It’s never a good day when your favorite coffee maker starts leaking. It’s even worse when it happens in the middle of the night and you have to clean up a mess in the morning.
I know this because I experienced this first hand with my ninja coffee maker.
Lucky for me, I found out what was causing that leak and how to fix it by venturing out and researching the answer on my own!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss why your ninja coffee maker might be leaking in the first place as well as some maintenance tips that will help keep you from having any more leaks in the future!
So the question is why does the Ninja coffee maker leak and how do I fix that?
If your Ninja Coffee Bar is leaking, then it could be with either the water reservoir connection or it being overfilled. If the connection is not secure, it might require readjusting or it could be due to a worn gasket, and replacing this will probably fix the leak.
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How to diagnose the leakage
One of the most important things you can ever start off with is first trying to understand the problem. Where is it coming from? Is there a specific location somewhere that the water is leaking out of? What part is it coming out of? Is it dry on one area and not the other? Are there any visible damages on the exterior that I could find?
Answering any one of these questions may further help you focus on where the problem might actually be.
Now depending on the model you have, the Ninja website has graciously created an FAQ for a lot of the major troubleshoot issues you might find. But in my experience, I’ve had to take a step further in finding my answer.
Check the gasket
In most situations, when you find a leakage, it’s probably going to be the secure lock created by the gasket. The gasket is usually this rubber o-ring that sits in between the reservoir valve opening and the coffee maker valve opening.
This ring seals the connection between the 2 compartments and prevents water leakage.
You want to examine this gasket really closely under a microscope. Look for any tears, or spots that are dry and not wet. If you find a tear in the gasket it’s possible for water to leak out of this area when brewing coffee.
You also want to take note of the condition of the gasket. Can you see any areas of the gasket that is flattened more than the rest?
Gaskets can easily be replaced and more often than not, you can find them for really cheap online.
If this isn’t the issue, then move on.
Check the reservoir
This will probably the next place to look at when there is any problem with leakage of water. It goes hand-in-hand with the gasket. The reservoir is the container that actually holds the water.
Even though the system might be working just fine, you may also find dripping that happens regularly. If you notice that there are droplets or dampness in this area, try this neat trick on how to diagnose a reservoir leakage.
Remove the reservoir, and with a dry towel, dry up the wet area completely. Then reinstall the reservoir. Leave the Ninja alone for a few hours and come back to it. Now, check to see where the water puddle is residing.
This method helps you further confirm where the leak is coming from. Knowing where the water is coming out will help you fix the issue.
Now, there’s also one important part of the reservoir that you don’t want to miss. That is the connection between the reservoir at the base valve. You want to make sure that this connection is as tight and dry.
You may find some coffee grounds here, or in the worst cases, a wet area from leakage can build up over time right at this point of contact with water getting through them.
Check the filter
Sometimes there may be some excess water coming out of the filter. Depending on the model you have, check the user’s manual to find the location of your filter.
Most Ninja coffee maker filters have reusable coffee filters and only need to be cleaned every 3 months. Blockage of this filter can very well cause leakage.
I recommend setting an alarm for yourself every 3 months to remind yourself to clean the filter. This in turn will also help you keep an eye on if the filter is building up and causing any issues like leakage.
Keep in mind that it’s okay to see a few water drops coming from the filter area. That’s normal. Small drips and splatter around the coffee filter are nothing to worry about.
However, if you find it to be excessive, then the filter might be the culprit. And that you should clean it.
Check the tubes and connectors
One of the more difficult processes to check leakage is through the tubes and connectors.
I am specifically talking about the tube that connects the reservoir to the coffee maker base. If your coffee maker is leaking near the base, you’ll want to check this tube.
What you want to look for are any tube ends that are not fitted correctly in place. In some rare cases, you also want to look for any cracks or holes in the tube itself.
Try to tighten the connection and make sure it doesn’t come loose again. If you find that there is indeed a crack or hole in your tube, then it’s time to take it into the repair shop or call the manufacturer to repair it. You also have the option of taking it out and bringing it to a hardware store to see if you can find a replacement tube.
Most hardware stores will carry a variety of rubber tubing in a variety of sizes. If you can find one that matches the size of your Ninja coffee maker tube, then you might be able to fix the issue.
