I have.
I recently got the opportunity to find out.
As some of you may know, my coffee maker died recently. So I called the company.
First thing I learned is you don't pronounce the name like the Germans might. I've heard it pronounced a couple of ways by company help reps. "Kerrick" seems to be the most common, but I've also heard "Currick." Either way there ya go.
Having had an issue with my dad's machine a year or so ago I figured I'd call the company rep for help. Why? weird stuff happens simply because the machine needs cleaning. Like, if it's not pouring the correct size cup. You'd think that was an electronic problem. But no, their suggestion is to clean the machine with vinegar and then lots of water. Amazingly it works.
So this time my machine won't start. Hoping against hope they have some super-secret way of resurrecting the dead I call. They take down lots of info on me. They ask insightful questions like "Is it plugged in?"
Then they pronounce judgement. "Sorry, your machine is out of warranty and it is beyond repair." Not the words you want to hear when all you want to do is (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FSmilies%2Fcoffeepot-1.gif&hash=83479bf951b923b33b28a770564e087b8629d880)
--------> (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FSmilies%2Fgrumpy.gif&hash=29990528b9e675e000df4b27a3e87ba1169e25b3)
But wait! There's good news!
Really.
"We don't want you to be without coffee, so we'll let you buy a new one of the same model for $99."
Holy smokes! That's like 33% off the normal price. I have never found a place selling these at that kind of a discount. This is really good news. Also tells me that they make most of their money on selling the k-kups, but that's a different issue.
-----------
Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
OK, so I have a dead coffee maker. What would any reasonable man do in my shoes? My family is gone. I'm not especially mechanically or electronically inclined. What do I do? I tear it apart to see how it works. Bonus points if I can fix it.
Flipping it over is the usual warning.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FGrogHeads%2Fkeurig-cover_zps45ee7723.jpg&hash=4bf1d3d337ec310b2185d16c418246a04f311a72)
"NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE."
That sounds like an invitation if I've ever heard one. I pull out the screws. There's like a dozen.
The plate comes off. It appears to have three ground wires attached to it. OK. So I try to wiggle the outer casing of the machine off and squeeze the base plate through.
No dice. The casing doesn't want to come off at all. I try to be gentle and find the little plastic clips to the top. Nope. I try to be forceful and pull aggressively.
Nope.
So I do what any other reasonable person would do. I find a tool to fix the problem:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FGrogHeads%2Fkeurig-tools_zps2876a269.jpg&hash=749e9330dcdedd3e83ec848b77149285f54f051d)
Perfect!
Now the case is open and I can get to the problem, fix it and have coffee again! Right? Not so fast.
Look at this thing.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FGrogHeads%2Fkeurig-innards_zps9fa7e576.jpg&hash=bc8e10e200e48dfdae8d3c69f86f66ad76879988)
How many tubes do you need to make water flow from a reservoir to a heater to your coffee cup? Apparently about fifty.
And talk about wiring!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2FGrogHeads%2Fkeurig-innards2_zps9da2bd15.jpg&hash=41a52c6fbc7bcf1bc3f9e75fddb96a91c303efb6)
Even to get to the brains of this thing I'm talking about pulling wires until the cows come home. This thing is crazy. Now I know why it costs so much. Think of all the time spent either programming machines to make this or to beat Chinese prison laborers to put this thing together.
I think I'm buying a new one at the discounted price. My only question is whether there are any parts inside of this thing that I can pull out to use as terrain or buildings for some sci-fi minis...
it looks like someone walked by the design team and said "I dare you to cram another 2 wires in there!"
Intersting. Thanks for sharing the guts of your Keurig. I've got one too and was always curious about what was under the hood.
Notice the high quality solenoid actuators and the nice surgical tubing. Plus the frame that all the parts are connected to appears to be of high quality. What's the brand name of the solenoids if you don't mind my geeky question?
My wife bought me one for my birthday, Nov. 2010, at Costco; it died 2 weeks ago. We took it back to Costco, at the suggestion of an acquaintance, with no receipt. Costco keeps all sales on record; and we got a full refund! Yep, almost 3 years later!! So we bought a brand new one at Costco, with all the bells and whistles and 4 boxes of coffee, and pocketed $5 because the new one was less expensive than the one the Mrs. bought me in 2010!!
