Not being able to use your coffee maker can create not only a metaphorical headache but for some caffeine addicts like me, a literal one. Keurig K Supreme and K Supreme Plus owners have been known to have problems with their coffee makers not turning on. So if your K Supreme coffee maker is dead with no power, you're not alone. Let's get into how to fix it.
If you're problem isn't with the Keurig not turning on but rather with it shutting off while brewing, you're going to want to check out my guide: Why Your Keurig is Shutting Off While Brewing + How to Fix It
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Keurig Not Working After Descaling | The Complete Guide
Can You Make Espresso in a Keurig
Can Keurig Pods Be Used More than Once
Why Won't My Keurig K Supreme Turn On?
The most common reason that the Keurig K Supreme and K Supreme Plus coffee makers won't turn on is that the heat-sensitive safety thermal switch has been tripped and shut the machine off. The thermal switch can be reset by stripping off the Keurig machine's outer plastic shell and pressing the button on the thermal switch with a paper clip.
How to Fix Keurig K Supreme Won't Turn On
Check Electrical Power
Start by checking the outlet that your Keurig coffee machine is plugged into. Plug something else into the outlet like your phone charger to make sure that it works properly, or plug your Keurig into a different outlet. This may sound stupidly simple but the last thing you want is to do a bunch of work fixing your Keurig coffee maker when it really just had to be plugged in somewhere else
Make Sure Water Reservoir is Clicked in Place
If the detachable water reservoir tank on the Keurig is not clicked all the way in place, the machine won't run. Remove the water reservoir and then reattach it so that it clicks all the way into place.
How to Reset the Thermal Switch on Keurig K Supreme
The most common reason for the K Supreme to stop working correctly is that the thermal switch has tripped during machine overheating. The thermal switch is a safety device in the Keurig machine that prevents the coffee maker from overheating and catching on fire.
If the machine gets too hot, the switch will trip and prevent it from brewing more coffee.
The thermal switch in the K Supreme seems to be very sensitive and is often tripped after descaling. This is probably because descaling brews a lot of hot water in a short amount of time, which could lead to overheating.
The thermal switch can also be triggered when the add water light does not come on and the Keurig runs a brew without water. To protect the brewer, the switch will trip and keep the machine from brewing since heating up without enough water could cause a fire.
A quick online forum read of others experiencing power issues with their K Supreme shows that manually resetting the thermal switch on the machine will more often than not fix the no-power issue.
However, to reset the thermal switch you'll need to take off the outer casing of the Keurig, and the whole process could take 30 minutes to an hour. So it's not a quick fix. But, if you've owned your Keurig for longer than a year and no longer have a warranty or return policy covering it, spending an hour fixing the machine could be better than $200 to buy a brand-new one.
If you're a video person, the below video will walk you through all the steps of disassembling your Keurig and resetting the thermal switch. The video is really high quality and well done. I've also included written step-by-step instructions with pictures below.
Related: 17 Actually Useful Keurig Accessories
How to Reset Keurig K Supreme Thermal Switch in 7 Easy Steps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdE_4NIQEro
All photo credit to Just a Dad Youtube Channel
What you need: Paperclip, Phillips #1 Screwdriver, Keurig K Supreme that Won't Turn On
1. We will be exposing wiring and other electronics, so for safety purposes make sure the machine is unplugged before we begin working on it.
2. Flip the machine upside down and remove the two rubber feet and the water reservoir adapter next to the power cord. Use a #1 Phillips to remove three screws from those locations
3. Use a screwdriver to unhook the tabs on the bottom of the Keurig. This will loosen the outer plastic shell.
4. Pry off the plastic shell with a screwdriver at the seam at the base of the Keurig.
5. Slide the plastic cover over the top of the coffee machine
Below is what the Keurig will look like. The piece that the man in the picture is holding is the thermal switch that we are trying to get to. You can see the arrow is pointing to where it is located.
6. Use a paper clip to push the small button in the center of the thermal switch. This will reset the safety device to keep the Keurig from catching on fire. Keep an eye out for melted plastic. If there is some present, that could mean that the Keurig is too damaged to be fixed.
7. Reassemble the Keurig K Supreme by sliding the lid back on.
Watch the water level during future descales and never let the reservoir go empty, since running the machine dry will cause the thermal switch to trip.
How to Fix Keurig K Supreme Plus Won’t Turn On
Check Electrical Power
Start by checking the outlet you're using. Plug something else into it like your phone charger to make sure that it works. If you're lucky, the only fix you'll need is to move your coffee maker across the kitchen to another outlet.
How to Reset the Thermal Switch on a Keurig K Supreme Plus
Just like the K Supreme, the most common reason that the K Supreme Plus won't power on is that the sensitive thermal safety switch has been trapped. This can happen during descaling or if the add water light goes out the machine brews without water at some point.
You can see pictures of the heating element and thermal switch in the K Supreme instructions above. That is the piece that we are going to disassemble the K Supreme Plus machine to get to. We will then press that middle button with the paperclip to reset the device.
