Top 20 Faberware FCP280 Coffee Maker Questions & Answers

USING YOUR PERCOLATOR 1.Wash the Percolator thoroughly before using for the first time. (See "Cleaning Instructions" section in this manual.) 2.Remove Cover, Basket, Spreader and Pump Tube. Use cold, fresh tap water to fill Percolator. Fill according to markings on inside of Percolator for number of cups desired. Use cold tap water - the automatic brewing cycle is timed to begin with a cold water start. NOTE: The bottom of the Pump Tube Spring marks the maximum capacity of the Percolator. 3.Wet Coffee Basket to help keep small particles of coffee from sift- ing through. Place Basket on Pump Tube. Add desired amount of regular or percolator grind coffee to Basket. 4.Place Pump Tube with Basket into Percolator so bottom of tube is set into Center Well. Place Spreader on top of Basket and snap Cover onto Percolator. Attach cord to Percolator and plug into standard household 120 volt AC wall outlet. Brewing begins within seconds and continues at a cup-a-minute speed 5.When coffee brewing is complete, percolating will stop. The Percolator automatically switches to "KEEP WARM" setting to preserve fresh-tasting coffee at hot, ready-to-serve temperature. For best flavor, remove Coffee Basket, Spreader and Pump Tube when brewing is completed.

It should be about 180 degrees. The percolator should perc about one minute for each cup of coffee. If it stops too soon and the water is not hot, then the thermostat is bad. The thermostat can be replaced.

Hi. Looking at the prongs with the base off and the handle away from you. One end goes on the left prong and the other to the leg of the high element on the top. Good luck. Ron

It needs a keepwarm element. Go to repairshack.com for the part. Tell them USA pot or China Pot. Good luck. Ron

The pots we use , uses 120 volts in France they use 220 volts. So you would need a converter kit they sell a the airport. Good luck. Ron. PS some hotels have 120 volts.. Call first.

Hi. You have a made in China pot and is not worth the repair. You can repair it but in a month or 2 it will go down again. Buy a used USA pot on ebay.. Good luck . Ron

At the bottom of the pump stem, there's a flat washer that should move freely (it tends to get gunked up with usage). I used a small flat-bladed screwdriver to carefully pry it up a bit all around, and then sprayed it with WD-40 and manually rotated it to free it up. To get rid of the WD-40, run a few brew cycles with just water. Here's what the pump stem looks like:

If you're lucky, that'll fix the problem you're having. If not, it may be the thermostat. In my case, one of the thermostat connectors had corroded and slightly loosened.



I removed the connector (CAREFULLY) and lightly sanded the terminal it was attached to. Reattached, reassembled and the percolator is now working fine. If I have the problem again, I think I'll simply bypass the thermostat completely (it's probably ready to fail anyway--the terminal felt loose, and I noticed a few small particles of ceramic plastic--chances are the thermostat housing is crumbling due to high temperature). This will disable the "keep warm" feature, but since I've got the 2-4 cup model, I won't really miss it (I usually make only enough for an extra-large mug). Once the coffee is brewed, I'll just unplug it.

First thing you should do is check the washer on the bottom of the pump stem.

Check to make sure the washer can move freely (it's not unusual for it to get gunked up. Try putting a flat-blade screwdriver under it and GENTLY prying upwards all around. Spray with a small amount of WD-40, and then run a few brew cycles with just water to get rid of the WD-40. In many cases, this will restore proper operation of the unit.

If not, there are a number of places online from which to purchase replacement parts for Farberware percolators. One is repairshack.com. If your percolators were made before 1998, you'll want the "old style" thermostat, part#P04-056:


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If instead they were made after 1998, you'll need the new style, part#P04-303:


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Rule#1: NEVER immerse the percolator in water--there are electrical components in the plastic base that will not react well to that kind of treatment.

The outside, cover, basket and stem can be cleaned with warm, soapy water. You can fill the pot with warm soapy water as well, although to remove mineral deposits and the like, it's recommended you periodically run a brew cycle (with stem and basket in place) using a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water. To remove tougher stains, you might want to instead try dip-it coffeemaker cleaner.

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Hi. normal is 2 scoops of coffee for 3 cups of coffee, then adjust from there for your taste. Good luck.

Did you leave the house while it was pluged in? If so you need a fuse. Easy job, take the base off and you will see the broken part. Go into eBay and go to Farberware coffee parts, You will get all the parts you need and all the answers. Ron

Hi. If you have a light on your coffee pot the model # should 122. A 12 cup older pot. I can fix it for you but you should consider the cost. I only charge for thr parts you need. Shipping both ways is about 10.00 , Max on the repair will be 15.00. My email is [email protected] Good luck. Ron

You can get a new thermostat on eBay look for Farberware parts

Go to [email protected] let him know what size pot you have an 8 cup. Good luck Ron

farberware griddle  vintage #260  came with a glass warming tray     where do I get one.?

The problem is the keep warm element. The reason, your pot perc's and it gets hot near the thermo, the thermo turns off the main element. The keep warm element is not on so after a small amount of time the water cools and the thermo turns the main element back on again, thus making the water hot. The K W element is supposed to be on all the time the pot is plugged in, it is instrumental in perking the first brew making it really hot, the thermo turns off the main element and the K W element keeps the water hot. The K M element is very a easy fix, it is the small looking white rope that runs around the bottom of the pot. You have 1-nut and 1- screw to remove. When removing the screw from the main element you must hold the (leg) that the K M element is screwed to so it does not bend and brake off. Take your time and be firm with the pressure you apply to the screw, while holding it with a pliers. You have a pot made in China

Hi, you have an 8 cup pot made in China.

The problem is the keep warm element. The reason, your pot perc's and it gets hot near the thermo, the thermo turns off the main element. The keep warm element is not on so after a small amount of time the water cools and the thermo turns the main element back on again, thus making the water hot. The K W element is supposed to be on all the time the pot is plugged in, it is instrumental in perking the first brew making it really hot, the thermo turns off the main element and the K W element keeps the water hot. The K M element is very a easy fix, it is the small looking white rope that runs around the bottom of the pot. You have 1-nut and 1- screw to remove. When removing the screw from the main element you must hold the (leg) that the K M element is screwed to so it does not bend and brake off. Take your time and be firm with the pressure you apply to the screw, while holding it with a pliers

If the power cord can be removed via a plug on the unit you should test the power cord for continuity. This can be done with an inexpensive multimeter. The cord should be removed from the coffe maker and the wall outlet. Then connect one of the probes on the meter to one of the prongs that go into the wall. The other probe of the meter should be touched into one of the two holes in the other end of the plug. You should set your meter to read resistance or ohms. If the meter reads close to zero then one leg of the cable is fine. If it blinks a "1" that usally indicates an open connection on a digital multimeter. If that is the case then connect the probe to the other prong. Once this is done then you need to test the other prong.

Hope this make sense.

If you get continuity on both legs of the power cord then I can explain further how to test the coil in the coffee pot itself.

Bob Janelli I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/bob_62dfa2f81bb55288

i have had 2 of these do the same thing,i guess it is factory defect, GE has a 2 year no questions ask warranty,so if i were you i'd take it back to where i bought it and exchange it for different kind of GE coffee pot,GE has contract with every store they sell to for the return policy,no reciet is needed if they need to call GE they have their number.