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Nespresso Stuck In Descale/Rinse Mode? Here's What To Do

Nespresso Stuck In Descale/Rinse Mode? Here’s What To Do

Nespresso Troubleshooting Jan 22, 2023

If your Nespresso machine’s orage light won’t go off after descaling, or if it is dispensing more coffee than it is supposed to, this means that your coffee machine is stuck in the Descale/Rinse mode.

Nespresso stuck in Descale or Rinse mode refers to the same issue. If your Vertuo is stuck, it will continue to dispense water because it is stuck in the cleaning cycle.

How To Get Your Nespresso Out of Descaling Mode

Please note that it does not matter if your Nespresso is a Breville or DeLonghi, you only have to match the model name (Vertuoplus, Next, Creatista… and so on).

Some Nespresso coffee machines are designed to exit the descaling function automatically, while others require that you finish it manually.

Nespresso Machines with Automatic Descaling ExitNespresso Machines with Manual Descaling Exit
Vertuo Next
Creatista (Pro, Uno, Plus)
Lattissima (Pro, Plus, Touch)
Essenza Plus
Essenza Mini
CitiZ
Pixie
Inissia
Vertuo Plus

How To Exit Descaling Cycle In Vertuo Next

To fix the flashing light issue and complete the cleaning cycle, all you have to do is finish where you left off…

Steps

1- Fill the water reservoir to the MAX line, and press the brew button (without inserting a pod).
2- The machine will start dispensing water. If the water in the reservoir ran out, yet the light is still flashing, fill it up again and press the brew button.
3- Repeat as many times as needed until the light flashes solid white or green again.

How To Exit Descaling Mode in Breville Creatista

Nespresso Creatista Pro Plus Stuck in Descale Mode

Nespresso Creatista machines are equipped with a colored display that will walk you through the process of descaling your machine. All you have to do is follow what the machine tells you to do.

Sometimes though, The Creatista gets stuck in the rinsing cycle, here’s why:

Assuming that you have completed both descaling and rinsing steps, one of the reasons a Creatista gets stuck in descaling mode is that the machine senses that there is water inside either the drip tray or the used capsule container.

The Fix

What you want to do is to keep checking and emptying the drip tray and used capsule container if they fill up with water at some point during the descaling process. Continue to empty these components until the descaling cycle and rinsing cycle are complete.

How To Exit Descaling Mode in Vertuo Plus

How to exist descaling mode in nespresso

This model requires that you manually shut off descaling after you have completed all steps. When you have completed the descale solution cycle and the rinse cycle, the light will continue to be solid orange.

Vertuo Plus Instructions: Press the brew button and lever down together for three seconds until you see green light in a solid state. You have now exited descaling mode and the machine is ready to use.

See my full guide on how your Nespresso is blinking orange.

How To Exit Descaling Mode in Essenza Mini

Nespresso Essenza Mini Stuck in Descaling Mode

Simply press the espresso and lungo buttons together (5 seconds for Essenza and 3 seconds for other models) to exit the descaling program.

This works for all Nespresso Original machines like Inissia, Citiz or Pixie.

How To Exit Descaling Mode in Essenza Plus

Nespresso Essenza Plus Stuck in Descale Mode

This model works differently than Essenza Mini since it has more buttons and options. Nespresso Essenza Plus model has an automatic descale exit.

If the descale light on Essenza Plus won’t go off, all you have to do is continue the rinsing cycle.

Fill the water reservoir with fresh water and press the flashing button. The machine will start dispensing water. Repeat this step until the lights turn green.

How To Exit Descaling Cycle in Lattissima, Lattissima Pro or Lattissima Touch

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Stuck in Descale Mode

If your Nespresso Lattissima is stuck in descale mode, here are a few things to check for:

  • Make sure you have done both the descale and rinse cycles
  • When doing the rinse cycle, make sure you fill the water reservoir to the max line. If you use any less water, the machine will think the cycle was interrupted (because it stopped before using the full amount of water it is supposed to use).

Lattissima machines rinse through the coffee spout, hot water spout and drip tray. It alternates between those outlets until the water in the reservoir is empty then it will stop automatically.

Resetting Your Machine After Descaling

Nespresso does not require that you reset your machine after you complete descaling.

Resetting your coffee machine means that you lose all programmed volumes and customizations. It’s not necessary unless your Nespresso is not working.

Here’s a full guide on how to reset Nespresso machines.

Why Nespresso Gets Stuck in Descale Mode and How To Avoid It

There are two main reasons a Vertuo machine will get stuck in descaling mode:

You Interrupted the Descaling Procedure

The descaling process of Nespresso machines takes about 20 full minutes to finish, and it’s made up of two parts: one using the descaling solution and the other using fresh water.

If for any reason you press the button to stop the process and run out of water in the tank midway, your machine will get stuck and the orange light will keep flashing.

You Skipped The Rinse Cycle Or Did Not Complete It

If you reach the rinse cycle and do it only once, your machine will not exist descaling mode.

You need to repeat the rinsing/cleaning cycle until the machine turns off on its own and the orange light disappears.

You Did Not Manually Exit Descaling Mode

Some Nespresso machines are designed to exit descaling mode automatically, while others require that you exit manually.

For example, Vertuo Next should exit descale mode automatically if you completed all steps, but VertuoPlus requires that you exit the function manually.

As for Original Line machines, they all require that you exit descaling manually, except for the Creatista.

Below you’ll find a table of each model and how they exit the descaling cycle.

Time Passed Between Steps and Your Nespresso Resets

Here’s something that a few users don’t keep in mind…

Once you activate Descale Mode on your Nespresso machine, you have to follow up with each step within a certain amount of time or the machine will reset itself.

For example, in Vertuo Next, you only have about 7 seconds between pressing and locking or unlocking the lever to activate a mode. Any longer, and you’ll have to start over.

Don’t descale your Nespresso machine unless you have the free time to do it without any interruptions. Also, make sure you understand each step before starting so you don’t get stuck on any steps.

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