Do you know how to drain a Keurig coffee maker?
If not, you’re about to!
This step can be daunting as Keurig does not make it easy to access the internal tank.
But if you plan on letting your Keurig sit for 1-2 weeks or longer, you absolutely need to drain it. If you don’t you run the risk of the following:
Drain your Keurig in as few as 5 minutes!
Learn exactly how to drain both a Keurig 1.0 and Keurig 2.0 brewer with our handy step-by-step guide.
I found a person on YouTube who figured out a genius way of draining water from their Keurig 1.0 model. Before you reach for the tools, try this simple method!
The steps:
f that didn’t work, keep reading. We’ll get your Keurig drained in no time!
At The Coffee Maven, we’re Keurig experts!
We will not be accessing the water tank through the bottom of the coffee maker. Instead, we’ll be removing the piece on top to access the top of the water tank directly.
Locate the two screws at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions as shown in the photo below. Using the flat-head screwdriver, remove both screws. This will separate the top of the machine — the part which reads “Keurig” on the front — so it can be removed.
Gently pull the loosened top forwards and upwards to slide it off the Keurig. This will expose the inner tubing of the coffee maker.
Locate the two tubes connected to the top of the internal water tank as shown in the image below:
These tubes will probably have zip ties affixing the silicone tubes to the metal water filter attachments. You’ll need to loosen these zip ties to remove the silicone tubes. You can do this one of two ways:
With those pesky zip ties neutralized, detach the silicone tubes.
Invert the brewer to get water to flow out of the L-shaped opening.
This could be a slow process as the water can’t flow out freely unless there’s a way for air to displace the water being drained.
(Anyone who’s ever poured condensed milk or cranberry juice out of a can is familiar with this phenomenon.)
To speed things up, take a thin straw and place it over the other opening with a detached tube (the one on top of the water tank). This may help improve air flow into the water tank, speeding up the draining process.
Drain until there’s no water left in the tank.
When draining is complete, reattach the silicone tubes. If you wiggled the zip ties down, wiggle them back up. If you snipped them off, use new zip ties to firmly affix the silicone tubes in place.
Then reattach the top which you previously slid off, and finally reattach the top part with the screws you had removed.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully drained your Keurig 1.0 brewer!
In Step 4 you’ll remove the top of the brewer, but you can’t do that until you remove the ring shown below. It’s fastened to the top of the brewer by five snaps and can be removed by pushing in and up with a little force.
Ultimately you’ll remove the entire front and side paneling of the coffee maker. To do that, you’ll need to remove the bottom.
Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the 6 screws (or however many are on your Keurig 2.0 brewer).
With the bottom removed, it’s time to detach the front of the brewer.
If your model has the silver plastic piece show on the left in the image below, remove that first. Once that piece is removed, the front panel slides out in similar fashion.
These pieces are attached with hooks that need to be pushed laterally (to unhook) before being pulled outward. You may need to apply considerable force, especially to the front panel shown on the right.
Remember when you removed the chrome collar in Step 1? That comes into play here.
Turn the brewer to the water reservoir side and locate the two screws near the top. Remove these screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver.
Once removed, the only thing holding the exterior of the machine together are some plastic snaps. Use a flat, spatula-like object to wedge between the top and side of the brewer and begin to pry it upwards. You may need to use some force. Work your way all the way around until the entire top of the brewer has been separated.
The only thing obscuring your full access to the brewer’s internal components is the exterior case wrapping around the sides and back. It’s affixed to the base of the machine with plastic snaps. With some force, unsnap the exterior from the base to remove it.
Now it’s time to begin working on the machine’s inner components.
First, remove the water intake assembly by disconnecting the two tubes attached to it. They’re held on by plastic barbs.
Once removed, press the middle of the black intake piece to drain. Give it a good shake to get as much water out as you can. When done, set this piece aside.
There are two screws holding the entire water tank, pump, internal filter contraption together.
This is the first screw.
Locate the screw at the base of the green motherboard and use your Phillips-head screwdriver to remove it.
Note: The screw being removed here is a little smaller than the other screws removed to this point. Keep it separate so you know which it is.
Rotate the brewer around and locate the last remaining screw connecting the entire water tank, pump, internal filter assembly to the base. It has a white plastic washer.
Remove this screw using your Phillips-head screwdriver. Once removed, gently slide the whole assembly outwards to unhinge it.
Be careful not to damage any of the wires!
With all internal components freed from the base, it’s time to start detaching them one by one to drain the stored water.
First, separate the internal filter from the pump assembly by gently (but firmly) detaching the silicone tube indicated in the image below.
Water will begin to drain out.
Before draining the water in the tank, remove the tube connected to the top. This will allow air in to displace the water draining out the bottom.
After 10 tedious steps, it’s finally time to drain the brewer!
Detach the tube connecting the water tank to the pump assembly. Water will immediately begin flowing out of the tube, so be ready to direct it over a sink or into a collecting vessel.
Optional but encouraged, use a syringe to pump any remaining water from the pump assembly.
You’d be surprised how much water might be lurking in there.
If you don’t have one of these (I didn’t) you can find one at any pet store. They’re used to give doses of medicine. Here’s a bunch of cheap ones online.
Also optional but encouraged, connect the syringe to the top of the water tank to pump out any remaining water in the tank or lines.
Note: The plastic piece used to connect the syringe to the water tank was borrowed from the pump as seen in Step 12.
Congrats! You’ve successfully drained water from your Keurig 2.0 brewer’s internal components. It is now safe to store your machine.
Related: How to Descale a Keurig 2.0 Brewer
