Keurig Mini Not Pumping Water (EASY Fix!)

This article provides a concise guide on how to fix the Keurig K-Mini when it stops pumping water.

I’ll cover straightforward steps for troubleshooting and repairing this common issue, helping you get your coffee maker back in action quickly.

How To Fix A Keurig K-Mini That Is Not Pumping Water?

To fix a Keurig K-Mini that is not pumping water:

Drain the heating component by holding down the brew button without a K-cup, then refill and brew again.
While brewing, lightly press down on the lid.
Clean and descale the machine, especially the needles.
Unclog the tubes using a turkey baster or similar tool to spray water into the water suction port.

Let’s get into some more detail below!

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Drain The Heating Component

If your Keurig K-Mini is drawing in water but not brewing coffee, it may be due to water trapped in its heating component.

This issue is often indicated by the power light and the long bar light not staying on.

To fix this, try the following steps:

Ensure that there’s no K-cup in the machine.
Start the brewing process as you normally would, but instead of pressing the brew button briefly, hold it down.
This action should expel any remaining water from the heating component.

After this, refill the water reservoir and try brewing a cup of coffee again.

Every time you brew a coffee, press the brew button once and wait for at least 30 seconds before pressing it again.

Repeatedly pressing the button may cause the issue to recur, requiring you to drain the machine again. It could even lead to your Keurig getting stuck in preheating mode.

Additional Tip: Always maintain the water level above the minimum mark in the reservoir. This helps prevent air from entering the heating component and causing brewing problems.

Press Down The Lid When Brewing Coffee

From my personal experience, I’ve discovered a useful trick for brewing coffee with the Keurig Mini.

Start by turning on your machine and placing a K-Cup inside.
After closing the lid, initiate the brewing cycle.
While your coffee is brewing, lightly press down on the lid.

I’ve found that this gentle pressure can really make a difference when the mini is not pumping water or not brewing a full cup.

Keurig K-mini Needs To Be Cleaned And Descaled

The most common reason a Keurig machine fails to work or pump water is due to clogging, a problem common across all Keurig models.

To resolve this, clean the needles that pierce the K-cup and descale the machine:

Use a Maintenance Cup To Clean The Needle In The Lid

To clean the needle of your Keurig coffee machine and remove any coffee grind remnants, use the cleaning cup provided by Keurig. This is how you do it:

First, turn off your Keurig machine.
Fill the cleaning cup halfway with water.
Open the machine’s lid and place the cleaning cup inside.
Open and close the lid five times.
Remove the cleaning cup.
Turn the coffee maker back on.

Occasionally using a maintenance cup also helps prevent coffee grounds from getting into your coffee.

If you don’t have a Keurig cleaning cup, you can use a similar cleaning cup like this one for this process:

Clean Out The Needle With a Paperclip

If the maintenance cup method for your Keurig K-Mini didn’t work or you need a quick solution, you can clean the needle using a paperclip. Here’s how:

Unplug your Keurig K-Mini and turn it on its back.
Open the lid to locate the needle, which pierces the K-cup during brewing.
Notice three holes around the needle: two beside it and one underneath. These holes can become clogged with coffee grounds and scale.
Insert a paperclip or a similarly pointed object into these holes.
Gently wiggle and turn the paperclip in the holes to loosen any scale or coffee grounds.

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 this needle in the K-cup holder of your Keurig machine, follow these steps:

Remove the cup holder by pushing it from the bottom and then pinching and pulling from the top to take it out.
Disassemble the holder into two pieces.
Locate the needle in the larger piece. Use a paperclip to clear the needle’s hole from the bottom.
Run water through it as you do this.
Reassemble your machine.
Before brewing coffee, run some water through the machine by pressing the button. This helps to clear out any remaining coffee grounds.

Unclog The Tubes From Scale And Air Bubbles

Mineral buildup in the tubes of your coffee maker can restrict water flow or lead to blockages. This issue might cause your machine to brew only half a cup of coffee, as it struggles to push water through.

Additionally, an airlock in the tubes is a common occurrence for pod coffee makers like Keurig and Nespresso. This may occur if you press the brew button when the water reservoir is not sufficiently filled.

To clear scale and air bubbles from the tubes of your Keurig Mini, follow these steps:

Fill the coffee maker’s water tank halfway.
Use a turkey baster, straw, or syringe to draw some water from the tank.
Position the turkey baster (or your chosen tool) over the water suction port in the tank.
Press the brew button, and at the same time, forcefully spray water into the suction port.
Check for obstructions in the suction port:
- Find the small spring inside the water suction port.
- Use the top of the turkey baster (or your tool) to gently wiggle the spring, helping to remove any debris.

These steps should help in unclogging the tubes from scale and air bubbles, ensuring smooth operation of your coffee maker.

Descaling The Keurig K-Mini

Once your coffee machine is up and running, it’s important to descale it thoroughly. This helps prevent similar issues from occurring soon.

Descaling your Keurig is simple. Just use the Keurig descaling solution and follow the straightforward instructions in this video:

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

This problem isn’t limited to the K-Mini. Not pumping water is also common for the Keurig K-Duo, and similarly, the Keurig K-Slim is also prone to the pumping issue.

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!