Cuisinart coffee maker from costco, the grinds backed up twice.

How to Repair a Cuisinart Coffee Maker - Java Jenius

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How can I flush it if it won't brew at all? ..... The filter basket is in the proper position for the coffee to enter the filter but the ... I have a regular cuisinart coffee maker for12 cups (no grinder). ... I have the Cuisinart automatic grind and brew, model DCC490SA. .... The pot brewed a good cup of coffee but as of now it is useless.

This occurs occasionally if the unit needs cleaning or you are brewing a new pot of coffee immediately after emptying a hot pot of coffee.
Run a cup of vinegar through the coffee maker twice, run at least 2 pots of clean water through to rinse the vinegar out.
This should clear the problem until it needs cleaning. The suggested frequency of cleaning is every 30 pots, but this varies depending upon the type of water you use.

The two most common reasons for overflow or underflow have to do with the carafe lid and the filter basket - they key to smooth flow with this coffee maker is making sure the filter basket and carafe lid are making the proper contact with each other so that the center knob on the carafe lid pushes slightly up on the filter basket spring. Make sure the carafe lid is completely closed. Make sure the filter basket is pushed all the way down. Make sure you are not using the gold tone filter and a paper filter at the same time. For some reason, I get better results when the handle of the carafe is resting against the right side wall. If everything is in place, I would suspect a problem with either the filter basket being clogged or some problem with the carafe lid - call Cuisinart as they should be able to order these parts for you.

Hello bean_54806,
This is a really common problem with the cuisinarts. I am most familiar with the DCC-1200, but you may be able to solve the problem. The may be an indication that something is plugged up. Open the top of the unit and in one of the corners you should find a water filter stick or column that is removable. Pull it out and open it up to clean out the clogged up carbon filter in there. (You can later buy a new filter on Amazon.) Clean out the debris from the bottom of the cavity. Replace the stick into the cavity once cleaned. Now it's time to run through a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Do this once or twice with fresh solutions, then with a pot of fresh water. When the filter stick is plugged up the sensor says its time to clean it or shuts the unit down, but most people don't know about this fix. I hope this is helpful to you, bean. Positive feedback is appreciated. Good luck. NormanZ

The condensation is normal, not just with this Cuisinart Grind n Brew, but with ALL Cuisinart Grind n Brews - because of this, you will really need to clean it after every use if you want the grinder portion to last long. As far as the bean amt - Cuisinart bases it's reccomendations on a smaller-than-normal coffee cup size of 5 ozs or so. Plus, the condensation, as you mentioned, will prevent a certain portion of the grinds from flowing to the brew/filter basket. Add more beans or less water to make a stronger cup.

-Tha Mp3 Doctor (also loves Cuisinart)

Some fine-grain coffees are too fine for the Gold Tone Filter. If this is the case, remove the Gold tone Filter and use paper filters only. You may have to wash excess grinds out of the black filter basket, since there may be a few stuck in there now - don't take the filter basket apart - just rinse it out with water.

Also, don't use a paper filter and the gold tone filter at the same time.

Good luck!

-Tha Mp3 Doctor (also loves Cuisinart)

This happens when the machine needs cleaned. Fill coffee maker with white vineger instead of water. Turn grind off, make sure empty pot is in place. Brew a pot of hot vineger. Repeat. Brew a pot of hot water. Repeat. This process removes mineral buildups inside machine. If you have access to filtered water, start using that to brew your coffee. I do and probably do this process 1 per 6 weeks.

Just an idea, but you could use a turkey baster to remove some of the water first. I doubt if you've harmed the coffee maker.

I was having problems like this and then I read on a different string on this website that people have had success by flushing the system numerous times (sometimes up to six times) with vinegar. I took out the charcoal filter and flushed once with vinegar but only saw a small amount of improvement. I was out of vinegar so I used Lemishine mixed with water and it went from making one cup to making a full pot with one flush.

I think you have to be careful in how much water you put in. I had the same problem the first few times I used it. I started to only fill until the water just met the 10 cup mark, not over it. I have not had the problem since.