us.)

The coffee is great too.  We're looking forward to experimenting with the different brands of coffee.

Hopefully all the bugs have been worked out of the machine and we'll get many years of service.

Bob


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## Melensdad

rlk said:


> I just bought one of the new Keurig 2.0 machines.  Don't know why, but they will only work with a new type of K Cup - it must have a certain label on it for the machine to work.  I guess it's to prevent you using coffee that's not approved by Keurig.
> 
> I purchased mine from WalMart.
> 
> . . .
> 
> Hopefully all the bugs have been worked out of the machine and we'll get many years of service.
> 
> Bob


I think its a great concept, I'm hoping for your sake that the bugs are worked out.  But if not, keep your warranty papers and receipts 






Danang Sailor said:


> Our experience parallels Squerly's.  The machine gets a vinegar douche every six weeks and continues to put out coffee in
> whatever size we select - no problems.



Its obvious with mine that the pressure pump is failing, if not dead.  No amount of vinegar can bring it back to life.

It will brew a full cup of hot water as long as there is no K-cup in the hopper.  Anything that impedes the flow causes problems.


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## squerly

Melensdad said:
			
		

> It will brew a full cup of hot water as long as there is no K-cup in the hopper.  Anything that impedes the flow causes problems.


Try this, straighten out a paperclip and then carefully insert it into the tube that the water exits.  That little stem sometimes gets a residue build up that will inhibit the proper flow of water.


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## JEV

squerly said:


> Try this, straighten out a paperclip and then carefully insert it into the tube that the water exits.  That little stem sometimes gets a residue build up that will inhibit the proper flow of water.


Sounds like a service a urologist might offer.


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## squerly

Rapid derailment should be expected at this point…


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## mla2ofus

I'll stick w/ our Bunn, and for the record we're both just morning coffee drinkers.
                                 Mike


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## Melensdad

mla2ofus said:


> I'll stick w/ our Bunn, and for the record we're both just morning coffee drinkers.
> Mike



Mike, the vast majority of the coffee I drink comes from a traditional, reliable, drip maker too.

Its only those rare afternoon cups when I go to the Keurig machine for a single dose of coffee.  I just cant bring myself to making a pot, even a partial pot, for just a single cup.


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## bczoom

Bob - Aren't those things under warranty?  IIRC, my sister also goes through those machines at the rate of a couple a year.

Won't make a pot (or partial) for a single cup?  Things are different at our house...  We drink coffee from the day before all the time.  Whomever drinks the last cup has to make a new pot, regardless of the time of day.  _You don't want to get up in the morning and face an empty caraffe..._


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## Melensdad

This one is OUT of warranty.  Its a couple years old.


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## mla2ofus

Melensdad said:


> Mike, the vast majority of the coffee I drink comes from a traditional, reliable, drip maker too.
> 
> Its only those rare afternoon cups when I go to the Keurig machine for a single dose of coffee.  I just cant bring myself to making a pot, even a partial pot, for just a single cup.



   We just leave the morning's coffee in the carafe until just before bedtime, then fill the carafe w/ water and get fresh grounds and filter in the basket so you just pour it in the AM and it's ready in a few min. That way if one of us gets a hankerin' for a cup later in the day it's there. Oh, and I'll point out I keep the Bunn on a timer so it heats the water about 4 AM and shuts off about 10 AM. That way if one of us needs a cup later in the day we can nuke a cup that hasn't been cooked down to almost syrup.
                                        Mike


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## JEV

bczoom said:


> Bob - Aren't those things under warranty?  IIRC, my sister also goes through those machines at the rate of a couple a year.
> 
> Won't make a pot (or partial) for a single cup?  Things are different at our house...  We drink coffee from the day before all the time.  Whomever drinks the last cup has to make a new pot, regardless of the time of day.  _You don't want to get up in the morning and face an empty caraffe..._


My brother does the same thing. He always has at least half a carafe on hand, and as soon as it gets below that, he makes another pot. I can always depend on a cup of coffee as soon as I walk in his door. He uses Maxwell House, an old electric percolator, and glass lined carafes.


