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....