Keurig Prime Error fix

keurig coffee maker

Keurig prime error fix

If you own a Keurig you have probably experienced this problem and searched online as did I for a cure. I couldn’t find anything that worked so I took it upon myself to try repairing it on my own.

Easy fix and so far after more than 24 cups I haven’t had the problem anymore. Prior to fix my Keurig would need to be unplugged and warmed up again in between EVERY cup brewed. This started after about a year of use.

1. At bottom inside of  reservoir water tank  you will need to remove 3 screws that hold the filter screen in place. Take screen and scrub/ rinse any particles that have accumulated. Replace back into tank.

2. Turn Keurig brewer over and remove 5 screws that hold the bottom cover plate. After removing you will see a small plastic hose that attaches the pump to the intake where the water enters from the reservoir tank. There are two zip ties and a hose clamp that keep the hose attached to the fittings. You will need to clean the plastic inlet at the top of the hose, Remove the 2  screws holding it to the base of the brewer. Then cut loose the two zip tie ends from the hose. This will allow removal of the inlet tube.

3. Push out the black plastic screen from the white plastic/ rubber inlet. Replacing it is easy as it only goes back in the inlet one way. Scrub and rinse the screen to remove debris. Replace back into the inlet. Attach the hose to the inlet and secure with two new zip ties. Screw inlet back in place and replace the bottom cover.

4. At this point I primed the intake where the reservoir tank fits into the base ( you can find this where the blue low water light comes on with tank removed). Pour a little water into this hole prior to placing the tank back in place. This will help insure that water draws thru without air on the first brew.

5. I ran a couple of water cycles thru the brewer prior to using coffee to make sure all was working well.

6. Good luck and happy trouble free brewing! Check out my posts while your here. I appreciate your input.

The Regular Guy

 

 

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43 Responses to Keurig Prime Error fix

  1. paul walker says:

    tried step 1. I’ll bet 90 % of the problems are with this part. It has worked as well as ever so far. Put some lime away and used a small paint brush to scrub the screen and rinsed. Now I can actually see through it. Thanks.

  2. Great. Just pulled apart a second one yesterday for my wife’s workplace. Although they are having more of a problem with the cup itself slowing flow. I think the cup holder needs cleaning as the hole is probably clogged some with old coffee and scaling.

  3. Anna says:

    Thank you! !!! I did exactly what you instructed and it works ! I have only used my kureig approximately 30 times and decided to put it away as I drink alot of coffee. I always use bottled water for coffee. I was pretty upset when it didn’t work. So I THANK YOU. …

  4. your very welcome.thanks for posting that it works!

  5. Brenda says:

    After reading approximately 6 different “fixes for prime failure light ” , my husband was most interested in the , TAKE A HAMMER TO IT. I choose
    ” The Regular Guy ” approach, it was a team effort , took about 30 mins total. And we are happy to say , He has a working Keurig !, He wanted me to make sure and say thank you !!

  6. The regular guy says:

    Thank you so much for leaving that great comment. Im glad that your husband is again enjoying his coffee.I kept my hammer was close by just in case it didnt work out.

  7. SafetyS says:

    It Worked! You are the Man! Thanks for Being!

  8. No Problem.glad i could help

  9. Kim says:

    there is a little wheel under the water resiviour, take a knife and manually turn it, this will fix the problem

  10. Only if there isn’t any sediment built up on it. Thanks for your input!

  11. Jean Claude says:

    After thorougly cleaning the reservoir without any success, I used a fine painter’s brush (with a long handle) to delicately brush the fine screen making sure that any coffee left on the screen would be gone. And it worked fine.
    thanks

  12. Alayna says:

    Still having trouble the screen is completely clean, someone told me to put a filter in but it seems as though there already is one, someone help!

  13. The regular guy says:

    Did u clean the filter inside the reservoir too. That one gets clogged faster than the one inside the brewer.

  14. Zach says:

    Everything looked clean and clear on mine but I tried this anyway. Worked!!! Thanks!

  15. Vicky says:

    After prime message, followed Keurig instructions. When I put water back it, the LCD window showed “not ready” but water was spewing out and kept going until the prime msg returned. I found your post and my husband and I followed the instructions despite the filters and hose looking clean. When put back together and water intake primed with a bit of water before putting super clean reservoir back in place, the “not ready” msg was on and it spewed out water AGAIN. Before and after doing your steps the water spews until it shows Prime again with the blue light blinking. Any suggestions?

  16. The regular guy says:

    Seems to me that you are having a different problem. Ours was due to a clogged filter system.
    Not sure whats happening to your unit although it seems your getting water which I couldn’t get. I know that bed bath and beyond take back keurigs without a receipt. i have friends that gave up and went there for an exchange.Sorry I couldnt help with my fix. You can see by the comments that it helped a lot of people.

  17. Bonita says:

    Omg!!! Thank you Thank you!!! My husband almost through it out in the yard! Thank you just a normal Guy!!!!!

  18. Bonita says:

    Next Q, why does my reservoir, on the plastic holder always has a left over water prob about a cup

  19. thanks bonita for the comments. I believe they all retain a certain amount of water but not enough to brew another cup of coffee. i don’t see this as a problem though.