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## RNE228

Mine is an "Coffee Caddie". Got it at REI some time back. Use it for backpacking, Scout campouts, and the occasional single cup at home. Works great, is cheap. 

http://www.rei.com/product/401153/one-cup-coffee-maker

You do have to have hot water; tea pot or microwave or something. 

Pretty simple setup. Put ground coffee in little basket, place it in bottom of caddie, and place on top of cup. Pour hot water in. 

I had a one cup French press that worked good at home. But I broke the glass...

REI has these too:
http://www.rei.com/product/792857/rei-double-shot-press-mug


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## Melensdad

I may have to invest in one of these!

I'm sitting in the family room, wasting time watching the Keurig machine NOT work properly 

I brewed a cup of water, it worked flawlessly.  Popped in a K-Cup pod and the thing only brewed about 1/3rd of a cup.  Let it reset and brewed another 1/3rd of a cup.  Now I am waiting for the final 1/3rd of a cup to brew.

We have an electric tea kettle that works at a much faster pace than this time robbing Keurig machine.

With that REI drip thingy I could probably use of the rest of my Keurig K-cup thingies too.



RNE228 said:


> Mine is an "Coffee Caddie". Got it at REI some time back. Use it for backpacking, Scout campouts, and the occasional single cup at home. Works great, is cheap.
> 
> http://www.rei.com/product/401153/one-cup-coffee-maker
> 
> You do have to have hot water; tea pot or microwave or something.
> 
> Pretty simple setup. Put ground coffee in little basket, place it in bottom of caddie, and place on top of cup. Pour hot water in.
> 
> I had a one cup French press that worked good at home. But I broke the glass...
> 
> REI has these too:
> http://www.rei.com/product/792857/rei-double-shot-press-mug


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## RNE228

Had to make a cup after thinking about this! Mix of French Roast and Raspberry flavor beans. And John Wayne 

I use the espresso machine every day; I do have to remember to grind for drip, not espresso.


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## Dargo

Melensdad said:


> This one is OUT of warranty.  Its a couple years old.



After having 3 fail under warranty, it was one of their reps on the phone who told me to get a small surge protector power strip to plug the Keurig into.  Apparently their supplier of transformers makes a really shitty transformer.  Even the slightest rise or drop in input current seems to damage the transformer and, therefore, the exact voltage of DC power they put out.  As with most things, your better built (and more expensive) components last longer and are superior.  Unfortunately, Keurig (like auto manufacturers) but from the lowest bidder for each component.

I think I went through 3 Keurig machines in the first few months.  Then I bought a $20 surge protector/power strip, and I've not had a single issue in the three years or so since.  IMHO, this is a defect in Keurig's machines, but one that can be remedied.


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## Melensdad

I have a whole house surge protector.   Apparently that is not good enough.  Most of my electronics are run through either surge protectors or back up battery units.


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## Dargo

Melensdad said:


> I have a whole house surge protector.   Apparently that is not good enough.  Most of my electronics are run through either surge protectors or back up battery units.



I too have a whole house surge protector.  It's from Square D, so it's definitely not a cheapo unit. Still, with my DeepWater electronics monitoring system, all sorts of spikes and lows are allowed by the whole house unit. I think it only takes about 127 volts to kill the transformer in a Keurig, and that does not trip my whole house unit. My generator power is much more stable than the power from the power company. For whatever reason, it's the transformers in the Keurig machines that kill them. I know it sounds totally out of line, but put a small protector just on a Keurig and I'd bet you too will have them last. 

If I would have been told as much when I first bought one, I wouldn't be nearly as upset with them. I can't tell you how many times the little surge protector has been tripped on my Keurig when I'd not noticed any power fluctuations.  So far, each time I've reset the protector the Keurig has come back to life without problems. IMHO, they need to change transformer vendors, but I doubt they have.  It would greatly help their reputation!