:)
Quote from: W8taminute on July 23, 2013, 01:16:30 PM
Intersting. Thanks for sharing the guts of your Keurig. I've got one too and was always curious about what was under the hood.
Notice the high quality solenoid actuators and the nice surgical tubing. Plus the frame that all the parts are connected to appears to be of high quality. What's the brand name of the solenoids if you don't mind my geeky question?
How's this?
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1081.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj349%2Flongblade%2Fkeurig-actuator_zps04625729.jpg&hash=60cf7568b29f89dc5ce8af1502da82e12b93c559)
aah-ahhh! You have a woman's hand, milord! I'll wager these dainty pinkies never weighed anchor in a storm.
Thanks LB. Unfortunately that is a cheap pump made by a chinese company: http://www.xmconjoin.com/productdetail.asp?cat_ID=4&P_ID=13
A good name you can trust for solenoid air or liquid pumps is Asco or Parker: http://www.ascovalve.com/Applications/Products/MiniatureSolenoidValves.aspx
http://ph.parker.com/us/12051/en/miniature-fluidics
Not sure if this is why your machine was not pouring water but there you go. Isopropyl alcohol is what we use to clean out mini solenoid valves like these but that might not be a good idea with a coffee maker.
Actually, this time it wouldn't even turn on. Power button just failed to work.
I suspect it's bad wiring, though a board could have gone bad. But I'm not interested in tearing this thing down to find out only to have to rebuild it. Way too much trouble getting things back where they are supposed to be.
Quote from: LongBlade on July 23, 2013, 02:34:01 PM
...Way too much trouble getting things back where they are supposed to be.
Smart engineering on their part though. Make a product that no one can easily repair and re-assemble on their own. You're forced to spend more money on them by buying another unit.
Quote from: LongBlade on July 23, 2013, 02:34:01 PMBut I'm not interested in tearing this thing down to find out only to have to rebuild it.
sure you are! you're a guy, right?!
I mean, you've already torn it down. now put it back together as a power washer or something :)
Quote from: undercovergeek on July 23, 2013, 02:19:12 PM
aah-ahhh! You have a woman's hand, milord! I'll wager these dainty pinkies never weighed anchor in a storm.
You're right, it's been a while since I've weighed an anchor (my folks used to have a boat on the lake).
My family might chuckle at the comment of "tender pinkies," however...
8)
Quote from: bayonetbrant on July 23, 2013, 02:43:58 PM
Quote from: LongBlade on July 23, 2013, 02:34:01 PMBut I'm not interested in tearing this thing down to find out only to have to rebuild it.
sure you are! you're a guy, right?!
I mean, you've already torn it down. now put it back together as a power washer or something :)
I wish I were smart enough (or so inclined). My brain just doesn't work that way.
I think the Keurig craze is just nuts. It uses ground coffee. Do you guys know the level of allowed impurities in ground coffee? Coffee plantations put their absolute worst coffee in ground, especially instant. I read up on this and threw out all of the ground coffee in the house.
Bunn home coffee makers come with heated tanks of water so the brewing process is both fast and excellent. You can use much better coffee than the ground crap they put in Keurig's.
Get a Bunn & a good thermos and you will be drinking excellent coffee if you guy good whole bean stuff.
R. Dalton Coffee is simply excellent for example. See: http://filadelfiacoffee.com/ Best coffee I've ever had in my life.
Quote from: undercovergeek on July 23, 2013, 02:19:12 PM
aah-ahhh! You have a woman's hand, milord! I'll wager these dainty pinkies never weighed anchor in a storm.
LOL - now I have to go and watch Blackadder again............
I applaud LBs choice of tools.
Quote from: airboy on July 23, 2013, 04:14:26 PM
I think the Keurig craze is just nuts. It uses ground coffee. Do you guys know the level of allowed impurities in ground coffee? Coffee plantations put their absolute worst coffee in ground, especially instant. I read up on this and threw out all of the ground coffee in the house.
Bunn home coffee makers come with heated tanks of water so the brewing process is both fast and excellent. You can use much better coffee than the ground crap they put in Keurig's.
Get a Bunn & a good thermos and you will be drinking excellent coffee if you guy good whole bean stuff.
R. Dalton Coffee is simply excellent for example. See: http://filadelfiacoffee.com/ Best coffee I've ever had in my life.
You make an interesting point there, Airboy. Thanks. Will take that under advisement.
