Keurig K-Duo Descale Light Won’t Turn Off – Let’s Fix It!

If your Keurig K-Duo descale light won’t turn off this article will help you to put your light out.

The most common reason is your machine has some blockage that is inhibiting the water flow and needs to be cleared. Even if you have run a full descale of your Keurig K-Duo this article is for reading as there are some steps that you might be missing out.

Keep reading to find out how to fix this annoying problem!

Keurig K-Duo Descale Light Won’t Turn Off

One of the main reason that the descale light won’t turn off on your Keurig K-Duo is due to a large limescale build-up. When you have a particularly large buildup of scale it is particularly difficult to remove and needs a deep clean with a stronger solution.

If you are already using a concentrated solution of distilled white vinegar and water in equal amounts run a second and third cleaning cycle.

Another common reason for the descale light not turning off is due to the needles being blocked. The needles are unfortunately a part that most coffee lovers forget to unclog them.

The injection lines may also be blocked with the build up of coffee grounds and coffee particles resulting in poor-tasting coffee. Thankfully you can clean the injection lines at the same time as you clean you needles.

Your water filter may also need to be replaced.

Read: Keurig says descale but won’t brew

How To Clean Your Needles And Injection Lines

Start by seeking out the needle maintenance tool that came with your Keurig coffee maker. Fill the tool with hot water, as hot as you can without burning yourself!

Place it in the pod holder with the hot water in it. Then open and close the lid 5 to 7 times. This should clean the needles in a light to moderately dirty machine but is not enough for proper full cleaning of dirty needles and injection lines.

This step is just to loosen the dirt, now it’s time to really clean those needles and injection lines.

Using a fine sewing needle or an unfolded paper clip poke around inside both needles thoroughly for about 30 seconds to a minute each.

This step removes the deep scale buildup over time and loosens some hard scale buildup. This next step is a little polemic and not many coffee blogs and websites advise it or have even thought of it.

I use this step every time I clean my needles and injection lines.

Clean your needle maintenance tool and fill it with either the Keurig descaling solution or 50% distilled white vinegar and 50% water. Insert your needle maintenance tool to the pod holder and like above, open and close the lid 5 to 7 times.

This step does the same as cleaning the needles with hot water but is more effective at cleaning the caked and baked in grime.

This needle cleaning step should precede your full descaling cycle. Once complete proceed to a full descaling of your machine.

Replacing Your Water Filter

Your water filter being dirty may be the cause of your descale light not going off after completing a full descale cycle.

Check your water filter, if it needs to be replaced, replace it! As a matter of good practice always keep two spare water filters. One for immediate use and the backup to the space filter is in case you have difficulties in sourcing a new one!

Read: I descaled my Keurig and now it doesn’t work

Run A Full Descale Cycle

This is final step. Before you get started remove all removable parts from your machine, K-cup holder, drip tray, water reservoir etc. Clean them with warm soapy water and rinse well.

Put them back in their place. Wipe clean the exterior surfaces of your Keurig coffee maker with a damp cloth.

Fill your water reservoir with a 50% distilled white vinegar and 50% water solution, Keurigs descaling solution or any similar descale solution and run a full descale process.

Once the descale process has been completed rinse your machine with an abundance of fresh water. You will need to fill the water reservoir 3 to 5 times to complete the clean water rinse. This is necessary to remove the scent and taste of vinegar from your machine.

Keurig Still Says Descale After Descaling

Ok, so you have followed the above protocol, replaced your filter, given your needles and injection lines a read good clean and ran a real good full descaling procedure of your whole machine and that darn descaling light won’t go off.

If you are absolutely sure that your machine is clean on the inside and it is brewing a full cup of coffee at full strength without any delays and working as it should then it is time to reset your machine.

You can reset your coffee machine in two ways. One way is to simply unplug your machine and wait for 15 to 20 minutes. Then plug it back in.

The other way is to hold down the ten and eight ounce cup size buttons together and hold them for 3 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keurig K-Duo Descale Light Won’t Turn Off

Why Does My Keurig Duo Still Say Descale?

When the descale light of your Keurig coffee maker stays on, it means that your coffee maker needs further cleaning. It may be that your needles are clogged. Unfortunately many people forget this part when it comes to running a descaling cycle.

It is essential to clean your needles every time you descale your coffee machine. It helps to ensure normal water flow through your machine.

Why Won’t My Descale Button Turn Off On My Keurig?

There are many reasons why your descale button may still be turned on. The most common one is a serious gunk build-up of calcium, minerals, coffee grinds, coffee oils and all sorts of dirt that builds up in your machine.

Another reason is the blockage of your needles. Both the entrance needle and exit needle need to be cleaned and unclogged during a descaling process. The needle maintenance tool will only do so much. Poke around inside them with a sewing needle or an unfolded paper clip.

How Do I Get My Keurig Duo Out Of Descale Mode?

To get your Keurig Duo out of the descale mode and switch off the descale indicator light, press the 8 Oz and 10 Oz buttons together for 3 seconds.

Read: Keurig descale light stays on

How Do I Force My Keurig To Reboot?

The easiest way to force your Keurig to reboot is to unplug your Keurig machine for one or two hours. Surprisingly it works!

You can also press and hold the power button and press the small, medium and large cup size buttons in that order, one after the other.

Why Does My Keurig Still Say Descale After I Cleaned It?

When the descale light is still illuminated when you have descaled your brewer, it may be because the water reservoir didn’t empty itself during or after the descaling process. To solve this simply empty the water reservoir and run 3-5 brewing cycles with fresh water and rinse the scent and taste of vinegar from your brewer.

Other reasons may be due to a blocked entrance needle or exit needle. Clean them with a fine needle by poking around inside them and run a second descaling cycle as the reason may also be due to a heavy mineral build-up.

How Do You Know If Your Keurig Is Dying?

There are some key signs that your Keurig is dying on you and that is when your beloved coffee machine stops brewing coffee and the reason has nothing to do with clogged needles or your coffee machine needing descaled.

Other reasons may be your machine is not brewing a full cup of coffee, the brew is only luke warm or is taking much longer than normal to brew a cup of coffee.

It may not be 100% necessary that you replace your machine as parts like the pump, heater can be replaced.

Final Thoughts – Keurig K-Duo Descale Light Won’t Turn Off

Now that you know why your Keurig K-Duo descale light won’t turn off all you need to do is follow the instruction above and your descale light should go out. If your descale light doesn’t turn off repeat the actions as there might be some deep rooted gunk and dirt.

Join our cool coffee gang and join by sharing your own great coffee creations, recipes and those hilarious coffee jokes and coffee memes. Find us on Facebook/Meta!

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location