The unit brews coffee OK. About 2-3 times per hour, the brewing element turns on and bubbles for a few minutes. This annoys me. Will it shorten the life of the coffee maker? It has done this since it was new, about two months ago. It is model number CG13, BLACK. P.S. I like the coffee.

VPS are pour over brewers. Like the 12 cup brewers you find at home, they need to be filled with 12 cups of water (a full pot), heated and then peculated over the coffee grounds and collected in a decanter.
BUT there is one main difference! The VPR and similar COMMERCIAL coffee machines are quick brewers. They usually have a pre-heated pot of water stored inside the machine.
* VPR's and similar machines REQUIRE a pre-fill and heating period prior to brewing. This means it's sitting on a level table and filled with water until water sprays from the brew head. At this point the unit is plugged in and the heater is turned on (CWTF's have a toggle switch behind the machine). Brewer will pre-heat the water (there may be some water discharge from brew head as the water expands). Ready light will come on in about 15 mins.
* To Brew; Place coffee grounds in filter, place in funnel and brew head, clean empty decanter under funnel, slowly pour one full decanter of water (cold or hot) into brew tray. Do not overflow tray. Allow water level to sink before adding more water. Only fill with one pot as an equal amount will come out the brew head and funnel.
* FYI Coffee grounds are usually in pre-messured packets for office use. A simple guide is one tablespoon per cup. (level or heaping spoon is up to you)
* Since your brewer was bubbling at one point. I'm guessing it had water in the pre-heater at one time. But if it's not in use and left plugged in all that time then the water has probably boiled off. Hopefully someone unplugged the brewer prior to the unit blowing the thermal fuse.
* You can test the VPR by following the Pre-fill instructions I've listed earlier. If the brewer heats up and does not continuously boil (shorted condition) then try a brew. If it works then your okay. Otherwise the unit will need service for a blown high limit or bad heater element.
* Call your coffee vendor anyway. Many coffee vendors will service your brewer of even replace it as long as you buy coffee from them. Ask around.

Aloha, ukeboy57

Not knowing which model you have, here are the instructions for my model. Perhaps yours is the same.

"The Automatic Shutoff
Time can be programmed anywhere from immediate shutoff after completion of the brew cycle up to four hours. When the coffeemaker shuts itself off, two tones will sound. Two hours is the default time. The 0:00 setting shuts the unit off immediately after brewing is complete.
To check the current setting, press and hold the On/Off button and the Automatic Shutoff Time will be displayed.
To change the preset time, press and hold the On/Off button until the red power light and LCD display begin to flash. This signals that you have entered the Set Automatic Shutoff mode.
Press the Hours and Min buttons to scroll forward through the digits until desired time appears. The first setting which appears is preset at 2:00. When it's at 4:00, the next press key of Hour will roll back to 0:00, since four hours is the maximum Automatic Shutoff setting. Pressing and holding either button will allow you to scroll continuously, slowly at first, and then to accelerate to the rate of about three digits per second. As the desired time setting approaches, release the button and then press repeatedly to advance one digit at a time. The Automatic Shutoff Time (ASO) may be 8 9 programmed either before or during coffee brewing. You may also re-program the ASO time when brewing has been completed. If you do so, the Grind & Brew™ will automatically account for any time that has already elapsed after brewing. For example, if you set the ASO for 40 minutes and 25 minutes have already elapsed, the Grind & Brew™ will shut off automatically after 15 minutes (40 minutes minus the 25 elapsed equals 15 minutes)."

Mine doesn't have a specific clean cycle, but to decalcify the unit, add 1/2 vinegar to 2/3 water in a full cafree and run it through. If it's really calcified, turn off about 1/2 way through and let it set for an hour. Then turn it on and finish, Remember to run a pot of clean water through the wash out the vinegar taste.

The DCC-1200 has only one element, that both heats the water for brewing and keeps the carafe warm. If you're brewing coffee then the element is fine and the suspect part is the Thermistor. Another forum suggested this was a Vishnay NTCLG100E22245B, available from DigiKey (their part # BC2467), connected to the control board with thin yellow wires. The same forum suggested that this thermistor should test at 220K ohms at room temperature, dropping to 20K at about 220F.

• Brews 3.8 to 7.5 gallons (14.4 to 28.4 litres) of perfect coffee per hour.
• Large 200 oz. (5.9 litres) tank provides back-to-back brewing capacity.
• Adjusts automatically to varying water pressure.
• For high lime areas, BrewLOGIC® technology calculates flow rate and adjusts brew time to maintain consistent pot levels.
• BrewWIZARD® technology incorporates simplified programming with a LCD display.
• Quickerinstall saves up to 30 minutes. Pot level, cold brew lock-out and tanktemperature set easily from advanced touch pad on front of machine.
• Electronic diagnostics and built in tank drain make service easier.
• Ensures coffee brew quality with cold brew lock out capability.
• Brew into decanters.
• SplashGard® funnel deflects hot liquids away from the hand.
• Coffee extraction controlled with pre-infusion or pulse brew and digital temperature control.
• Automatic warmer shut-off.

