Bunn Commercial Coffee problems

We have a Bunn o Matic coffee maker that has a water supply connected to it.

Mostly in the mornings, first pot of the day the coffee looks like tinted water. Today while brewing the “light” coffee, I pulled the basket (yes that does make a mess) and the water was coming out of the vent behind the spray head.

I know the spray head is clean, I’ve run the snake though every hole possible…what am I missing?

Do I need to call the Maytag Repair guy?

Run white vineger through it to clean it.
I’ve always wanted to try CRL cleaner. But I haven’t read the label to see if it would be safe to use. Anything you do final step before the water is white vineger

Dutch, it’s connected to the water line. Can’t really “run” anything through it.

My bad, I missed that little detail in the post.

Quote:

---

I’ve run the snake though every hole possible…what am I missing?

Do I need to call the Maytag Repair guy?

---

I thought you wouldn’t get anywhere near a snake.

I am sure googling Bunn will bring up various solutions.

One of the only good things in Illinois.

I’ve been googling all morning.

I was hoping to get a Bunn service tech or at least someone that’s experienced this issue.

Ido answers all questions! LOL!

Might have to just call Bunn….in IL.

Mr Coffee is on sale at Fleet Farm…….

If the coffee is too light, it is most likely the heat is not hot enough. The heat coils (or whatever they are called)are worn out. Or….is there a switch on the side/back of the machine that runs the heating coils turned off? The warmers and the heat coils are two different switches most likely. (the heat coil switch should never be turned of unless the machine will not be used for an extended period of time.)

Whatever the reason, the water ain’t hot enough to turn the coffee black…if it is running into the pot normally.

I also recall the Bunns come with a spring that is used to run through the system (above the spray head). it is about a foot long?

If you have well or hard water, there is a good chance your heating coils have a sediment built up on them and it takes a while for the heat to get through. Happens a lot to water heaters and other devises that have heating elements. Eventually the element burns out.

Ah…well water. Sounds like I need a screw driver and a hammer!

Perfect.

The spring doesn’t do anything. I’ve tried too many times.

The water is coming out of a vent hole and not the sprayer head as it should.

Would dirty coils do this??

The coffee or light colored coffee is steaming when it come out.

Unfortunately, the sediment will stick to all surfaces in the unit that comes into contact with the hot water. I’m guessing with the water coming out the vent, and not the proper outlet, the majority of the water is being redirected some how where it’s running between the basket and the filter. I hope I’m wrong, but, with all my experience with these types of appliances, it’s probably shot. Without seeing it it’s hard to tell. At home here, after we burnt up a couple of Mr. Coffee,s we changed to bottled water.

Here’s what you need to do, BK. Sorry, I know pictures would be worth a 1000 words, but you’re getting the words.

I suspect the problem is that you’ve built up scale/mineral in the heating chamber.

To get through college, I worked in a commercial applicance repair shop and since coffee maker overhauls were considered “idiot’s work”, I got to do a lot of them.

This is going to be fairly vague because there are about 200 differrent models of Bunn makers, but they all work on the same principle. A hot water chamber keeps water hot all the time. That’s why they’re so fast.

1. Unplug the unit, turn off the water supply, and take the cover off.

2. What you’re looking for is a round cylinder the size of a coffee can. I haven’t worked on one in 20 years, so this is going to be a bit vague. That round cylinder is the chamber that keeps the water for the next pot hot.

3. You should be able to see how to take that cylinder out and in most models there will be a top “lid” that comes off using 6-10 screws.

4. Once you get the top off, you’ll see the problem. Inside, there will be about an inch of scale built up all around the heating chamber. Yuk. Usually shaking the cylinder upside down with cause it all to just drop out like a giant plug, but sometimes you have to break it up.

Then we would use a commercial food service approved descale product (don’t remember the name, it was in a yellow bottle) to clean the chamber and the tube that goes to the filter and the “diffuser” right above the filter basket.

The whole process takes about half an hour if you know what you’re doing.

Please wash your hands first, you don’t want the whole office complaining that the coffee maker works great, but the coffee tastes vaguely of chicken liver.

Grouse

Please wash your hands first, you don’t want the whole office complaining that the coffee maker works great, but the coffee tastes vaguely of chicken liver.

Bring it over tonight, we may not fix it, but I have beer in the garage fridge…

Al

Thanks Al…

Grouse, I do believe you hit the coffee on the pot so to speak (‘cept I use stink bait and not liver).

The vent pipe comes out of the heater at a higher angle then the pipe that should go to the sprayer. The water SHOULD take the path of less resistance, but it’s being force up the vent.

I’ll do some descaling over the weekend.

Got to have a good coffee maker for the fall bite at Everts!

Thanks all!

PS Have a great Labor Day weekend and be safe!