Will the coffee maker work without the charcoal water filter?

I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble finding replacement water filters for your Cuisinart DCC-690 coffee maker.
After some research, it appears that the DCC-690 model does not have a specific water filter that is designed to fit it. However, Cuisinart does offer a universal water filter that can be used with any of their coffee makers.
The Cuisinart DCC-RWF replacement water filter is a universal filter that is compatible with all Cuisinart coffee makers that have a water filter. It is designed to remove impurities from tap water, such as chlorine, calcium, and other minerals, to improve the taste and quality of your coffee.
You should be able to find this filter on Cuisinart's website, or at a retailer that sells Cuisinart coffee makers and accessories. It is important to note that the filter should be replaced every 60 days, or after brewing 60 pots of coffee, whichever comes first.
I hope this helps!

The filter fits on top of the regular coffee filter basket.
I don't use the charcoal filter because the water I use to make coffee is already filter in my Brita pitcher.

Underneath the apliance conected to the tube after the filter .

It's helpful, but not necessary to use the charcoal water filters. Pull the charcoal water filter out of the basin and open it up to empty out the existing filters. Then snap the water filter holder back into place - you have to have the holder in place even if the filters are not inside.

Here is a link to the manual:
http://www.cuisinart.com/share/man/25_man.pdf

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

After trying just about everything (I had the exact problem you describe) I finally got it working.

In my case the reason why it was stuck on heating is because no water was getting into the heating tank. I removed the charcoal filter, unplugged my machine and plugged it back in again. I then saw the water resevoir level drop and knew that water was now being heated.

I made a couple of cups of coffee then put the charcoal filter back in and now everything is working great.

I hope this helps your problem.

D

Coffee Tastes Bad- Cuisinart

1) Run 1 tsp lemon juice per 1 cup water through Cuisinart
2) Use filtered water
3) Replace the charcoal water filters every 3-4 mos
4) Use better coffee

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Cuisinart DGB-600 replacement charcoal water filters is Cuisinart DCC-RWF 6 pack charcoal water filters, 12 filters.

*** HOW TO RESET THE GE 169164 COFFEE MAKER ***

After endless online searches yielding the same results (nothing useful), I figured out how to reset this coffee maker.

While coffee maker is plugged in and the evil little blue light is mocking you relentlessly, press and hold the 1-4 button and the TSB button simultaneously for 3 seconds or so. This will cause the device to exit it's error status and allow normal use of it.