Cuisinart coffee maker troubleshooting

Cuisinart is a premium home appliance brand with more than 40 years of experience in the market.

Their quality is so high that they are one of the few brands worldwide that offer a 3-year guarantee on most of their coffee makers.

Each product they manufacture is subjected to demanding quality controls to guarantee its proper functioning, especially coffee machines.

However, this high quality of Cuisinart coffee makers does not exempt them from problems in their operation. 

For this reason, we have prepared this article with the most common problems that a Cuisinart coffee maker can face and their solutions. 

But before going into details, we recommend that you consult the user manual for Cuisinart coffee makers ; maybe there you will find the solution to the problem of your coffee maker.

Read more: How to descale Tassimo coffee machines

Problems with water leaks in the Cuisinart coffee maker

If you located the leak at the junction of the hoses to the heater, you will need needle nose pliers, a CR-VT10 security Torx screwdriver, a small flat-blade screwdriver, wire cutters, and silicone (optional). Step by step repair:

1. Turn off and unplug the coffee maker.
2. Make sure the water tank is completely empty .
3. Lay the coffee pot down so you can access the screws on the bottom; we want to remove the bottom cover.
4. Using a security Torx screwdriver (CR-VT10), remove the bottom 4 screws . Once all the screws are removed, you may need to slide a flat-blade screwdriver across the gasket to remove the bottom cover.
5. Now you must find the location of the leak . Some people have found leaks in the aluminum water heater itself, but one of the main causes of leaks in Cuisinart coffee makers is undoubtedly hose damage , so check the hoses for integrity carefully.
6. Once you’ve located the broken hose, squeeze the hose clamp and push it toward the water heater.
7. Remove the cracked hose from the boiler . If the crack is right at the end of the hose where it connects to the boiler, it may not be necessary to replace the hose, just cut off the damaged end.
8. Reinstall the hose on the water heater and reattach the hose clamp.
9. Reinstall the bottom cover.

Read more: How to descale Dolce Gusto coffee machines

My Cuisinart coffee maker won’t make coffee

If your Cuisinart coffee maker won’t make coffee, you can try a few techniques to fix this problem. Follow the instructions below:

• Check that the coffee maker is connected to a good power source. If the voltage is not stable, the coffee maker will not serve coffee.
• Remove the lid of the water tank and check that you have put the amount of water necessary for the coffee you want to prepare . If the level is too low, the machine will not make coffee.
• Open the door where the filter basket goes and check that it is correctly positioned . Also check that it is completely clean, to avoid clogging.
• Select the “Brew” or “Start” function and wait a few minutes for the machine to start brewing the coffee.

If you have checked all of the above and the coffee maker still does not make coffee , a thermo fuse may have blown . 

In this case you have to disassemble the coffee maker and check the thermoblock protection fuses. 

In this video we see an example of a Cuisinart coffee maker that does not prepare coffee due to having a blown thermoblock input thermofuse:

This type of failure can also occur in the water pump. There are times that with excess limescale the pump gets stuck and the machine cannot serve coffee. 

Read more: How to clean a coffee machine with grease and lime

My Cuisinart coffee maker won’t turn on

There could be a number of reasons why your Cuisinart coffee maker stops working, but the problem may have a simple fix in some cases. 

So before you call for service, check the following guidelines that could bring your machine back to life:

1. Make sure that the power cord is firmly plugged into the outlet and that it is not damaged or defective. If you find damage to the cable, for safety reasons, we recommend that you do not use the machine until it has been repaired.
2. Press the power button located on the front of the coffee maker . The red light should illuminate to indicate that the machine is working.
3. Turn the function knob of the coffee maker to the “brew” mode . Please note that if the function knob is set to “Auto On“, the coffee maker will only brew coffee at the programmed time.

If, once all this is done, the coffee maker still does not turn on, you have to disassemble the machine and check that the capacitors on the control board are in good condition. 

Capacitors are the weakest component in coffee makers, and when they go bad they don’t allow the machine to turn on.

How can I adjust the clock on my Cuisinart coffee maker?

If you have a Cuisinart programmable drip coffee maker , you may have noticed that this type of machine has a clock on the front, where you will also find all the buttons and knobs for each function, just above the glass carafe.

To set the clock, follow the instructions below:

• Plug in and turn on the coffee maker.
• Turn the function knob on the left (its position varies by model) to the position of the clock pattern.
• Press the function button “hour” and do not release it while the numbers of the clock advance . Watch the LCD screen and when it gets close to the correct time, release the button and press it again several times until the correct number appears. If the time you have set advances beyond 12, PM mode will be activated on the screen.
• Adjust the minutes on the watch in the same way as the hour , only this time you will have to press the function button “minutes” and not “hour”.
• Rotate the knob in the direction of any other function , press another button, or just wait 5 seconds without pressing any button, for the time on the LCD screen to stop flashing and stay on.

How can I set the timer on my Cuisinart coffee maker?

To set the timer, follow the instructions below:

1. You need to make sure that the coffee maker has the correct time. In the previous section we showed you step by step how to change the time on your coffee maker.
2. Before continuing, it is necessary to exit the time adjustment function. This can be done by pressing any other function button, or by leaving the buttons untouched, after 5 seconds the time will be set.
3. Now set the program time. Turn the knob to the “prog” position and press the hour button until the desired hour is reached, and do the same with the minute button.
4. Exit programming mode by turning the knob to the “auto on” function, pressing the central button will light up an LED indicating that the coffee maker is already programmed. If you press it again it will turn off and will not execute the programming.

In any case, as all models vary in their configuration, consult the user manual for your coffee maker here to be completely sure.

How to decalcify a Cuisinart coffee maker

The descaling process is an essential part of cleaning your Cuisinart coffee machine, since water can cause limescale to accumulate inside the coffee maker, causing it to break down over time. 

You can combat calcification with a commercial solution or with a simple mixture of water and vinegar. 

We’re going to show the process for a Cuisinart pod coffee maker, but you can apply it to any type:

1. Empty the tank.
2. Turn off auto power off and turn off time.
3. Remove the carbon filter.
4. Making sure there are no capsules in the brewing chamber, fill the reservoir with half a liter of white vinegar, plus 1 liter of water.
5. Place a large container on the drip tray. Press and hold the “hot water and rinse” buttons to start the descaling process. Discard the contents of the container.
6. Repeat step 4 until “add water” appears on the control panel.
7. Rinse the water tank well and fill it with fresh water.
8. Run another hot water cycle. Discard the contents of the container.
9. Repeat the hot water process until “add water” appears on the control panel.
10. You may need to run more hot water cycles if you detect any residual vinegar flavor.