Keurig and calcium

[JRobyn]

Ugh! Spent over 3 hours yesterday tearing into the Keurig machine to try to locate whatever is causing it to clog. Wonderfully complex design that is almost impossible to get into! Amazing that they can sell it for around $100 considering what goes into one. I managed to remove several of the main hoses and flushed a heavy solution of CLR through most everything, followed by thorough rinsing in both directions (used a giant syringe). All the lines I flushed are clear. The pump is working terrific. All of the check valves are working properly. There was no evidence of calcium scale, except a bit of foaming when I filled/flushed the heater tank. It clogged again this morning. Obviously there is still some orifice or something that is impossible to get to.

I know that we are blessed (?) here with LOTS of calcium/lime in our water, and I DO use only highly filtered water (2 rough filters in series coming into the house and then a "super" carbon/small micron undersink filter).

So I humbly come to the source of all good and true knowledge on the web (TBN/Rural Living) for a solution. The Keurig is going in the trash. I think I read a while back that Cuisinart coffee makers do a little better? Is there any way to FILTER calcium? I really hate to have to use distilled water, and suppose that distilled-water-coffee would taste awful.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Ugh! Spent over 3 hours yesterday tearing into the Keurig machine to try to locate whatever is causing it to clog. Wonderfully complex design that is almost impossible to get into! Amazing that they can sell it for around $100 considering what goes into one. I managed to remove several of the main hoses and flushed a heavy solution of CLR through most everything, followed by thorough rinsing in both directions (used a giant syringe). All the lines I flushed are clear. The pump is working terrific. All of the check valves are working properly. There was no evidence of calcium scale, except a bit of foaming when I filled/flushed the heater tank. It clogged again this morning. Obviously there is still some orifice or something that is impossible to get to.

I know that we are blessed (?) here with LOTS of calcium/lime in our water, and I DO use only highly filtered water (2 rough filters in series coming into the house and then a "super" carbon/small micron undersink filter).

So I humbly come to the source of all good and true knowledge on the web (TBN/Rural Living) for a solution. The Keurig is going in the trash. I think I read a while back that Cuisinart coffee makers do a little better? Is there any way to FILTER calcium? I really hate to have to use distilled water, and suppose that distilled-water-coffee would taste awful.

We have a high Calcium well water; we have been using a Bunn coffee maker for 40 years or so. They make a full pot in about 3 or 4 minutes, and it comes with a probe that is designed to be inserted into the machine to dislodge the Calcium. My biggest complaint is that the pot is poorly designed/made and you have to pour slowly or you end up with water or coffee all over the cabinet.

Why do you think coffee made with distilled water would taste awful? Although I have used a lot of it in the lab, I never did drink any. I would think that the coffee flavor would overshadow any "taste" or lack thereof.

 

[rswyan]

FWIW, I found that the reduced water output (aka "clog) on ours was due to some lint/goo accumulating on the valve/fitting on the bottom of the water reservoir.

Took some effort to pick it all out.

 

[coldsteelva]

You have hard water - dissolved minerals in the water that are NOT filtered out (they are in solution, they are not particulates). When you heat the minerals in the Keurig, the calcium and or lime 'cooks' out of the water and deposits on the insides of the metal water tank.

Every 2-3 months, you should follow the Keurig recommendations for de-scaling your brewer (it's in the manual) - fill the reservoir with vinegar, brew out the water and allow the vinegar to be drawn in - repeat until the reservoir tank flashes (internal tank is now ~100% vinegar); let sit for 5 to 8 hours (make sure auto shut-off is disabled) and then fill the reservoir with water and run through 2 tanks of water to clear out the vinegar and dissolved scale.

 

[RNeumann]

Coffee maker may be trash- I don’t know. Water will need better filtration. RO filter kits can be had for under $200. That’s an excellent option to keep your drinking water in good shape.

Would a softener help?

 

[JRobyn]

I am liking what I see about the Bunn MCU single serve/K-cup machine. Seems to be MUCH simpler internals than Keurig or other Keurig clones. Works just like every other old Bunn out there, except that it has a pump instead of just thermosyphon/drip. Actual 200 deg water temp! Reviews and questions/answers are awesome.

 

[jjkrueger]

I finally gave up on Keurig brewers after about the 6th. All failed the same way - clogged by something, and I couldn’t unclog them, no matter what I tried, no matter how much I descaled. I have since bought a Ninja Coffee bar, because I like having the travel mug option. It’s been about a year since I bought it. I descale it when the light comes on, every couple of months. It still works like new. Next year I’ll know if it will last any longer than the Keurigs....

