If your Mr Coffee beeps and does not brew, the most common issue seems to be either hard scales on the copper tubes (fixed by descaling) or an issue with the electrical system, like a blown thermostat fuse or broken hotplate wiring.
Irrespective of what machine you have, either a programmable 12-cup Mr.Coffee or the Mr.Coffee mini, the electrical system is simple, therefore you can find the issue by counting the beeps. Does it beep 3 times or 5 times? Depending on that, I have listed all the possible fixes in this guide.
Do not use a Vinegar or Citric acid solution for descaling, it affects the copper pipes that are inside the machine. Instead choose a descaling agent or a descaling tablet that is made specifically for coffee machines.
Read Also: Top 10 coffee beans on Amazon that you can buy today
| 5 Beep issue | This can happen if the wiring inside the machine is faulty. Often, it is because of a blown thermostat fuse. Even though there is a workaround for this issue, I don’t recommend operating the machine. Consult the authorized service center |
| 3 beep issue | Formation of scales because of hard water usage. Descale properly using the effervescent tablet to fix the problem. |
| Clogged water tube | There can be coffee grounds that enter the water reservoir and eventually clog the water tube. The solution is to open the bottom of the machine, unplug the water tube, and remove the blockage manually. Though cumbersome it is a simple fix. |
Machine beeps 5 times after powering on
The most common issue is with the thermostat fuse or a faulty hotplate wiring. Since there is no power supply to the hot plate, it causes the machine to beep 5 times.
The fix is to take the machine to a certified dealership. If you are in the US, consider checking these dealers. I do not recommend fixing the machine yourself.
However, I did find some useful videos online that show how to get around the fuse problem. This is useful, but not safe considering they attempt to override the fuse wiring by connecting the power supply directly to the input. This can cause the hotplate to overheat and lead to other issues down the road.
Though not a proper fix, you can check the video that I have linked below for more information. Again, do not attempt if you have no prior experience fixing electrical issues in a machine.
Machine beeps 3 beeps
The Mr Coffee 3 beep issue can be fixed, it often happens because the water does not reach the nozzle on top of the coffee filter. It can be because of the build-up of limescale inside the copper tubes or a blockage in the entry tube that transports the water from the reservoir
Before we jump into the fix, verify if the components in your machine are in the proper place.
- Check if the lid is locked
- Verify if the filter basket is in place
- Is the water reservoir full and not empty?
- Place your carafe properly under the nozzle and ensure that it is not sticking out.
Run a descale cycle
Most of the fixes available online, directly jump into opening the machine up. I do not recommend this, if you have been using Mr.Coffee for at least 3-4 months without running a proper descale cycle then you can expect a good amount of limescale buildup.
Strongly don’t recommend using vinegar or citric acid as your descaling agent. Instead prefer something that is made specifically for coffee machines like the Mr.Coffee effervescent tablets that you drop into your water reservoir.
- Make sure the carafe is empty and the coffee maker is powered off (Unplug it from the socket)
- Clear the coffee grounds and clean the filter before placing it back into the machine.
- Fill the reservoir with water and drop the effervescent tablet into the reservoir and wait for the bubbles to settle down.
- Place the carafe under the brew nozzle, power it on, and run a brew cycle
- You have to run the cycle twice, the first time it does a clean run and might have some gunk pushed out.
- I usually run another cycle if I haven’t cleaned my coffee maker in a long time. To my surprise, I had so much scale build-up that got cleaned up effectively.
- Run a water-only cycle and verify if the machine still beeps 3 times.
TIP: If your machine does not run a water-only/descale cycle. Pour hot water into the reservoir, and drop the tablet. Run a cleaning cycle as normal. The water should run through the pipe and start dripping. If this does not happen, then there is a clog in the water tube at the bottom which you need to manually fix.
Fix Clogged tubes
The problem with most of the basic coffee makers is that they are not made with durability in mind. However, Mr.Coffee has decent customer service at least in the United States so you can take it to the authorised dealer. If you have previous experience operating with electricals, then time to check if there is a clog in the water tube.
Newer Mr.Coffee machines have 7 screws at the bottom, unscrew all of them and start the below process.
- The water line runs from the reservoir to the hotplate before connecting to the copper pipe.
- Remove the water tube and start blowing into it with your mouth. As another tip, use a turkey baster syringe or compressed air can.
- This should clear any blockage that is there in the water tube.
- Close the bottom lid and power the machine on.
- Verify that the line is clear by descaling using the above steps.
TIP: Try pouring some water on the hot plate and check if the plate is getting hot. If it does, then there is no issue with the internal electric unit like a thermostat or the fuse.
Replace the machine
Lower-end coffee makers do end up dying fast, that is the nature of fast consumables. Before you replace(If you have the 12-cup Mr.coffee), check out the authorized service center for a service or reach out to customer care. For USA customers, you can Call 1-800-672-6333
Have you decided it is time to replace your Coffee maker? my recommendation will be to invest in a decent Nespresso or Ninja coffee maker. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, a suitable alternative will be a keurig variant like keurig K-slim or K-mini.
References
