If you’re an owner of a Nespresso machine, then you know that descaling your machine is a important procedure to keep it clean of mineral build-ups and corrosion that could lead to internal parts from breaking.
Nespresso descaling problems occur when you follow descaling instructions incorrectly or if you miss a step. These things happen to the best of us, and fixing them is a breeze.
In this guide, I will talk about the most common Nespresso descaling problems, like:
- Nespresso won’t stop descaling,
- Nespresso flashing light won’t stop
- Nespresso not working after descaling
Most of these problems happen because of one common mistake. So let’s have a look at each descaling problem and how you can fix it.
Nespresso Won’t Stop Descaling
What does this problem look like:
- If your Nespresso machine keeps running water without stopping.
- If your Nespresso machine is brewing, but overflowing.
- If your Nespresso machine is flashing light alternately (color depends on the type of machine).
All of these problem happen when you start the descaling cycle but either don’t complete it, or don’t exit the descaling cycle.
Some Nespresso models have automatic descale mode exit, but many users go wrong on the last step so their Nespresso machines keep running on descaling mode.
With other Nespresso machines, you have to manually exit descaling cycle after you complete the process.
How To Exit Nespresso Descaling Mode
I have a full guide on why Nespresso gets stuck in descaling mode and how to fix it which will explain in details how to fix this problem. But here’s a quick overview of what you need to do:
How To Exit Descaling Mode in Nespresso Vertuo Next
If you have a Nespresso Vertuo Next, then your machine should automatically exit descaling mode.
But if your Nespresso Vertuo Next stuck in descaling mode, it means that you did not complete the rinse cycle.
When you reach the rinsing part of the descaling process, you have to REPEAT this step several times, until your machine’s light changes from orange to solid white.
And that’s where most users go wrong, then run the cleaning cycle just once and switch their machine off, which interrupts the cleaning cycle and gets your machine stuck in descaling mode.
How To Fix
Your machine now is stuck in the middle or last part of the descaling cycle. So what you have to do is complete it:
- Don’t insert any pod, make sure there’s no pod inside the machine.
- Fill the water reservoir to MAX line.
- If your Nespresso Vertuo Next is still flashing orange, simply press the button and it will start dispensing water to finish that interrupted cleaning cycle. Let it keep running…
You’ll want that water to run until the brew button turns from flashing orange to flashing white then solid white, and only then the machine is ready to be used.
If that still didn’t work, try holding the brew button for 7 seconds.
How To Exit Descaling Mode in Nespresso VertuoPlus
Nespresso Veruto Plus has a manual descale mode exit. So even after you fully completed the descaling steps and cleaning steps, you have to manually switch off the descaling function.
To exit descaling function in Nespresso Vertuo Plus:
Press the brew button and lever down together for three seconds until you see the brew button flashing green, then turns solid green indicating that machine is ready to use.
How To Exit Descaling Mode in Nespresso Essenza, Inissia, Pixie or Citiz
For these Nespresso OriginaLine machines, exiting descaling mode is done manually.
After you complete the descaling process, all you have to do is press the espresso and lungo buttons together for three seconds. The buttons will flash green then turn solid green to indicate the machine is ready to use.
Nespresso Won’t Reset After Descaling
Your Nespresso machine is not supposed to ‘reset’ after descaling. Resetting a Nespresso machine means you are bringing it back to factory settings.
What your Nespresso machine is supposed to do after descaling is simply to get out of descaling mode and go back into brewing mode.
If your Nespresso isn’t ready to brew after descaling, it means it is stuck in descaling mode, which brings us back to the descaling problem in the section below. So scroll back and read why your Nespresso is possibly stuck in descaling mode and how to fix it.
If you want to reset your Nespresso machine, have a look at my guide on Nespresso Reset to Factory Settings which explains how to reset each Nespresso model.
Nespresso Stopped Working After Descaling
If your Nespresso won’t work after descaling, and if you ensured that:
- Your nespresso machine is not flashing orange (Stuck in descaling mode)
Which means, you have completed the descaling cycle including descaling solution and rinsing cycle, yet your machine still won’t brew. This could indicate:
- Your Nespresso machine has overheated
When your Nespresso machine overheats, which rarely happens but it does happen, you’ll often see an indicator light (usually red, but it always depends on the model).
Other times, this indicator doesn’t light up.
The fix for this problem is very simple. All you have to do is unplug your machine for an hour or so. If this doesn’t work, then leave it unplugged for 24 hours.
Another fix you can try is to simply reset your Nespresso:
On a Nespresso Vertuo, press the brew button for 7 seconds until it restarts.
On a Nespresso OriginalLine, while the machine is OFF, press the LUNGO button for 5 seconds until you see the buttons flashing.
Nespresso Bypass Descaling
Let’s say your Nespresso is alerting you that it’s time to descale your machine but you don’t want to do it.
While this isn’t something I recommend, I do understand that you don’t want descale because you don’t have the time and you need to use your machine right away.
There is a simple way to bypass nespresso descaling, and it’s a workaround since there’s no official way to do this. You’ll be basically ‘tricking’ your machine that you have completed the descaling cycle.
How to Bypass Nespresso Descaling
- Make sure your Nespresso machine has a full tank (water only, no descaling solution)
- Run a cycle of hot water.
- If your Nespresso machine has a manual descaling mode exit, you can do the steps at this point to shut descaling mode off.
- If your Nespresso machine has automatic descaling mode exit, you’ll want to press the button for 7 seconds until your machine resets.
How to Reset Nespresso Descaling Light
If your Nespresso is flashing orange (or other colors), I have a full guide on how to troubleshoot Nespresso flashing lights.
Nespresso descaling lights not turning off is always an indication that your Nespresso is stuck in descaling mode. So you can refer to this guide on Nespresso stuck in descaling mode, find the section for your Nespresso machine model and follow instructions.
Related Posts
- Is It Safe To Use Nespresso After Descaling?
- Nespresso Only Water Coming Out
- Nespresso Vertuo Wont Brew