Hello FloydBob, The Cuisinart DCC-1200 has the ability to program the auto-off function that keeps your coffee warmer plate on after brewing is complete.

The unit lets you select the time increments from zero up to 4 hours.

See page 6 of the attached manual for the full instructions for reprogramming the coffee maker.

To program the Variable Auto Off:
1. Turn the FUNCTION KNOB to the “Auto Off”
position. Press and hold the “Hour” button
for 2 seconds. The clock display will start
blinking.
2. Program the coffeemaker to shut off from
zero to four hours after brew cycle is
finished by using the “Hour” and “Minute”
push-buttons.

I figured you might also like to have a complete instruction/owners manual so you can have access for any other questions you might have about your coffee maker, in the future.

http://www.cuisinart.com/share/pdf/manuals/dcc-1200.pdf

I hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

You have to use the "Auto-Off" feature, which is located on the same button as on/off:
The automatic shutoff time (ASO) can be
programmed to shut off immediately after
brewing (0:00) or up to 4 hours later. The
default shutoff time is 2 hours.
Press and hold the On/Off button to display
current shutoff time. To change the preset
time, press and hold the On/Off button until
the red power light and LCD display begin to
flash. This signals that you have entered the
Set automatic shutoff mode. Set the time
you want coffee to begin brewing by
following the instructions in “Entering Time
Set Mode.”
When the coffeemaker shuts itself off, two
tones will sound.
NOTE: Automatic shutoff may be
programmed either before or during coffee
brewing. If you program the auto shutoff
time after brewing is completed the unit
will automatically account for elapsed time.
For example, if you set the auto shutoff for
40 minutes and 25 minutes have already
elapsed, the unit will shut off automatically
after 15 minutes (40 minutes minus the 25
elapsed equals 15 minutes).

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

In order:
1 and 2) Clean the coffeemaker by puring in 1/3 caraffe vinegar, and 2/3 caraffe water. Either use the self-clean light or brew it as if it were regular coffee - just press the on button and then press the self-clean button, and it will begin.
3)
The Automatic Shutoff Time can be programmed
anywhere from immediate shutoff
after completion of the brew cycle up to four
hours. When the coffeemaker shuts itself off,
two tones will sound. Four hours is the default
time. The 0:00 setting shuts the unit off immediately
after brewing is complete. To check the
current setting, press the “On/Off” button and
the Automatic Shutoff Time will be displayed.
To change the preset time, press and hold the
“On/Off” button until the red “power” light
begins to flash. This signals that you have
entered the “Set Automatic Shutoff” mode.
Press the “Hours” and “Minutes” buttons
to scroll forward through the digits until
desired time appears. The first setting which
appears is preset at “4:00” and the next
display will be “0:00”, since four hours is the
maximum Automatic Shutoff setting. Pressing
and holding either button will allow you to
scroll continuously, slowly at first, and then to
accelerate to the rate of about three digits per
second. As the desired time setting approaches,
release the button and then press repeatedly
to advance one digit at a time.
The Automatic Shutoff Time (ASO) may be
programmed either before or during coffee
brewing. You may also re-program the ASO
time when brewing has been completed. If you
do so, the Automatic Grind & Brew™ will automatically
account for any time that has already
elapsed after brewing. For example, if you set
the ASO for 40 minutes and 25 minutes have
already elapsed, the Grind & Brew™ will shut
off automatically after 15 minutes (40 minutes
minus the 25 elapsed equals 15 minutes).

Good luck!

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Unplug the coffeemaker for 20 minutes or longer - not a second less - in order to fully reset it. Then, when you plug it back in, turn the function dial to Clock again. Press and hold the HR button for a few seconds, and then set the hours. It should work now unless it got zapped, as you said.

Good luck!

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

This may be an electrical issue, but I would try holding in the on/off button for a few seconds and see if it still displays 2 hrs as the auto-off time. If 2 hrs does display correctly, unplug the unit for 16 minutes or longer - do not plug it back in a single second shy of 16 minutes. Then reset the clock and reprogram the auto-off Try one more time.

If that fails, it may be replacement time.

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Hi,

When the cycle is finished, the coffeemaker will beep 5 times, indicating that the coffee is ready. The unit will turn off automatically.

The insulated carafe keeps the coffee warm for four hours. The aroma of the coffee is preserved thanks to the hermatic cover. It is not necessary to remove the cover to pour coffee.

Hope this will help you.
/Mirran