How to Prime A Keurig [Easy Steps To Follow Upon]:

how to prime a keurig
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Keurig coffee makers are fighting with a frequent problem with their machine, which is the error message to Prime the coffee machine. First, you need to calm down, because it’s not a big problem!

When water doesn’t come out of the reservoir, your Keurig coffee maker can display a “Prime” error message. There are a number of reasons why water may not be entering including stacked debris in the needle, the reservoir could be out of alignment, or itself being dirty.

The important and easy way to find a way out is to clean your Keurig and test it with a water-only brew cycle to fix the problem.

However, in this article, we’ll explore the possible hacks you can try to get your cup of coffee back, so stay tuned…..

Key Takeaways
  • Your Keurig’s Prime function just serves as a warning that it is experiencing a water supply problem because of its reservoir.
  • The water tank not properly attached, the reservoir being dirty, or the machine being clogged lead your coffee maker to alert that it needs to get primed.
  • To prime a Keurig you can try out different ways of powering it on and off, cleaning the outlets with mild dish soap and agents and the final solution is to descale your Keurig.
  • If nothing solves the problem and your Keurig is still not functioning properly, you need to contact the Keurig customer helpline to get your queries solved.

What Does “Prime A Keurig” Indicates?

Prime, your Keurig, only refers to an indication of an error message that its reservoir isn’t supplying it with enough water.

The LCD screen of your brewer will indicate Prime if it is a Platinum or Special Edition model, and it won’t brew. The Add Water, Heating, and Small Cup Size indications will flash on models without a display panel.

This can be brought on by particles of charcoal from your filter, sediment in your tap water, or lint left over from wiping out the reservoir with a towel.

Why Are You Seeing the “Prime A Keurig” Error Message?

Before digging deep into the problem might be that much. You might have improperly connected the water reservoir to your coffee machine, which could be the root of your “Prime” issue.

Sometimes all that you need to do is to turn off, unplug, and reconnect. And if that fixes the problem has been fixed, you can get back to your daily routine.

If the above solution doesn’t solve the problem, then I am sorry to tell you that you need to put some effort into solving the problem. Here are the typical problems that can occur, indicated by the Prime error, that you carefully need to look into:

  • Water cannot adequately flow through your dirty water reservoir because it is not properly positioned.
  • Your water storage tank is dirty.
  • The exit and entry Keurig needles are clogged with extracted coffee leftovers.

Honestly, all of these problems are fairly simple to resolve by properly cleaning your brewer and checking with a simple water-only brew cycle.

Things You Should Know Before Starting Priming Your Keurig:

For cleaning the machine, you might need some cleaning supplies, including a light soap, brush, warm water, and Keurig Descaling Solution.

For equipment, you might need a turkey baster or anything to squirt water. Then you’ll need a soft cloth (to avoid tasting soapy water) and a paper clip, a safety pin, and Keurig Cleaning Pod to clean the needle.

If you don’t have these things by now, you can easily get the descaling solution and other supplies from amazon.

How To Prime Your Keurig? A Quick Guide:

Here are some of the quick fixes you can try to prime your Keurig easily at home without much hustle, so let’s follow along:

Fix Prime Error While Squirting Water into the Base Of Keurig:

After getting a turkey baster or any material to squirt water under the water reservoir base area, you just have to follow the steps:

  1. Make sure your water reservoir is clean enough. If not, refill the water tank with fresh water.
  2. Under the water reservoir, you can see a back plastic hole. Use a utensil to check if something is not stuck in there and if the water is pouring out successfully.
  3. You can see a little outlet on the machine where you place your reservoir.
  4. Get a cup of water and dip the turkey baster to pump the water into it.
  5. Then insert the turkey baster into the base hole outlet of your machine three times.
  6. Place the water reservoir.
  7. Replug the machine and turn it on again.

Now you can insert the k-cup, and your coffee will surely be pouring out in seconds!

Re-seat Your Water Tank Can Fix the Problem:

  1. Remove the lid from the water reservoir.
  2. Remove your water tank from the machine and simply place it back in your Keurig machine.
  3. Make sure the water tank is not showing any air bubbles up till now.
  4. Place the lid back onto the tank.

Brew your cup of coffee and see if that works out for you.

Clean Your Water Tank Properly To Solve Keurig Prime Error:

You might not be able to see the dirt residing in your reservoir, but you can see the layer of water if you place it under the light. That is the layer of algae that don’t like the water to enter into the machine.

