Coffee maker works great with the K-Cups. When I switch to the filter and add coffee in the basket, it will make about half the amount and water runs out all around it. My daughter has the exact same machine and does not have this problem. I have tried adding less coffee to the filter with the same results.

For 36, six ounce cups of coffee add two cups of perk-ground coffee to the basket. You can make up to 36 cups; however, the West Bend manual suggests that you brew no less than 12 cups. CUPS TO BE BREWED AMOUNT OF GROUND COFFEE TO USE * 36 3 1/2 cups 42 4 cups 48 4 1/2 cups 55 1 pound

USING YOUR PERCOLATOR
1.Wash the Percolator thoroughly before using for the first time.
(See "Cleaning Instructions" section in this manual.)

2.Remove Cover, Basket, Spreader and Pump Tube. Use cold, fresh
tap water to fill Percolator. Fill according to markings on inside
of Percolator for number of cups desired. Use cold tap water -
the automatic brewing cycle is timed to begin with a cold
water start.
NOTE: The bottom of the Pump Tube Spring marks the maximum
capacity of the Percolator.

3.Wet Coffee Basket to help keep small particles of coffee from sift-
ing through. Place Basket on Pump Tube. Add desired amount of
regular or percolator grind coffee to Basket.

4.Place Pump Tube with Basket into Percolator so bottom of tube is
set into Center Well. Place Spreader on top of Basket and snap
Cover onto Percolator. Attach cord to Percolator and plug into
standard household 120 volt AC wall outlet. Brewing begins
within seconds and continues at a cup-a-minute speed

5.When coffee brewing is complete, percolating will stop. The
Percolator automatically switches to "KEEP WARM" setting to
preserve fresh-tasting coffee at hot, ready-to-serve temperature.
For best flavor, remove Coffee Basket, Spreader and Pump Tube
when brewing is completed.

The good news is there is nothing wrong with your coffee maker!

With any coffee maker that heats up the water, you're going to lose some of that water to the heating process (steam, etc.). You also don't get every bit of water out of the machine.

So that's why you need to look at the water reservoir level indications instead of using the graduations marked on the glass coffee carafe.

Typically, once you've figured out how you coffee maker works, I'd just "add" 2 more cups of water in the glass coffee carafe to get the amount of cups you want to brew.

I know my coffee maker is pretty close to exactly 2 cups shy of whatever I put in the glass carafe that I pour into my coffee maker. That's when I noticed the markings inside the water reservoir that didn't match the coffee pot. It was always 2 cups shy, so I just put 8 cups of water (using the carafe) to get 6 cups in the morning.

So I suggest you just you make these small adjustments to your water measuring and you'll get the right amount of brewed coffee out of your machine!

Hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

I just had same problem. Please see the solution I provided for Donna_Young. Should be a help. Regards, norm49629

Water Level ////Amount of Ground Coffee

42 Cups --2 ½ Cups
36 Cups-- 2 Cups
30 Cups- -1 ¾ Cups
28 Cups --1 2/3 Cups
24 Cups --1 ½ Cups
22 Cups --1 ½ Cups
18 Cups-- 1 ¼ Cups
12 Cups --1 Cup