Quote from: bob48 on July 23, 2013, 05:24:07 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on July 23, 2013, 02:19:12 PM
aah-ahhh! You have a woman's hand, milord! I'll wager these dainty pinkies never weighed anchor in a storm.
LOL - now I have to go and watch Blackadder again............
today is your lucky day sir - i have in my possession the aforementioned missing manuscript and 4 other accompanying documents - i have Gloing towers' location written down - expect a mysterious brown package quite soon
Well, I do have the Blackadder boxed set, so it must be those back issues of a certain GW mag to which you refer?
Quote from: bob48 on July 23, 2013, 05:41:41 PM
Well, I do have the Blackadder boxed set, so it must be those back issues of a certain GW mag to which you refer?
indeed, you can retire to your boudoir and entertain yourself to dirty TAU pictures
Hubba!
lol - away for a few days and then theyre yours - do not check the prices of the new 'apocolypse' stuff - a very, very clever way of getting ass-raped by GW - to an extent im impressed
I have every intention of never setting foot inside a GW store ever again. They have had enough of my cash in years gone by. However, I shall still drool over the figs, especially the Tau ones.
I do wish I still had all my Space Hulk stuff though..........sigh.
Very interesting look inside of the machine. Also nice zombie killing weapon you have there LB. :)
Quote from: TheCommandTent on July 23, 2013, 08:24:03 PM
Very interesting look inside of the machine. Also nice zombie killing weapon you have there LB. :)
My thinking is it would fit nicely into a trebuchet.
Quote from: LongBlade on July 23, 2013, 02:34:01 PM
Actually, this time it wouldn't even turn on. Power button just failed to work.
I suspect it's bad wiring, though a board could have gone bad.
That's pretty much how ours died.
Quote from: airboy on July 23, 2013, 04:14:26 PM
I think the Keurig craze is just nuts. It uses ground coffee. Do you guys know the level of allowed impurities in ground coffee? Coffee plantations put their absolute worst coffee in ground, especially instant. I read up on this and threw out all of the ground coffee in the house.
Bunn home coffee makers come with heated tanks of water so the brewing process is both fast and excellent. You can use much better coffee than the ground crap they put in Keurig's.
Get a Bunn & a good thermos and you will be drinking excellent coffee if you guy good whole bean stuff.
R. Dalton Coffee is simply excellent for example. See: http://filadelfiacoffee.com/ Best coffee I've ever had in my life.
Ok, so when you say "ground coffee" do you mean only shitty coffee beans that are ground in a factory? I ask because isn't all coffee "ground coffee"?
FYI, my Keurig machines have all come with a device to brew your own ground coffee- you can get your own beans and grind them yourself, or buy coffee already ground- either prepackaged or ground to your specifications in a finer coffee retail establishment. One does not need to use the prepackaged K cups.
All of the being said, I don't doubt that your coffee, brewed in your own Bunn, is far better than my usual Keurig brew!
Quote from: Centurion40 on July 24, 2013, 08:12:54 AM
Quote from: airboy on July 23, 2013, 04:14:26 PM
I think the Keurig craze is just nuts. It uses ground coffee. Do you guys know the level of allowed impurities in ground coffee? Coffee plantations put their absolute worst coffee in ground, especially instant. I read up on this and threw out all of the ground coffee in the house.
Bunn home coffee makers come with heated tanks of water so the brewing process is both fast and excellent. You can use much better coffee than the ground crap they put in Keurig's.
Get a Bunn & a good thermos and you will be drinking excellent coffee if you guy good whole bean stuff.
R. Dalton Coffee is simply excellent for example. See: http://filadelfiacoffee.com/ Best coffee I've ever had in my life.
Ok, so when you say "ground coffee" do you mean only shitty coffee beans that are ground in a factory? I ask because isn't all coffee "ground coffee"?
FYI, my Keurig machines have all come with a device to brew your own ground coffee- you can get your own beans and grind them yourself, or buy coffee already ground- either prepackaged or ground to your specifications in a finer coffee retail establishment. One does not need to use the prepackaged K cups.
All of the being said, I don't doubt that your coffee, brewed in your own Bunn, is far better than my usual Keurig brew!
Packaged ground coffee sold in the USA has a very high level of acceptable impurities according to government standards. It is totally appalling. I have visited numerous coffee plantations over the last 6 years. Every single guide I have had says that the best coffee always goes to whole bean, worse coffee goes to ground, and absolute crap coffee goes to ground decaff or ground flavored. After I read a couple of stories about this I threw all of the ground coffee away and never, ever bought ground again.
