7 Cuisinart Single Serve Coffee Maker Problems Solved!

The iconic Keurig machine completely changed the coffee industry when they invented k-cups and single serve brewers back in 1998.

While intended to be used in offices, I think we can all agree, these single serve coffee machines have taken over college dorms, households and everywhere in between.

While Keurig put their home brewers on the market in 2004, Cuisinart was quick to follow and by 2005, Cuisinart created their own single serve coffee makers.

They now offer six different single serve brewers in total, with some even having the options to grind your own coffee beans, where the grounds go directly into a reusable k-cup.

This particular brewer, the DGB-2 Series, has even been listed as the best single-serve coffee maker with a grinder attached by Good Housekeeping.

This guide mainly applies to many of these single serve coffee makers (such as the Cuisinart SS-15) but does not cover ones such as the DGB-2 series we widely.

Problems are unfortunately unavoidable when it comes to owning a more mechanical product like a coffee machine but doesn’t mean they can’t be easily fixed so you can get back to spending some quality time with a cup of good coffee.

Today, we’ll delve into seven of the most common problems with Cuisinart single-serve coffee makers, along with potential solutions if you come across any of these issues!

If you find your k-cup’s exploding or if there are a lot of coffee grounds making their way into your cup, there are two potential causes for this.

Cause #1: The pod has been incorrectly placed

When you’re placing a K-Cup or coffee pod into the holder, make sure it is fully clicked into place, and that the arrow on the coffee pod holder lines up perfectly with the arrow on the machine itself.

Cause #2: The piercing & exit needles are clogged

The second potential cause for this issue is that the piercing & exit needles (the needles that go into the k-cups) have grounds in them and have gotten clogged.

This can lead to water not being able to correctly flow through the needles and thus a pressure buildup causing the cup to “explode”.

These blocked needles can actually cause quite a few common problems for these single serve coffee makers so we’ve created a section dedicated to cleaning them.

 Click here to jump to the section!

Inconsistent brewing temperatures are typically caused by issues with the boiler or heating element within the coffee machine.

If scale, or minerals from the water, builds up on this heating element, the boiler may not heat correctly.

This temperature variation is not only annoying but can also affect how your coffee tastes since it isn’t being brewed properly.

Solution:

Like our last problem, the solution here is to give your machine a nice clean via descaling.

Click here to jump to the section on descaling your machine!

Cause: The O-Ring needs cleaning or replacing

O-Rings are a type of seal found commonly in equipment or machinery.  In the case of your coffee machine, they help prevent leaks and also keeps the pressure regulated.

In your single serve coffee maker, there is most likely one at the connection point of the water reservoir and the machine, as well as in the brew basket.

If the O-Ring is dirty or broken, it doesn’t seal water in correctly, which can cause water leakage from the bottom of the reservoir.

Cuisinart put out a video breaking down the best way to go about it here!

Cause: Using mineral rich tap water

If you find yourself constantly having the same problems such as scale buildup in your coffee machine, it may be time to look at the type of water you’re using.

Unfiltered tap water is considered “hard water”. It contains a number of minerals and other particles that can cause scale build up in your machine and water hose.

By using filtered or “soft water” to brew your coffee, you can minimize the amount of scale build up. In turn, you may not need your Cuisinart machine as much!

An extra bonus to using filtered water is that it makes a much better cup of coffee, as you don’t have all the extra minerals interfering with that flavor coffee lovers enjoy.

Cleaning clogged piercing needles:

While this solution requires slightly more effort, it is still very easy to do.

First start by taking the k-cup holder out from the coffee machine.

Once this is completed you should be able to twist it apart, leaving you with an upper and lower half.

Then, take a paper clip and straighten part of it out. Insert the paper clip into the upper needle and twist to remove and grounds or grime.

Then, repeat this step with the bottom needle.

Once both needles are cleaned, piece back the k-cup holder and reinsert into the machine.

Are you visual learner? Here is a video from Cuisinart themselves showing the process.

Before brewing another cup of coffee, run a cycle or two using a vinegar water mix to ensure the needles and machine are clean completely.

Descaling Solution

Although Descaling may sound complicated, it’s actually easy and only involves you adding a bit of vinegar to the water reservoir system and brewing like normal.