  20. Inneedofcoffee says:

    Worked beautifully. Thank you sooooo much. I was about to cry when I could not have my coffee. I am now off to enjoy. You life saver you.

  21. wow. I should call Kuerig and tell them they should read my Blog if they want to know how to fix their coffee machine. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback and great results from this post. Thanks for taking time to leave me a comment and enjoy the brew!!!

  22. Steve says:

    Thank you so much. Great directions for an easy fix. Wish I had done it sooner.

  23. the regular guy says:

    Thanks Steve..sign up and follow all my posts!

  24. Sandy Bryan says:

    Well, found your fix and was hoping it would work. However, after taking it apart, still won’t draw water. I suspect other hoses are clogged (I can see hard sediment in smaller hoses). I think my mom waited too long to run vinegar through it. We have really, really hard water. The pump itself may even had scale in it. I can hear it trying to draw water, but it doesn’t.

  25. Wow, you must have some build up going on with that machine. Not sure of another fix and I haven’t needed to take mine apart again since I did the cleanup. Sorry it didn’t help fix your Kuerig but maybe its too far gone.

  26. Kathy says:

    If you’re a low-tech person, like me, a quick solution to this problem is to fill the water reservoir with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Run it through the machine. Follow with at least two reservoirs of water alone, until you are no longer smelling the vinegar in the cup of brewed water. It fixed my priming problem with the first cup of vinegar water. I also rescued another Keurig with this method that I thought was destined for the garbage can- it was not drawing water at all- a little vinegar in the reservoir and it was like magic!

  27. Hi Kathy.. I tried that on my Kuerig prior to taking it apart. It works for minor build up but if done periodically it probably would keep the lines clear for the life of the brewer. I would venture to say that using filtered water would help too. Thanks for checking out my site and commenting on a fix!

  28. Eric Jubin says:

    I was optimistic, but after removing the bottom and cleaning out the black plastic screen in step 3 and then putting everything back together the way I left it, I seem to have a slow leak during the brewing cycle and little puddles of water accumulate under the machine. Did you encounter this or know a way to resolve it?

  29. Hello Eric
    Sorry to hear that a new problem now exists. The only thing I can think of that might be happening is that the clamp that holds the hose on the valve might not be on properly.
    If my memory serves me right( I haven’t performed this cleaning since the time I wrote the post) that’s the place most likely to leak. Try running it before putting the bottom back on.
    Maybe you can see where the water is coming from.
    tRG

  30. Patti says:

    Thanks for this tip! Saved me $100+ replacement cost (for now) and a trip to the corner store for our Sunday morning coffee! 😉
    While neither part looked like it had any sediment or debris in them, removing and reinstalling did the trick! Thanks again!

  31. Thanks so much for your kind words I’m so surprised that people are finding my website and the solution is working out for them in a good way good luck and happy Brewing

  32. Cherri says:

    I just wanted to thank you, so very much for your info. I have been trying for like about six months to fix my keurig, which was a birthday present. I would clean it because that’s what all the websites would say to get all the lime and scale deposits out of it but it never helped. Then I came across your’s today and you metioned taking it apart and cleaning filters and tubes. Well I couldn’t get the tiny screws out of the part inside the reservoir so I took a tiny fine brush and cleaned it even though it didn’t look dirty at all and to my total amazement it worked. So from the bottom of my heart I thank you so much!! I’m a single lady on a fixed income and I couldn’t afford to buy a new one. So again thxs so much for your great advice. Happy again in Minnesota.

  33. Skoal..Go Vikes!!!!so glad to have helped you out. Tell your friends about my site.

  34. Miranda Rodriquez says:

    We have had a slow working Brewer for the last few months (and also prime errors on and off as well) what did you do to help your wife’s work’s Brewer with the slow fill? Ours will only work if it’s on the largest cup setting… So frustrating.

  35. Karen says:

    Thank you! I stopped at step 1 to test it…and I’m back to making full servings!

  36. I should post more fixes on my site. Ive gotten more comments on this post than any other. Thank you

  37. Michael Warner says:

    Hi

    Thanks for the great tips. It finally got my stubborn Keurig work and the other tips seem so complex
    Thanks again 👏👏👏👏😃😃😃

    Michael

  38. Hey Mike…thanks for the comment. Glad it worked out for you. Hot coffee for the holidays!

  39. Phil Kilcoin says:

    Thanks for the help on the Keurig.
    I did step #1 only to get our Keurig primed and working. It is worth noting that filter screen looked perfectly fine. No visible particles. I took it out and washed it under the sink. Put it back in and everything worked fine.

  40. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. Happy Brewing!

  41. Herschel says:

    Thank you for heading me in the right direction. Even all this failed and it was not until I got my wife to hold it over the edge of the counter and I pushed on the tug going to the pump that it started working. Then when the water started running it was easy to see what was causing the problem.

  42. Tory says:

    Thank you so much!! I baby my machine, descale every 3 months so this consistent priming every 3rd cup was pushing me in the direction of new machine. I’m a penny pincher but I need coffee!! On I whim I searched and there you were. You saved me me big time!

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