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## RNE228

Get a different/better wall-wort?


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## OhioTC18 RIP

They don't use a wall wart. They come with a 3 prong 120V cord. If they have a transformer, it's internal.


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## JEV

Dargo said:


> I too have a whole house surge protector.  It's from Square D, so it's definitely not a cheapo unit. Still, with my DeepWater electronics monitoring system, all sorts of spikes and lows are allowed by the whole house unit. I think it only takes about 127 volts to kill the transformer in a Keurig, and that does not trip my whole house unit. My generator power is much more stable than the power from the power company. For whatever reason, it's the transformers in the Keurig machines that kill them. *I know it sounds totally out of line, but put a small protector just on a Keurig and I'd bet you too will have them last. *
> 
> If I would have been told as much when I first bought one, I wouldn't be nearly as upset with them. *I can't tell you how many times the little surge protector has been tripped on my Keurig when I'd not noticed any power fluctuations.  *So far, each time I've reset the protector the Keurig has come back to life without problems. *IMHO, they need to change transformer vendors, but I doubt they have.  It would greatly help their reputation!*



So they want me to own a product that the manufacturer ADMITS is defective, and have to spend additional money for a piece of equipment to protect their inferior component? What a scam!

Some folks finally got pissed off enough that they got a class action lawsuit against Green Mountain, Keurig & Starbucks.

http://www.newsinferno.com/green-mountain-keurig-sued-for-defective-brewers/


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## Dargo

OhioTC18 said:


> They don't use a wall wart. They come with a 3 prong 120V cord. If they have a transformer, it's internal.



Correct.  Not (supposedly) consumer serviceable.


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## Dargo

JEV said:


> So they want me to own a product that the manufacturer ADMITS is defective, and have to spend additional money for a piece of equipment to protect their inferior component? What a scam!



Sounds about right.  I looked and I have 3 spare (non-working) machines in a storage room.  If I get any spare time, I can take the defective transformer out, find what it is supposed to have for output voltage, and then buy a decent one at a local electronics store for $10 or so and get them working.


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## JEV

Dargo said:


> Sounds about right.  I looked and I have 3 spare (non-working) machines in a storage room.  If I get any spare time, I can take the defective transformer out, find what it is supposed to have for output voltage, and then buy a decent one at a local electronics store for $10 or so and get them working.


Let us know if you determine the proper transformer. I can buy these machines at local thrift shops here for $10 all day long, and I'm sure there is a transformer available online if not locally.(they all have "AS IS, NO RETURN" stickers on them because even the trift shops know they're a problem) For $20 I would own one with a good xformer, but not a new one with defective parts. I still can't believe how many buy these knowing they're going to crap out in short order.


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## rlk

rlk said:


> I just bought one of the new Keurig 2.0 machines.  Don't know why, but they will only work with a new type of K Cup - it must have a certain label on it for the machine to work.  I guess it's to prevent you using coffee that's not approved by Keurig.  Bob



It's probably bad form to quote yourself, but I have never been accused of having good manners, so....

After purchasing my Keurig, I tried to brew a cup of coffee.  The machine gave me an error message stating that my K Cups were not designed for this machine.  The packaging on the K Cup box said they were for ALL KEURIG MACHINES, so, being a little confused, I called the 800 number in the instruction manual.  

Apparently I'm not the only one who had the problem because Keurig set up a separate phone number just for this problem.  The lady I spoke with had me examine the box very carefully to look for a circle with a check mark inside of it.  I finally found the circle on one of the boxes, but not on the other.  This circle is only 1/4" tall, so it's not something that really stands out.

I asked her how the heck I was supposed to know to look for the circle with the check mark.  She admitted Keurig hadn't done a good job of getting the word out.  I agreed since WalMart had a large display of the old style K Cups right beside of the new machines.  Anyway, she agreed to replace the box of coffee I purchased that would not work.  She did not want the old K Cups returned - she suggested I give them to someone.  