Follow these steps to de-scale your unit:

1. Empty the reservoir

2. Disable the AUTO OFF and OFF TIME features

3. Making sure there is no capsule in the brewing chamber, fill the reservoir with 20 oz. of white vinegar, plus 40 oz. of water

4. Place a large mug on the drip tray. Press and hold the HOT WATER and RINSE buttons to start the de-scale process. Discard contents of mug.

5. Repeat Step 4 until ADD WATER is displayed on the control panel.

6. Rinse the water reservoir thoroughly and fill with fresh water.

7. Run another Hot Water cycle (see page 11). Discard contents of large mug.

8. Repeat hot water process until ADD WATER is displayed on the control panel.

9. You may need to perform additional Hot Water cycles if you detect any residual vinegar taste. Note: If DE-SCALE is still displayed on the control panel after completing the procedure, repeat the de-scaling procedure above. Maintenance: Any oth

Cuisinart states in their own troubleshooting guide that if you have de-scaled your machine twice already and the issue persists, contact customer their service team. 1-800-726-0190

Use filtered water

While it may seem a bit fancy to only use filtered water in your coffee machine, there are real benefits to it!

Firstly, you’ll most likely have to clean your machine less often. Scale buildup is one of the biggest issues when it comes to having a coffee machine. Tap water contains so many minerals that build up on various parts of the machine, causing it to not work as well as we might want.

Filtered water often has substantially less of these minerals, often leading to less scale buildup and overall, a cleaner machine,

Beyond cleanliness, the lack of minerals in filtered water leads tooa  clenaer and better tasting cup of cofee being brewed.

Pro Tip: The SS-10 actualyl comes with a charcoal water filter attachment in it. Having this filter helps prevent scale and other gunk from getting into the internal parts and water lines of your favorite machine.

Routine inspection of machine components

​The best way to take care of your machine is to do proper maintenance or regular cleaning on it 9or at least semi-regularly!)

This way you can catch a potential problem before it gets bad.

There are simple ways to do this, either by setting a time every month to descale your machine, or just giving the capsule holder a good rinse every now and then.

Cuisinart put out a video on how to properly clean your single-serve brewer to help ensure you can have it for as long as possible!

Brewing with a reusable filter cup (reusable k-cup)

If you have one of the handy refillable pods at home with you, that’s fantastic! The process to brewing a fresh coffee is pretty much the same as if you were using a normal k-cup. All you need to do is pop out that brewing capsule that you would normally place your k-cup in, and replace it with your resuable one.

note: when you’re filling your reusable k-cup with coffee grounds, be sure not to fill it above the max line and leave it loose or untamped.

Sometimes you can try everything, and the problem still won’t go away. When this happens, it’s best to leave it to the professionals and call customer support for help.

There are a few instances when Cuisinart actually suggests this, rather than keep trying to solve the issue. One of these instances is if you have descaled the machine properly twice and the descale alert will not go away.

The good thing is, most, if not all, of Cuisinart machines come with a 3-year limited time warranty. This warranty takes place from the date of purchase IF you have proof. If you haven’t kept your receipt since you’ve bought it, it will go from the day the product was manufactured.

If you’re interested in getting your product serviced. you can call the toll-free Cuisinart number at 1-800-726-0190. Note this is only for the US & Canada (and with exceptions for California)

Lastly, all warranty information (and also more cleaning guides!) should be in the manual that came with your coffee brewer. If you’ve thrown yours out (like I do!) they actually have all of them, even the discontinued ones, on the website!

Just click here to access it! 

If this add water indicator doesn’t turn off after the water is added, there may be a different issue and it’s recommended to call the customer service line.

Cuisinart machines are fantastic and have found their way into so many homes around the world. Maintenace problems are expected as with most machines, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world!

We covered a lot of information today for the 7 most common issues when it comes to Cuisinart single serve brewers, but the two main causes for these issues across the board was the piercing needles needing to be cleaned or the machine might need a good descale.

Thankfully both of these are easy to fix and it definitely helps that Cuisinart has put together a number of great videos to help you through the process.

You can find both of these videos below this summary as well as a general cleaning video here.

If you keep having problems with your Cuisinart or these solutions don’t fix your problem, you most likely have a 3-year warranty on your machine.

Cuisinart has a toll-free customer service number for US and Canada customers to help get a service started!

And lastly, remember, the best way to take care of your single-serve brewer is to clean it more often than not!