When our beloved coffee makers start acting up, it’s usually something to think about. Noises coming out of appliances is always of concerns, our immediate thought would be that it broke. But that’s not necessarily the reason for clicking sounds.
For Keurig brewers, many customers have reported clicking sounds, and there are several of them:
- Clicking noise + Slow Brewing or Won’t Brew
- Clicking noise + Not powering on
- Clicking noise, but everything is running correctly.
I’ll go over each of these clicking sounds coming from a Keurig, possible reasons and how to fix them.
Keurig is Making a Clicking Sounds but It Will Not Brew (Or Slow Brew)
If you insert a pod, select a serving size and hit the brew button. Then your Keurig starting with the clicking sounds, but no coffee comes out?
Usually this happens when the needle puncturing the K-Cup is clogged. Your machine has heated the water and is trying to deliver it through the needle and into the pod, but it’s clogged.
The Fix
This is a simple fix of unclogging the needle. No special tools required, only a paper clip!
Unfold the paper clip and use it to unclog the needle placed in the machine lid. Be careful as it’s sharp. Push the paper clip into the needle to get rid of any coffee grounds causing the clogging. When you’re done, try doing a brew cycle without inserting a cup (only hot water comes out) to get rid of any residue.
If the water comes out perfectly, then your needle is no longer clogged.
I would also recommend that you run a descale cycle on your machine to clean its internal parts.
Keurig Is Making a Clicking Sounds but Won’t Turn On
If your brewer is making clicking noises but isn’t turning on, or it turns on then off, it means that it’s trying to run power through but something is stopping it.
First thing you’ll want to do, is to make sure that the outlet you are using isn’t causing the issue here. Trying plugging in another appliance and see if it works as it should. Once you’ve confirmed that the outlet is NOT the problem…
The clicking sound is most likely coming from a corrupt capacitor and the power not being able to circulate. If your machine is still under warranty, I would advise you send it for repair.
If it’s an old Keurig, then it might be time for a new one.
Keurig Is Making a Clicking Sound, But Brewing is Fine and It’s Turning On Fine?
That’s nothing to worry about. If your brew is coming out nicely and the machine is not failing at any point, then what you’re hearing is probably the sound of the heater bringing up the water to brew temperature.
Keurig Is Making a Clicking or Buzzing Sounds, Even When it’s Off?
Some Keurig models will make, what many users refer to as ‘weird’ noises after it’s done brewing, even if the machine is off. There are two reasons for this:
Decompression and Purging…
Some models are designed to decompress to bring themselves back to normal temperature after brewing. This would result in clicking sounds, which is most likely the sound of the plastic housing reacting to temperature changes.
The Fix
Sometimes, after a brew or two, air gets trapped in the lines inside the machine. This is another reason for clicking sounds. To fix this, try making a small brew with no pod inside. The hot water should push out any trapped air.
Another thing to try, especially if the noises are happening after brewing, is to open the lid of the reservoir and keep it that way until the machine cools. Chances are, the noises are coming from air in the internal reservoir looking for an escape. This happens especially in models that don’t have a reservoir where you have to add fresh water every brew cycle, such as the K-Mini.
Summary
In conclusion, most of the time, clicking sounds are of no concern unless your machine isn’t powering on, then that will mostly likely mean it has a power failure.
If your machine is powering on, first bet would be that it needs a clean up. We use and abuse our brewers and forget that coffee residue can get in the way. I would advise you descale and unclog the needle on your Keurig every 3 to 6 months, depending on your use.
Lastly, clicking sounds with no function problems. Those are annoying, and in some models are definitely some sort of design flaw. You can try workarounds to get the sounds to stop, but if none of those work, I would advise that you contact Keurig for a replacement or a return.