If you get whole bean, grind it yourself, and stick it in the Keurig it is probably quite good. But how many people use the Keurig that way?
I drink beers with a lot of people in the Ag school and who are in food science. They all stopped buying ground coffee after we compared notes.
But hey - its your body do what you want! After all, some people also choose to drink lite beer.
Quote from: airboy on July 24, 2013, 11:37:48 AM
If you get whole bean, grind it yourself, and stick it in the Keurig it is probably quite good. But how many people use the Keurig that way?
I don't. It's a pain in the butt to clean the coffee holder after every cup.
Airboy, I think we're going to take your advice. Chatted with my wife. Amazon has a Cuisenart grider/carafe (we like the carafe because the burner shuts off and there's no risk of fire) for ~$100.
Looks like the way to go.
There are a couple of other options we're looking at. Some coupons came in the mail that we're going over to see if a local dept store has anything we like better.
There is a coffee retailer in my city that sells around 100 types (give or take) of whole bean coffee, and then will grind it to your own specifications. They say that a coarse grind is best for Keurigs.
Ever get a cup of coffee (from a diner, or where ever) and notice a film on the top of the coffee that kind of looks like gasoline? Apparently it's pesticide.
Quote from: Centurion40 on July 24, 2013, 12:16:02 PM
...
They say that a coarse grind is best for Keurigs.
....
Now I don't drink coffee, but my wife does and I've become pretty good at making it for her. (Preventative protection plan in the morning ;))
She just recently got a Keurig and we've been messing with the manual fill filters because coffee is way cheaper than in the pre made cups.
She has found that extra fine grind works better for her. She likes her coffee kinda strong and if you put medium grind in the manual filter the coffee is too weak.
We've also found that you tend to use more coffee per cup with the Keurig as compared to a regular drip maker.
She is still not sold on it being a good switch from her trusty 2 cup drip maker.... but it's nice for company to get what ever kind of coffee they like 1 cup at a time (Only time we use the pre-made cups).
I'll tell her about Airboy's comments.... she's pretty germaphobic so we'll probably never buy the pre made or pre-ground stuff again....
Quote from: airboy on July 24, 2013, 11:37:48 AM
If you get whole bean, grind it yourself, and stick it in the Keurig it is probably quite good. But how many people use the Keurig that way?
honestly, we use K-cups for less than half the coffee we make. I make a lot of tea, and my wife has her powdered stuff she likes. When my father-in-law comes over, he put Community or Kona coffee in a filter insert, but we buy ground rather than whole-bean. We have a grinder. In a box. Likely in another box. Somewhere. So we never use it.
This topic is awesome. I was never a coffee drinker until I got married. My mother-in-law (actually a very awesome woman...I'm lucky) got me hooked. I prefer Cain's in my Bunn...but I had no idea about impurities in ground coffee...
I'm going to have to get a coffee grinder!
you prefer cains in your bunn? :o
I never knew there was a market for wicker sex toys.
I found the FDA standards for coffee. They are at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/ucm084337.htm
Basically, if the impurities are less than 8.5% of the sample, it is passed.
Think about this, crap other than coffee (or damaged coffee) in your bag up to 8.5% is considered "A OK."
Ground coffee contains a lot more junk than whole beans.
This is why I stopped drinking ground coffee.
Quote from: Centurion40 on July 24, 2013, 12:16:02 PM
There is a coffee retailer in my city that sells around 100 types (give or take) of whole bean coffee, and then will grind it to your own specifications. They say that a coarse grind is best for Keurigs.
Ever get a cup of coffee (from a diner, or where ever) and notice a film on the top of the coffee that kind of looks like gasoline? Apparently it's pesticide.
No - if it is really good coffee that film is coffee oil. Greasy coffee is much fresher and tastes a lot better.
Quote from: airboy on July 24, 2013, 02:13:09 PM
I found the FDA standards for coffee. They are at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/ucm084337.htm
Basically, if the impurities are less than 8.5% of the sample, it is passed.
Think about this, crap other than coffee (or damaged coffee) in your bag up to 8.5% is considered "A OK."
