Sometimes coffee makers (as nearly everything) get broken for no apparent reason. When everything seems to be ok on the outside, then the problem must be on the inside, so here are some tips to help you identify the most common problems and, if you are lucky, repair your coffee maker yourself.
Problem: The coffee maker does not turn on.Symptoms: Light on the coffee maker does not lit, there are no sounds coming from it, and it never heats up.Possible causes and solutions: This may be caused by a burnt fuse, a defective power cord or something more important. If your coffee maker has a fuse and it is burnt then replace it, but always do it with the same type and rate of fuse, to avoid the chance of more severe problems. If you find no fuse, plug your coffee maker to a different outlet, just to be sure this is not the cause.
If it still does not work, replace the power cord (you can do it yourself if you are careful and know the basic electrical concepts, but if you don’t want to do it yourself you can ask a professional to do it). If, after replacing the cord with a new one, it still does not work, contact a coffee maker repairer.
Problem: The coffee maker is turned on but you are not getting any coffee.Symptoms: The maker is on and heats up, but hot water is not coming out.
Possible causes and solutions: The tubes may be clogged. Sometimes water leaves calcium and other mineral residues on the tubes, clogging them after a while. Try using your coffee maker with vinegar instead of water. If it unclogs, run water through your coffee maker a minimum of three times, in order to wash out the vinegar.
Problem: The coffee maker is turned on but you get only dirty cold water instead of coffee.Symptoms: The maker sucks water and pours it onto the coffee, but this water is cold.
Possible causes and solutions: The heating coil of your coffee maker may be dead or dying. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do, as replacement coils are extremely difficult to find and install. Consider buying a new coffee maker.
Tamara Williams is a writer for Coffee which is a site dedicated to providing consumers with information on Coffee Products and brewing.