Reset the K Supreme Plus Thermal Switch in 7 Steps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKargTCNx9E
All photo credit to Just a Dad Youtube Channel
What you need: Paperclip, Phillips #1 Screwdriver, Keurig K Supreme Plus that Won't Turn On
1. Unplug the power cord for safety.
2. Remove the drip tray, flip the coffee maker upside down, and remove three screws on the bottom
3. Next pop off the plastic casing in the following order
4. On the left side of the now naked machine, you will be able to see and access the thermal switch. Use a paperclip to push the button in the middle.
6. Run a brew to test the reset machine
7. Reassemble by replacing the plastic in the opposite order that you took it off. Put the three screws and two rubber feet in on the bottom.
Watch the water level during future descales and never let it go empty to reduce the chance of a future thermal switch trip. Do allow add water light to come during descaling though since this is how the machine tracks descale progress.
If you're still having problems with your Keurig machine you can try your hand at contacting Keurig Customer Service at 1-866-901-BREW(2739)
The Best Keurig Model to Replace the K Supreme
Lots of people have problems with the K Supreme and K Supreme Plus. They appear to be fragile machines with thermal switches that can turn the machine off at any moment. If you don't want to keep opening up and putting back together your coffee maker, I recommend getting a different Keurig model. And there are reliable Keurigs out there!
My favorite Keurig brewer at the moment is the K-Duo. It includes both a 12-cup drip coffee carafe component and a single-serve K-cup Coffee Pod maker. Plus the carafe side can be programmed to start brewing automatically at the time of your choice.
This article was written by Josh, the founder, and owner of the website: AngryEspresso.com. You can learn more about Josh on our About the Team page.
All photo credit to Just a Dad Youtube Channel
I have had my Keurig K Supreme for about 18 months now. Yesterday I decided to descale it. Afterwards it wouldn’t power on. After many tries of unplugging and plugging back in, I was going to resort to buying a new one. However, I decided to do one more Google search, and I found your step-by-step instructions. After some struggle getting the cover off, I was able to find the thermal switch and reset it. Viola!! I have a working coffee maker again. Thank you so much for posting these instructions.
You’re awesome! I’m at my sisters house this weekend and she is on her 9th K29 in 2 years. Keurig just keeps sending her new machines. It took me a few minutes to get the outer case off but your instructions were perfect. Thank you for taking the time to put it out there.
My keurig coffee maker quit working. Now it trips the circuit breaker as soon as I plug into an outlet. I have already tried to use a paper clip to punch or reset the small hole. What do I do?
Billymtrueblood76@gmail.com
Thank you! I have already sent one Keurig Supreme Plus back for this very reason. Now the replacement did the same thing. There should be a warning about the thermal switch. I followed your instructions, and my machine is now working. Thanks again!
my Supreme Plus did the same thing after descaling, ifollowed your instructions and plugged it back in , hit the power button and boom everything came on. Now my issue is when i put a pod in and hit the K to brew the machine says brewing , goes for a few seconds then the machine completly powers off !
Thanks for explaining this. Overheated Supreme Plus shutdown while descaling, actually it sounded as though the pump was not working correctly and I was seeing some steam out of the unit. Now smells like burnt electrics. Getting a replacement under warranty, but suspect they have not fixed the issue.
Hey Steve. Unfortunately they have not fixed the issue with the Supreme models. Hope your next one is able to avoid the overheating though.
I just followed this post and reset my Keurig! It is almost 3 years old! It shut off during a descale and would not come back on :(. Contacted Keurig – no help!
Found this post/video and worked perfectly! Just follow the steps! Thank you!!
Yes! So happy to hear that
Worked like a champ thank you for the heads up and Info
Thanks very much for your video! Another Keurig saved from the landfill (for the time being). Do you have a suggestion on how to do the descaling so that you don’t overheat it in the first place? Like waiting 5 minutes between each brew? You mentioned in the video that you could wait 30 minutes before doing the clean rinse, but you risk the timer going off, and i assume, having to restart the process from the beginning.
Awesome, will have to try this next time. As it stands right now, I get the K-supreme that you get from costco. Our solution everytime this happens every 6 months to a year is just buy a new one from costco, We bring it home, pull out the nice new machine, clean up the old one dry it off, put it in the box then return it to costco in a few days letting them know it doesn’t work. No questions asked, costco takes it back. They just send it back to manufacturer and get reimbursed anyway, so it saves having to work with warrenty and all that BS.
Wow!!! This took me about 3 minutes with your help!!!! Works perfect now. Thank you so much!
My K-supreme plus was working perfectly fine for the first 9 months I had it. We moved and I boxed it and placed it in storage. After a year of sitting, I just unboxed it and filled the water up and tried to use it and it won’t even power on. I checked the outlets which work fine and I even took it apart to reset it and it still won’t turn on. What could be wrong with it??
Shut off while descaling. Called support. They said it was out of warranty and all they could give me was 20% off. Followed instructions and it worked!!! Thanks so much!!!