Ok, I'm going to have to find the Canadian standards. This might explain why I can't get around 50% of the types of k-cups here that I can get at the Walmart in Kissimmee!! :o
Quote from: airboy on July 24, 2013, 02:14:20 PM
Quote from: Centurion40 on July 24, 2013, 12:16:02 PM
There is a coffee retailer in my city that sells around 100 types (give or take) of whole bean coffee, and then will grind it to your own specifications. They say that a coarse grind is best for Keurigs.
Ever get a cup of coffee (from a diner, or where ever) and notice a film on the top of the coffee that kind of looks like gasoline? Apparently it's pesticide.
No - if it is really good coffee that film is coffee oil. Greasy coffee is much fresher and tastes a lot better.
Huh. Some joker on the CBC fed us listeners a line of bullshit! Go figure!
I'm still a novice coffee drinker so this is an interesting discussion. I have a standard drip coffee make and use ground coffee but after this discussion I am tempted to look into a grinder and coffee beans. That being said I don't drink coffee all the time so how long do coffee beans last and what is the best way to store them?
My wife uses a zip-lock bag and a fridge.
Quote from: TheCommandTent on July 24, 2013, 03:05:53 PM
I'm still a novice coffee drinker so this is an interesting discussion.
thats because your young and have energy.
Quote from: airboy on July 24, 2013, 02:14:20 PM
Quote from: Centurion40 on July 24, 2013, 12:16:02 PM
There is a coffee retailer in my city that sells around 100 types (give or take) of whole bean coffee, and then will grind it to your own specifications. They say that a coarse grind is best for Keurigs.
Ever get a cup of coffee (from a diner, or where ever) and notice a film on the top of the coffee that kind of looks like gasoline? Apparently it's pesticide.
No - if it is really good coffee that film is coffee oil. Greasy coffee is much fresher and tastes a lot better.
That's what I was thinking, but I hadn't read anything either way. Thanks, Airboy.
FWIW we switched back from the Keurig to a more traditional brewer with a built-in grinder.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G8Y2WW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001G8Y2WW&linkCode=as2&tag=grogheads-20
We made our first cup this afternoon. Not too bad.
Keurig never heard of? not a German brand and not German quality (assurance)
get a Krups Dolce Gusto ;)
(ExpensiveOther has a Krups KP1509 Dolce Gusto Genio Titanium)
here is a guy who fixed a 2 year old Krups, which was leaking in 12/2009 ...see pictures
and this repair lasted until 4/2013 ...and now he got a seal-ring as sparepart
... engine is still fine
http://www.trisaster.de/forum/index.php?topic=1581.0
FWIW, in Dutch, the word 'Keurig' means 'neat', 'tidy', or 'perfect', depending on context. I've had my B60 for about 4 or 5 years now. I just give it the recommended white vinegar you-know-what about every three months. I have the reusable cups for brew-your-own but find them a pain to clean as well. Still, easier than cleaning a generic permanent drip maker basket.
I only buy Krupps equipment when I need a siege cannon.
I share LB's sense of despair. My juicer's engine burnt out after a few uses and now has to be thrown away... :'(
I was a Starbucks manager at one time (as well as being a Coffee Master....because they get the cool black aprons!) and I can confirm that good coffee beans have a slightly oily sheen on them. Starbucks generally teaches that beans should be stored in an airtight container, rather than frozen, in order to maintain the highest quality. I do grind my own beans (even for my Keurig) and that's how I store mine.
As for Keurig, I really think the machines have about a one year lifespan for heavy coffee drinkers. You can offset that by being diligent with running vinegar through the machine once a month. Mine died two weeks before the warranty expired and sure enough, Keurig sent me a brand new one.
LB, you opening yours up was pretty cool! I had to ship my dead unit back in exchange for the new one, so I didn't get to dissect mine 8)
recipie for great coffee
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcache.coffeehomedirect.com%2Fimages%2Fbunn-grx-w.jpg&hash=9781571515d4ff57e167851dd31d62b48d090b40) PLUS
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ft3.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcRYusNevLscu_F3oysyluikvGQ8OpiMtw8y_ipS0jBN11fnvF55yw&hash=ad37905385ae8870ae766fc8d842c07563bb5560) PLUS
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkonacoffeeonline.beep.com%2Ffiles%2Fhawaiian-kona-coffee-23.jpg&hash=9dc9e0ff0ca84093150071746df507087e005865) PLUS
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