Last Updated on May 18, 2023 by Jorian
Keurig coffee makers are compact, look great in any kitchen, and make a perfect cup of coffee every time.
However, you woke up this morning, craving a fresh cup of coffee. You turned on your Keurig K-Mini and pressed the brew button but it was not pumping water. It’s a common issue with the Keurig Mini.
This article will address troubleshooting techniques and solutions to get your machine working again as soon as possible. Keep reading to learn more.
Why Is Keurig K-Mini Not Pumping Water?
There could be a few different reasons why your Keurig K-Mini is not working. One of the most common problems is that there already is water in the heating component. Another common problem could be that your Keurig needs cleaning and descaling.
Another easy fix I’ve seen people use when their Keurig mini is not pumping water is holding the lid down while the machine is pouring a cup.
Table of Contents
- Why Is Keurig K-Mini Not Pumping Water?
- Conclusion
Drain The Heating Component
If you’ve tried making your cup of coffee like normal and the Keurig K-mini is sucking water in but it’s not brewing coffee. It could be the case that there already was water in the heating component of your machine.
When this happens usually the power light and long bar light won’t stay lit either.
You can fix this by brewing a cup of coffee like you normally would but do not press the brew button just once but hold it down and do this without the K-cup in it.
This should force the remaining water out of the heating component. Once that is done, fill up the water reservoir and you should be able to brew a cup of coffee like normal again.
Make sure you press the brew button only once and then leave it for at least 30 seconds. If you keep pressing the button because it takes too long, you will cause the same problem again and then you have to drain your machine again.
Another tip is to not let the water reservoir go below the minimum level. This prevents air from the reservoir to go into the heating component.
Press Down The Lid When Brewing Coffee
I have no idea why this works, but I’ve seen it fix the problem a few times.
Turn your Keurig on like normal, and put the K-Kup in. Then close the lid, press the brew button, and press down the lid the whole time your Keurig Mini is brewing coffee. Gently pressing is enough.
Keurig K-mini Needs To Be Cleaned And Descaled
The most common problem why your Keurig machine is not working or pumping water is because it’s clogged. This is the same with every other Keurig model. What you want to do is clean the needles that poke into the K-cup and descale your machine.
Use a Maintenance Cup To Clean The Needle In The Lid
For cleaning the needle of any coffee grind remains, Keurig has made a cleaning cup. This cup usually came with the machine when you first bought it.
Turn off your coffee machine and fill the maintenance cup halfway with water. Open the Lid and place the cup inside the machine. Then open and close the lid five times.
Take out the maintenance cup and turn the coffee maker back on. Your Keurig should be brewing a cup of coffee like normal again.
Alternatively, you can use a cleaning cup like this:
Clean Out The Needle With a Paperclip
If the Maintenance cup didn’t work or you don’t want to wait on the delivery because you’re really craving a cup of coffee right now. There is another way to clean the needle of your Keurig K-Mini and get it brewing coffee again.
First, you want to unplug the coffee machine so you can turn the machine on its back.
Then you want to open the lid. In the lid, there is a needle that pokes a hole in the K-cup when brewing a cup of coffee.
Around the needle, there are three holes. Two holes are next to the needle and one hole is under the needle. These holes can get clogged with coffee and scale over time.
Take a paper clip or something that is pointy like a paperclip and gently press it in these holes. Wiggle and turn the paperclip a few times to make sure you get all the scale and coffee grind loose.
Clean The Needle In The K-cup Holder
There also is a needle in the K-cup holder that can get clogged with coffee grinds.
To clean the cup holder you take the cup holder out by pushing it from the bottom and pinching and pulling it from the top. Once you got it out you can take the holder apart in two pieces.
The biggest piece got the needle in it. From the bottom, you can puncture the hole of the needle with a paperclip. You also want to let some water run through when you do this.
Put your machine back together and make sure to first press the button and let some water flow through the machine to clean out the remaining coffee grind. Optionally you could descale your Keurig machine. After that, you’re all set to brew a cup of coffee!
Unclog The Tubes From Scale And Air Bubbles
Mineral deposits may build up in the coffee maker’s tubes, restricting water flow or causing blockages. This can result in only half a cup of coffee being brewed, as the machine struggles to pass water through.
Another potential issue is an air bubble trapped in the tubes, which may occur if you pressed the brew button when the water reservoir was insufficiently filled.
To resolve these issues, follow the steps below:
- Fill the water tank halfway.
- Use a turkey baster, straw, or syringe to extract some water from the water tank.
- Position the turkey baster (or alternative) over the water suction port in the tank.
- Press the brewing button and simultaneously spray the water into the suction port with force.
Additionally, ensure that there are no obstructions in the suction port:
- Locate the small spring inside the water suction port.
- Gently wiggle the spring using the top of the turkey baster (or alternative) to dislodge any debris.
Descaling The Keurig K-Mini
After you got your coffee machine working again it’s a good idea to completely descale the machine. By doing this you make sure it doesn’t happen again in the near future.
It’s easy to descale your Keurig machine. All you need is some Keurig descaling solution and follow these instructions on the Keurig website.
Call The Keurig Costumer Service
The last thing you could try is to call Keurig customer service. Usually, they will troubleshoot your Keurig K-mini with you.
If they conclude that the problem is not easy to fix or if they cannot find the problem. they will usually offer you a new machine, sometimes even when you are out of warranty.
I heard of other cases, when the warranty was long gone, that Keurig gave a 20% discount on a new machine.
Conclusion
It can be very annoying when you’re craving a nice cup of coffee but your machine is not pumping any water. There are a few things you can try when your Keurig Mini is not pumping water:
- Drain The Heating Component
- Hold down the lid when brewing a cup
- Clean and descale your Keurig K-mini
- Call Keurig costumer service
I hope your Keurig machine starts pumping water again after you’ve tried the fixes in this article and that you can enjoy a cup of coffee now!
Thanks for reading!