Wondering if others were experiencing the same problem, I googled it and found quite a few videos on youtube that show how to defeat the K Cup label that is needed on the new 2.0 machines.  

Not that I would ever do anything to get around this "feature" , I did enjoy many of the videos.  In case you are wondering how it is possible, here is one of many videos showing how:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_ywWywmO7s

Bob


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## Danang Sailor

Nice video, Bob, but we're not going to need it.  If we want to brew an entire carafe of coffee we have a way to do that; the
genius of the Keurig system is that we can make just one cup when we want it, with the coffee we want right then, and don't
have to waste most of it.

And to me, at least, rewarmed coffee always tastes like sweat socks that the Bulgarian Army used for a 150km forced march,
and then didn't bother to wash!       And no, don't ask.


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## Melensdad

Bob that is an interesting work around solution for the newer model machines so you can use the older style cups.

Me, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

I probably have 50 K-cups and I have a machine that doesn't pressurize so it won't properly brew.  At this point I could buy a new (old style) machine to replace the current machine, cost would be $100.  Plus buy a new surge protector, for another $15 or $20.  And the MAYBE have no issues like DARGO, but with my luck the week after the warranty on the surge protector expires my new Keurig machine will meet an untimely end too!  

I'm honestly thinking that I will work my way through the last of my K-cups, then toss this machine in the trash.  If I want a single cup of coffee in the future I'll figure out a way that is cheaper and more reliable than Keurig.  I'm done with this system.


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## Dargo

rlk said:


> Wondering if others were experiencing the same problem, I googled it and found quite a few videos on youtube that show how to defeat the K Cup label that is needed on the new 2.0 machines.



I suppose that shows how much I've paid attention; I had no idea there was a "2.0" version of the machine.  After getting putting a surge protector between the outlet and the 'old' Keurig machine, I've never had a problem and have never heard of different K-cups.  I have to assume that the old machines use the "2.0" cups, because I know the medium blend Green Mountain K-Cups my wife picked up at Sam's Club are less than a month old.  I can't imagine that, by chance, she selected the right cups.  I have my coffee maker in our guest house because she hates coffee so much that she claims that the smell of it brewing makes her sick. 

I bought a small regular coffee maker for my Army Ranger son when he is here because he drinks 4 or 5 large cups each morning and was running me out of K-Cups.  IMHO, the only draw to the Keurig is for people like me who only drink a cup or two a week.


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## Leni

When I was the only one drinking coffee and then only a single cup I used my 4 cup coffee maker.  Worked just fine.


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## RNE228

My Grandmother has a B&D or something like that Wally World 4-cup drip. I make coffee with it when I am at her house.

Honestly, 4-cups by the machine is more like 1.5 large cups/mug... Could cut the grounds back a tad and make just 1/2 a pot for a large mug of coffee.

But, it does take a few minutes to make, whereas the Keurig machine is a "presto it's done in a flash" machine. 



Leni said:


> When I was the only one drinking coffee and then only a single cup I used my 4 cup coffee maker. Worked just fine.


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## Leni

Mine is a Mr Coffee.  I'll make two cups which turns out to be one good sized mug with a little left over.  I can wait the few minutes to have a reliable cup.


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## mtntopper

Leni said:


> I can wait the few minutes to have a reliable cup.



I like the aroma in the air of fresh coffee brewing in the pot. Then when freshly brewed ready to drink I appreciate it again. 

The time spent waiting just enhances the experience! If it happens too  fast and easy you may fail to actually enjoy the full benefit of the  results.


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## tiredretired

They are junk.  Poorly made in China.  i too am on my 4th on over the last 10 years or so.  First thing to go and it goes quick is the auto shut off. 

My last one required a phone call to Keurig to get another reseivor.  The one that came with the unit made the coffee taste like plastic.  Seriously? I had spares from my previous dead units but I made them send me one anyway.  They will not admit to any quality control issues.  

Piss poor equipment IMHO.


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