  1. Unplug the machine.
  2. Remove the water tank.
  3. Throw the already placed water into the water tank.
  4. Then clean the water reservoir with a gentle brush and soft dish soap. Make sure to clean out all the outlets on your water tank where the most of dirt sits.
  5. Gently shake the water tank and then pour out the water and repeat it three times.
  6. Dry it with a damp cloth.
  7. Refill the tank with distilled and fresh water so that the limescale won’t build up on the inside of your tank.
  8. Then place it back and put the lid on it.

Run the brew cycle again. By this time, you should get your issue resolved from this. If not, you can try on other ways too.

Cleaning The Keurig Needle With Paper Clip or Safety pin Can Solve The Issue:

  • Switch off your Keurig and leave it for ten minutes to cool down.
  • Unlock the brew head.
  • Simply manoeuvre your paper clip or safety pin around the needle to grab the coffee granules.
  • On the paper clip, you can see the clutter that has accumulated inside.

If you think that the needle is not cleaned yet, you can use a Keurig cleaning pod by inserting it into the machine, and after its cycle, you will get rid of the dirt completely.

Descaling Your Keurig, All-Time Working Solution:

Depending on how frequently you use it, you should descale your Keurig every three to six months to clean out any calcium buildup inside your equipment so that it can stay in good condition.

image source: walmart
  1. Empty the water reservoir in your brewer before beginning the descaling procedure.
  2. Fill the reservoir with a full bottle of Keurig’s Descaling Solution.
  3. Water should now be in the empty bottle; add it as well.
  4. Make sure there are no K-Cup pods left in the brewer, set a large mug on the drip tray, and switch on the Descale mode.
  5. Your model will determine how to do this, so check it on the user manual of your Keurig model.
  6. Press the brew button to begin descaling once the light starts blinking.
  7. Repeat the descaling procedure while holding down the brew button until the “add water” indicator turns on.
  8. Thoroughly rinse the reservoir, then fill it with new water and run a purifying brew.
  9. Continue until the Descale notification disappears.

Your brewer is once again ready for use after the Descale notification disappears.

Brew Water Cycle Twice To Prime Your Coffee Maker:

  1. Plug the machine.
  2. Make sure your Keurig is completely empty, void of any k-capsules in k Cup holder.
  3. Fill the water tank.
  4. Brew your machine the same way when you make coffee.
  5. Place a large container in front of the brew head to collect the water.
  6. Repeat this process twice.

Then leave the machine at rest for 10 mins. Insert the k-cup, and you’ll surely get a cup of coffee.

What if Keurig isn’t fixed after prime?

If the Keurig isn’t fixed yet, you need to simply contact Keurig customer support: at 866-901-2739, who are available from (7 a.m. – 12 a.m. EST).

They will guide you and will provide further assistance to make your machine get back to its working state.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the above hacks might have worked for you. The simplest take you can learn from this is that you should keep a check on your machine once after every week because the only major work it requires to solve all these occurring problems is cleaning and maintenance.

So, the more you keep your machine’s condition alive at best, the less problem you’ll face.

FAQs

Can you prime your Keurig with vinegar?

White vinegar is the cleaning agent you can have on hand if the Keurig descaling solution is not. You should combine vinegar and water in equal amounts. White vinegar should be added to the reservoir up to nearly half. Then more water should be added until it is full.

Why won’t my Keurig pump water?

This can be fixed by priming your Keurig. This will help your machine to get cleaned of any dirt or calcium buildup in your machine water reservoir, needles, or any other outlet of the machine.

Where can I locate the Reset button on Keurig?

There is no reset button on Keurig, but you can reset it by following these steps:

First, shut off your Keurig.

  1. Unplug the appliance for a couple of hours.
  2. Remove your Keurig’s water reservoir.
  3. Wait a few minutes without the water reservoir while the unplugged brewer is unplugged.
  4. Replace the water reservoir after turning on the device’s power.

Your Keurig is reset now, and you can enjoy your delicious cup.

How do you pump air out of a Keurig water line?

The debris is typically white and is situated at the tank’s bottom. To cover the spout, place a plastic straw or turkey baster while holding the Keurig upside-down. To drive out any last bits of debris, puff on the straw a few times. And that’s how you can blow air out of the water line.

Why does my Keurig start to brew and then stop?

Because the K-Cup hasn’t been punctured on the bottom by the needle in the K-Cup basket, a Keurig frequently switches off during brewing. Additionally, a jammed brew needle, a broken outlet, or a misplaced water reservoir magnet can cause it to shut off.

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