How to clean the Ninja Coffee maker with water and vinegar solution
If you want to perform a thorough cleaning through every inch of the coffee maker, but don’t want to use some manufactured chemical to do it, then try the vinegar method.
This method uses a mixture of water and vinegar to clean your Ninja coffee maker through every in and out of its brewing compartments.
It’s a safe and natural solution to keeping your machine clean and helping it from clogging.
It is recommended to do this every 3 months.
Step 1: Make the vinegar solution
You’re going to need to mix water and vinegar together in a 1 to 1 solution. That means equal parts of each. It’s recommended to create about half a gallon (or less) worth of this.
Step 2: Run the solution through the coffee maker
Add this solution to the reservoir and run the machine with the highest amount of coffee it can produce at a time.
Remove the filter from the machine so that the remnants can pass through all the tubes and drain out. Place a cup on the other side to capture the resulting dirty mixture.
Step 3: Cycle through all your mixture
Perform this process several times with the clean mixture, each time filling up the cup with the used mixture and throwing it out. You don’t have to use the entire amount of mixture you made. 6 cycles should be enough.
Step 4: Cycle through with water
Finally, to get rid of the vinegar smell and flavor, clean out the reservoir and instead run regular water through the machine several times to wash out any leftover mixture that might still linger inside the coffee maker.
Step 5: Put the filter back in and start making coffee
Remember to put the clean filter back in after full going through all the cycles and you’re ready to start drinking some great coffee.
Tips and Advice on how to avoid leaking of your Ninja coffee maker
Proper cleaning and maintenance
It is important to clean your coffee machine regularly because gunk can build up inside and this will eventually cause problems with your Ninja coffee maker.
There can be clogs happening all over inside of the coffee maker and you wouldn’t even know it. You will most likely find particles of ground coffee or calcification that grow inside the chambers.
If areas, where flowing water happens often, is blocked off, then you will likely find that the water will spill out.
Unclogging and wiping down these areas are important not only to keeping your coffee maker clean and functioning properly, but it’s also sanitary and keeps your coffee tasting great.
Oftentimes there are going to be places that are hard to reach, I would recommend getting a soft bristle toothbrush and scrubbing through the hard-to-reach areas.
You can also wash and cycle through the coffee maker with a running mixture of water and vinegar.
This will keep your coffee machine running longer and help avoid any breakdowns in the near future.
Cleaning or replacing the filter
Filters get dirty because water runs through this mesh which separates the ground from the coffee.
The filter needs to be cleaned at least every 3 months. These filters build up coffee ground particles and develop calcium deposits and it’s important that you remove these things.
If you don’t, it might cause a blockage of water flow and that could end up causing an unwanted leak.
Honestly, this is part of the machine that is mostly overlooked. What, I recommend is that you set a schedule to remind yourself every 3 months to clean it out.
I use this exact same scheduling method to remind myself to change out my air filter as well and it all works PERFECTLY.
Descaling
Most high-end filtrating products like a Ninja coffee maker will likely come with a special solution called a descaling solution. These solutions are chemically formulated to go in and dissolve any build-up of mineral deposits from the water flowing throughout the system.
It’s basically a Draino solution for your coffee machine. It’s highly recommended if you don’t want to mess with manually cleaning the device yourself and trying to get into hard-to-reach spaces.
However, there are alternatives to thoroughly cleaning your coffee maker with a more natural solution like water and vinegar.
Don’t overfill the reservoir
On almost all coffee machines that have water reservoirs, there will be an indicator line that recommends you to stop pouring in more water at this point.
If too much water is added into the reservoir, it can overflow and this can cause the water to leak into the base coffee machine.
My final thoughts
I love my Ninja coffee machine and it is because I was able to find a solution to the leaking problem that I still use today. It brews some really fantastic coffee.
Make sure you understand all the possible reasons for why or how it could leak. In knowing so, you will be likely able to fix the problem with this Ninja machine or any other coffee machine for that matter.
I hate repeating myself but regularly cleaning the machine and proper maintenance is the key to keeping your machine last longer.
You’re basically getting your money’s worth if you can hold onto a machine for longer.
So why not?
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