Why Your Coffee Grounds Keep Overflowing (And How To Prevent It)
It's bound to happen. One day your coffee maker's operating at full speed, the next it's overflowing instead of pouring pure java into your cup, no matter which coffee brand you try or which coffee hack you use. How do you keep your coffee maker from ruining your morning before it begins? First, check the machine to make sure nothing's clogged; run it through a cycle without any coffee in the basket to see if it overflows just on a water or clean cycle. Regularly cleaning out your machine — including the grinder — will help its overall health, and it's a good idea to start here before proceeding elsewhere.
To prevent the issue from recurring, be sure to switch the filters on the machine regularly as well. If that's not the problem, move on to a couple of obvious points – the basket itself, which should be inserted firmly into place. Check to make sure the filter isn't damaged and is in place. Also be sure that you're only using a single filter and not multiple ones, which is an easy way to cause spillage. But if you still haven't figured out why you've got ground-up coffee in your cup, there are still options to try.
Do you still have coffee grounds in your cup?
Another problem might be that your filter basket isn't draining quickly enough. Be sure to check about for instructions related to your coffee machine's schematics, then tighten any nuts, bolts, or gaskets that might be loose on the machine. If that doesn't work, check out your drip stop; make sure that liquid can flow through it unimpeded. If it can't, it's likely that some grounds got stuck at some point and it's stopped up; rinse it out and continue to rinse it to make sure it doesn't keep occurring. It's also worth checking to see if water hardness is affecting the machine — and if it is, it might be worth investing in a water softener.
If things have changed suddenly, here's the ultimate last resort question to ask yourself — have you switched the grind setting on your machine recently, changed your coffee brewing method, or tried a new sort of coffee bean? That might be the real key to fixing your machine, and it's as simple as switching your settings up or adjusting your machine for this new grind. Weigh all of your options before buying a new machine, and the problem can be worked out.