Cusinart 12 cup grind and brew overflows with grinds and water

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. Ensure you are using the correct grind for an automatic drip coffee maker, neither too fine nor too course. (See instruction manual and/or do an Internet search for tips.)
3. Do not overfill with water. Use the carafe to pour water into the reservoir, and the lines on the side of the indicator window as your guide. This is because a "cup" in coffee terms is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz. Therefore, a 12-cup machine may make as few as nine 8 oz mugs of coffee.
4. Make sure the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve feature, if applicable, isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. It is vitally important to clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your user manual at least three times per year and monthly if under heavy use in a hard-water area. A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket as the water runs through the grinds.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. If self-grinding your coffee beans, ensure you are using the correct grind setting for an automatic drip coffee maker. (See instruction manual for coffee maker and/or grinder.)
3. Do not overfill tank with water. Use the marks on the side of the reservoir rather than those defined by another measuring method. This is because a "cup" in a coffee carafe is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz, and in some cases as little as 5 oz as a cup. (See your owner's manual.)
4. Make certain the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. Clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your owner's manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard (prone to leaving water rings). A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew a pot of coffee, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. If self-grinding your coffee beans, ensure you are using the correct grind setting for an automatic drip coffee maker. (See instruction manual for coffee maker and/or grinder.)
3. Do not overfill tank with water. Use the marks on the side of the reservoir rather than those defined by another measuring method. This is because a "cup" in a coffee carafe is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz, and in some cases as little as 5 oz as a cup. (See your owner's manual.)
4. Make certain the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. Clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your owner's manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard (prone to leaving water rings). A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew a pot of coffee, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. Ensure you are using the correct grind for an automatic drip coffee maker, neither too fine nor too course. (See instruction manual.)
3. Do not overfill with water. Use the carafe to pour water into the reservoir. This is because a "cup" in coffee terms is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz.
4. Make sure the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. Clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your user manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard. A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket as the water runs through the grinds.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. If self-grinding your coffee beans, ensure you are using the correct grind setting for an automatic drip coffee maker. (See instruction manual for coffee maker and/or grinder.)
3. Do not overfill tank with water. Use the marks on the side of the reservoir rather than those defined by another measuring method. This is because a "cup" in a coffee carafe is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz, and in some cases as little as 5 oz as a cup. (See your owner's manual.)
4. Make certain the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. Clean your carafe and machine with vinegar or as instructed by your owner's manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard (prone to leaving water spots). A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew a pot of coffee, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. If self-grinding your coffee beans, ensure you are using the correct grind setting for an automatic drip coffee maker. (See instruction manual for coffee maker and/or grinder.)
3. Do not overfill tank with water. Use the marks on the side of the reservoir as a guide rather than those defined by another measuring method. This is because a "cup" in a coffee carafe is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz, and in some cases as little as 5 oz as a cup. As such, a 12-cup machine actually produces closer to 9 standard 8 oz cups. (See your owner's manual.)
4. Make certain the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. It is extremely important to clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your owner's manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard (prone to leaving water rings). A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew a pot of coffee, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

You may have to clean the grinder....even more. That happened to me once. First I cleaned out the coffeemaker with the brush, and "dug" out more coffee, then I used this product which you can find on Amazon: "Urnex Grindz Coffee Grinder Cleaner - Urnex 17-GRINDZ12-40." It's expensive, but it really worked well.

Some fine-grain coffees are too fine for the Gold Tone Filter. If this is the case, remove the Gold tone Filter and use paper filters only. You may have to wash excess grinds out of the black filter basket, since there may be a few stuck in there now - don't take the filter basket apart - just rinse it out with water.

Also, don't use a paper filter and the gold tone filter at the same time.

Good luck!

-Tha Mp3 Doctor (also loves Cuisinart)

If the water is running out the seams in the plastic BEFORE you brew anything, it is a defect or design flaw. I bought one that looks like the one pictured and it did the same thing. So did the replacement.
If the overflow occurs during brewing, verify the following:

Coffee overflowing onto the counter is a common complaint found in response to many automatic drip coffee makers. The following are potential solutions that can be used to rule out "operator error" vs. a defect or malfunction:

1. Do not "pack" or otherwise overfill the cone/basket with grinds.
2. Ensure you are using the correct grind for an automatic drip coffee maker, neither too fine nor too course. (See instruction manual.)
3. Do not overfill with water. Use the carafe to pour water into the reservoir. This is because a "cup" in coffee terms is defined as 6 oz, not 8 oz. Note: Some coffee makers define as little as 5 oz as a cup.
4. Make sure the filter cone/basket clicks into place and that the carafe is centered and pushed all the way in.
5. Try a permanent filter rather than a paper filter or vice versa.
6. Only use the correct permanent or paper filter (see manual).
7. Verify that the Pause 'n Serve button isn't sticking. If it is activated too long the brew will escape over the top of the cone/basket. This may be more apt to happen if the alignment of the carafe and the basket is incorrect.
8. Clean your machine with vinegar or as instructed by your user manual at least three times per year, more if your water supply is hard. A properly cleaned machine is less likely to suffer a burned out heating element, to take too long to brew, to produce "off" tasting coffee, or to clog and overrun the filter basket as the water runs through the grinds.
9. Ensure that the coffee machine is sitting level on the counter.

I think you have to be careful in how much water you put in. I had the same problem the first few times I used it. I started to only fill until the water just met the 10 cup mark, not over it. I have not had the problem since.