Does your Keurig have no water coming out?
We received a message from Martha, a reader, who asked…
“Used a paper clip in needle , now no water will come thru?? What now?” – Martha
There are 2 needles,
– one in the top,
– and one in the pod holder in the bottom.
It is the one in the bottom that sometimes clogs up with coffee grounds and needs cleaned using a paper clip.
If this needle clogs, the one in the bottom, then it can stop or greatly reduce the water that will dispense from your Keurig.
To clear it, as noted, you will need a paper clip or some long thin wire. Simply insert the clip or wire carefully into the top of the needle and push it through all the way until you see it come out at the bottom, or until you can tell that there is no obstruction in the needle.
You can remove the holder from the unit. After it is removed, you can clear the needle from the top or from the bottom – and it is easier to check if the needle is truly clear of debris.
[image courtesy of okaycupreviews]
To test if the the bottom needle is clear, you must insert a pod and see if it works normally.
General things to check for normal operation:
The pump will make noise while pumping – as it does normally. If it doesn’t make this noise, then it may not be pumping.
You can also check this by removing any pods from the holder and leave it empty. Yes, it will run without a pod. Now, run a small cup through into a mug, just like you were making a cup of coffee as you normally would.
If it works and water flows freely through in to the mug, then your pump is working fine and the top needle is not clogged. As a note, the top needle rarely gets clogged.
If it doesn’t work only when you use a pod, but works fine without a pod, then the bottom needle is still clogged – or has clogged again (it happens).
In the event that you remove any pod from the unit and try and run your Keurig for a small cup, and you hear the pump run, but no water comes out – then chances are the unit is clogged internally.
This can mean the top needle is obstructed – more than likely with scale or mineral deposits. You can clean this needle with a paper clip or thin wire as well. You should be able to see if there are clogs by inserting a wire and “feeling’ around with it.
Your Keurig can become clogged internally before the top needle due to a build up of mineral deposits, or scale deposits. To clean it or keep this from happening you need to descale.
To learn about descaling, check out this article about descaling with vinegar.
Sometimes, Keurig units do stop working. If you think this has happened, then the unit may need replaced or returned, depending on your circumstances.
We hope this explanation helps.