I bought this thing a few months ago (I loved the old version of it so I got a new one when it died) It's great....when it works. It is nothing but a huge pain in the **** when it doesn't-which is almost every other brew session. What happens is I use the correct filters, dump in the correct type and amount of coffee into the filter basket. Water filled properly in reservoir. Turn on. Coffee is brewed perfectly 2 out of 5 times. When it fails...the filter basket overflows (seemingly indicative of a clog) and the coffee grounds end up in the decanter and everywhere else. The filter basket is full of water and grounds and only s-l-o-w-l-y drips out the nasty mess for my drinking pleasure. I clean this thing out thoroughly every time this happens with vinegar brews and to be safe ...I run a water check "test" brew to rid anything that might have been missed. I also checked the "spring" mechanism and the decanter's placement is not skewed off-center or missing the lever. Everything should operate properly, but it doesn't. I just finished cleaning up the latest mess. The brewing session the previous morning was fine. What is the deal with this thing! Instead of having a nice cup of coffee to wake me in the morning or sooth me during the day...it is my blood pressure going through the roof every time this happens that gets the credit. I am ready to give up. KBL, Upstate NY
I've read of this problem from other users of the newer Spacemakers and believe I know what's going on. Black & Decker used too strong a spring in the mechanisms involved in the "sneak a cup" feature which keeps the small tab or finger underneath the basket from opening and allowing the coffee to run into the decanter.
My suggestion would be to make certain that the tab that presses against the bottom of the basket is open when you insert the carafe. Not owning one of these units I can't state categorically that this will solve your problem, but all of the Spacemakers are fundamentally the same, just some cosmetic and design differences between them.
If it turns out that the tab is open when you go to bed and the basket still overflows it's possible the spring is so strong that it's moving the carafe away from the back of the unit, causing the tab to close against the basket. If that's the case I would figure out how to remove the spring without breaking anything in the process, then take it down to your local Ace Hardware and get a same sized but weaker spring. That should solve the problem permanently.
I have the same problem and the easy lo-tech solution is to wrap a piece of ribbon or such-like around the unit and carafe, holding it tight against the housing. Untidy but works 100%
Just pop that thing right off! Problem solved! Works like a charm 100% of the time no matter what type/grade of filters and even if you get 2 stuck together......."Sneak a Cup"? Some things in life are worth the wait!
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Yup. It's the dang spring. It would "pop" the basket out of place just enough for the tab to close. Cool. I actually watched this occur...it takes about 5 seconds after the drawer is pushed back. What I did was remove it (the spring) and stretch it a bit. Works poy-fectly and I love it now! Thanks! Yojak FixYa Master-you ROCK!
KBL, Upstate, NY
Hi I have a problem where the water will overflow inside the basket causing water and grounds to spew out. I have tried different filters but nothing works. Please help!
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