1. With basket and stem removed, fill coffeemaker with COLD water to desired level using the cup markings on inside of coffeemaker as a guide. Do not make less than 12 or more than maximum capacity of the coffeemaker at one time.
2. Place stem into heating unit in bottom of coffeemaker, then put basket on stem. Spread the recommended amount of ground coffee evenly into the basket. See chart. Use regular electric perk grind coffee or coffee ground for all coffeemakers. Do not use drip or finely ground coffee as flooding of the basket can occur.
3. Turn cover in place on coffeemaker. To reduce coffee spills, especially if coffeemaker is tipped over, make sure cover has been turned clockwise until it is completely secured in the handle slots. (Note the arrows on the cover for correct turning.) The cover temporarily reduces coffee spilage if coffeemaker is tipped over, so care should be used when moving coffeemaker.
4. Place coffeemaker on a dry, level surface. Attach cord to coffeemaker and plug into a 120 volt AC electrical outlet ONLY.
5. Coffeemaker stops perking automatically. (Each cup of coffee requires about 1 minute brewing time) Serving light will glow when coffee is ready. Before serving, use a hot pad to remove cover, then carefully remove stem and basket from coffeemaker as coffee and grounds are HOT. If not removed, bitter oils from the coffee grounds will drip into coffee. Replace the cover making sure it is completely secured into the handle slots.
6. Coffee will remain at serving temperature as long as coffeemaker is connected to outlet. (if you have an insulated coffeemaker, the sealed-air insulation will keep coffee hot for up to two hours without electricity.) To serve, place cup and saucer under faucet and press down on handle. If a continuous flow is desired to fill a carafe, lift handle straight up until it locks into open position. When approximately one cup of coffee remains in coffeemaker, disconnect from outlet.
TO MAKE MORE COFFEE: If another pot of coffee is desired right away, partially fill coffeemaker with cold water to reset the thermostat. Pour out water, refill with cold water and repeat steps 1-6.
TO HEAT WATER FOR INSTANT BEVERAGES: Plain water may be heated in your coffeemaker for use with instant beverages. Simply fill the clean coffeemaker with cold water to the desired cup level, and then place the stem and empty coffee basket in place. Using the stem and empty basket will heat the water more uniformly. Secure cover in place and plug coffeemaker in. Heat water until perking stops and serving light comes on. Unplug coffeemaker when less than 1 cup remains. Other than making coffee or heating water, no other liquid should be heated in coffeemaker as damage to heating unit can occur.
When coffeemaker is used to heat water only, the metal inside will discolor which is normal and does not affect performance or the water heated in the coffeemaker. Refer to Special Cleaning Instructions in this manual for removing discoloration as well as mineral deposits, which form inside the coffeemaker when heating water. If these deposits are not removed, pitting of the metal inside may occur and result in damage to coffeemaker. Refer to the cleaning your coffeemaker section

COFFEE PREPARATION PROCEDURES
1) Place filter into brew basket.
2) Put the proper amount of coffee into the filter.
3) Slide the brew basket into holder.
4) Place empty decanter on warmer located directly under the brew basket and turn corresponding warmer switch ON.
5) Pour decanter of fresh water through pour-in opening at top of brewer.
6) Hot water will be delivered through the sprayhead. This distributes the hot water evenly over the coffee bed within the brew basket. The coffee will drain from brew basket into the container below.
7) Red light indicates warmer is ON.
8) Before brewing next pot, remove brew basket from brew rails and dump filter into waste basket.

Please rate this a fixya

Cuisinart Coffeemaker Decalcification Process

Run 2 cups distilled white vinegar and 2 cups water through the system - brew it like it was regular coffee. Then run plain water through the coffemaker to rinse the vinegar out and make sure the decalcification was successful. Repeat as needed. Don't forget to remove the charcoal water filters first.

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

You fill it to the line indicating how many cups of coffee you want to make. Then you add coffee to the brew basket, at least 1 full heaping teaspoon per cup. Put the basket on top of the stem and place the stem into the coffee maker. Put the lid on and plug it in. That's it. Don't plug it in without the lid, it's a percolator. It will squirt the water out the top of the stem and it flows down through the coffee grounds.

you must have a filter and coffee in the basket for a full drain.the weight of the water is enough to open the basket when its full but as your trail run ended the final amount of water is not enough to open drain drop. with filter and coffee in it there is enough weight to keep drain drop open so all water can drain!

There realy not much of a manual for this type of coffee maker. put water in to water line, put coffee in the metal basket, put the lid on the metal basket, put lid on the coffee maker, set it on the stove until it starts peculating let do it for 10-min then stop.