How To Drain A Keurig And Empty It For Storage

When you need to empty water from your Keurig brewer, there’s actually two parts to empty: the water tank and the actual brewer itself.

This quick and easy guide will walk you through how to drain a Keurig and the steps to empty water from both the brewer and the water tank.

You need to drain your Keurig if you are not planning on using it for more than a couple of weeks.

Otherwise, you run the risk of bacteria growth and scaling, both of which are a huge pain to clean if they get too bad.

Also, if you live in a cold climate and are leaving the Keurig in your garage, the water can freeze and damage the internal components.

How to drain a Keurig the easy way without disassembly

Keurig coffee makers have two tanks:

• An external tank that you fill water in
• An internal tank that keeps around a cup of water hot and ready for whenever you need to brew

Even though there is an internal tank, the Keurig is designed to brew only if the external tank is full of water.

You can easily empty the internal tank without disassembly by emptying out the external water tank and tricking the Keurig into thinking the external tank is full.

1. Remove the water tank from your Keurig and empty it out
2. Replace the empty tank onto your Keurig and reach down for a little plastic disc
3. Pull the disc up along its path until you get to the top of the track near the top of the tank
4. Hold it in place with your finger or use some tape to fix it in place(the disc floats up as you fill water and tells the Keurig how much water is in the machine)
5. Brew the largest size of coffee you can(with or without a K-Cup, it’s up to you if you’d like to sneak in a drink or just empty the brewer!)
6. The machine will brew from the internal water tank and empty it out.
7. You’re done! You can now unplug your machine and put it away for storage

How to drain a Keurig 2.0 and fully empty the internal tank(old method)

Emptying water from the water tank in Keurig brewers is a little different from that in other coffee makers as it actually has two tanks: an external tank and an internal tank that holds hot water.

What tools you will need?

The two tools to complete emptying water from the water tank are a flat-head screwdriver and a pitcher.

How to empty the water tank and internal tank

1. Switch the Keurig off and disconnect it from the power outlet. Wait about 30 minutes for the machine to fully cool down. This is important as the machine typically stores hot water inside it
2. Lift the lid of the water tank. Pull the water tank straight and to the right direction of the brewer. Empty any remaining water from the tank
3. Use the screwdriver or your own fingers, open the small thumb screw at the back of the machine, and then lift the rear access panel. As the access panel is removed, you will see a tube with a plug at the end. Pull it from the plastic clip holder.
4. Put the large pitcher on the back of the brewer. Grasp the end of the tube over the pitcher, and lift the plug from the tube. Let the water flow into the pitcher.
5. After the water stops draining from the water tank, press the plug back into its end position in the tube. Discard the water in the pitcher, and drive the tube to its original position in the plastic clip holder. Reinstall the access panel and secure it with the thumbscrew.

Along with emptying the water, remember to clean your machine every so often, too!

Quick & Clean [6-Pack] Keurig Cleaning Pods - K Cup Cleaner Pod For Keurig - 2.0 Coffee Machine Compatible, Removes Stains, Non-Toxic and Eco-Friendly

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Conclusion

The right way to store a Keurig is after emptying out all the water from the external and internal tanks.

Last update on 2024-04-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API