 

[hawkeye08]

We went back to old fashioned percolators (sp?) with our hard water. We use this for cleaning the expresso machine (Urnex Original Urn and Brewer Cleaner). We asked Starbucks what to use on it and they gave us a packet. I bought more on Amazon.

 

[Sigarms]

I finally gave up on Keurig brewers after about the 6th. All failed the same way - clogged by something, and I couldn’t unclog them, no matter what I tried, no matter how much I descaled. I have since bought a Ninja Coffee bar, because I like having the travel mug option. It’s been about a year since I bought it. I descale it when the light comes on, every couple of months. It still works like new. Next year I’ll know if it will last any longer than the Keurigs....

We only waiting to change when the 3rd one went out

We do have hard water, but we also have a decent filtration/purification system installed. God only knows what our water would be like without that.

 

[TheMan419]

Try the descaling with vinegar. If that does not clear it, target practice?

I use one here at the office. It is only used with bottled water. Coffee tastes fine and I am a coffee snob....

 

[Streetcar]

There is company in Cincinnati that sells minerals to put in your distilled water for coffee.
Not a coffee drinker, but I was told it makes coffe taste great

 

[EarPlug]

There is company in Cincinnati that sells minerals to put in your distilled water for coffee.
Not a coffee drinker, but I was told it makes coffe taste great

The company was just on Shark Tank - Third Wave Water

Thinking about trying it out. Between the cost of the product and the gallon of water looks like it comes out to $4.00 per gallon

 

[EarPlug]

I am liking what I see about the Bunn MCU single serve/K-cup machine. Seems to be MUCH simpler internals than Keurig or other Keurig clones. Works just like every other old Bunn out there, except that it has a pump instead of just thermosyphon/drip. Actual 200 deg water temp! Reviews and questions/answers are awesome.

We have had a Bunn MCU for over a year. Very well built. Simple to use. It still has the same problems when it comes to water quality and scaling

 

[newbury]

Have you tried a french press?

 

[ustmd]

As you can see from my avatar picture, I am into coffee and coffee makers (I am embarrassed to say what that coffee maker cost me).

We have very, very hard water and this is what I use every month to protect my investment:

Amazon.com: Urnex Dezcal Coffee and Espresso Machine Descaling Powder, 4 Single Use Packets: Coffee Machine And Espresso Machine Cleaning Products: Kitchen & Dining

I highly recommend it.

 

[oosik]

Like many, I have hard water - CaCO3 - calcium carbonate. I've had the full run of coffee makers - never over $75. I run a load of vinegar thru mine every month or so and the units usually last 5 to 8 years. Then they plug - I throw them away and start all over again. I tried taking one apart - beyond my meager talents.

 

[3930dave]

Have you tried a french press?

Also in the keep it simple vein.....

Product world - Gourmet 1-cup Pour-Over Coffeemaker - Melitta

Rgds, D.

 

[JRobyn]

Guys, look back at my first post - we have "descaled" over and over and over. Tried the "coffee pot cleaner" packets (probably the mentioned Urnex), vinegar (exactly in accordance with Keurig's instructions), then straight, full-strength vinegar (after emptying out as much as possible from the heating tank), and finally CLR. With the CLR, I removed several of the internal hose clamps, totally emptied the heater tanks, and then syringed it directly into and through every passageway. And let it "soak" for 30 minutes.

It ran terrific for about 3-4 quarts of plain water while rinsing and flushing, and then immediately clogged again.

I'm convinced I need some design OTHER than Keurig's. But we are firmly in the "K-cup" world. They just suit our usage patterns too well.
We'll see how the Bunn does. I'm very hopeful. It sounds like a terrific machine, even if it DOES still have pumps, etc. that will need the vinegar descaling.

 

[PILOON]

We are on our 2nd Cuisinart coffee maker and like it as it makes HOT coffee.
(2nd as the 1st somehow sprung a leak and shorted itself out but that was after 10 years of brewing 2-3 times/day)

The Cuisinart incorporates a small charcoal filter that is replaceable that seems to solve lots of problems.
Replacing that filter occasionally might just lengthen the life span.
I check mine occasionally and it seems to hold up just fine.

Also read that brewing vinegar from time to time is a good thing.
Perhaps a dosage of CLR followed by a few sessions of plain water could restore any coffee maker to original specs.

 

[Doofy]

I have a undersink R/O and have never had a coffee pot problem. Our water is very hard from a hand dug well.