When should you replace your coffee maker? How do you know when it’s time to get a brand new coffee machine? We have identified 6 situations when it might be good to change your coffee maker! Do you experience any of them?

This post contains references to products. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, at NO charge to you. Please visit this page for our Affiliate Policy. 

When should I replace my coffee maker? How to know when it’s time to get a new coffee machine?

Owly Choice reader Sarah

Sarah reached out to us with an interesting question. In fact, we have heard a similar question before on multiple occasions.

When should you replace your old coffee maker? How do you know it’s time to get a new coffee machine?

The average lifespan of a good coffee maker is about 5 years. If you take good care of the machine by cleaning and descaling regularly, the machine can last up to 10 years.

However, while some coffee machines can last up to 10 years, you may want to say goodbye to your coffee maker a little earlier. There are various reasons why you may need to replace your coffee machine.

Here’s an overview of some of the reasons why it may be time to replace your coffee machine.

6 situations when to replace a coffee maker

1. The coffee maker does not heat up water anymore

You know it’s time to replace your old coffee maker when it no longer heats up water sufficiently.

While you can attempt to keep the coffee machine running for as long as possible by cleaning and descaling, heating elements get worn off over time. When this happens, there’s no recourse but replace a coffee maker.

Water passes through the heating element and leaves mineral residue behind. The residue builds up and affects the efficacy of the heating element.

Age and wear also affect the heating element. Therefore, the machine may tend to brew weak and cold coffee, well below the recommended 195-205 F degree temperatures.

2. The coffee machine is broken

The coffee machine should not break quickly, unless there are defects or other design flaws. If that happens, we do recommend you get in touch with the manufacturer to replace your coffee maker.

Machines can experience a plethora of issues: leaks, faulty pumps, as well as cracked, irreplaceable parts (like carafes and water reservoirs). All of these are good indicators to replace the coffee maker.

Of course, if the machine is still under the warranty, we suggest you should get in touch with the manufacturer. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes it may be cheaper to buy a new machine, rather than paying for shipping/servicing of the old one.

Talk to the manufacturer to figure out the best course of action.

3. The coffee machine is outdated

Some coffee makers can become outdated pretty quickly. It may just happen that your coffee machine becomes old and dated.

In the interim, you might have seen a new robust coffee machine you really liked. Perhaps, your friend or neighbor showed you a machine that you fell in love with.

It may also be that you want a new coffee machine that froths milk and brews coffee.

These are all good enough reasons to replace a coffee maker.

4. The coffee machine only works with certain pods or k-cup types

A real struggle is when a coffee machine takes only certain types of coffee pods or k-cups. This means that if, or when, the manufacturer discontinues those pods, the machine is rendered useless.

That is a shame, especially if the machine is still in great functioning order. This ultimately means that you may have to replace the coffee maker.

5. Your taste in coffee has changed

It is normal to like different things at different points in our lives. Our taste change, too.

While you might have liked drip coffee earlier, you might now develop a strong preference for espresso coffee. Or, perhaps a French press to better fit your needs.

You should definitely listen to your personal needs, and replace that coffee maker if you have outgrown it.

6. The coffee maker does not fit your circumstances anymore

Coffee makers are a bit like cars. At times, you might need to replace a mini-van with a Porsche. And, conversely, you might need to replace a Porsche with a mini-van.

When you are a single, a single serve coffee maker may seem like a great idea. It is fast, convenient and efficient. Further, you can afford the pods because you do not have other responsibilities, so why not?

But once you have a family, things change. You need to be able to brew more coffee in one go, and you need to save more money, so ground coffee is better than pods. That right there is one great reason to replace your coffee maker.

Owly’s conclusion

Coffee makers are an essential tool in the coffee lover’s toolkit. You, a coffee lover, should not be afraid to adapt this tool to your needs.

At times, this means that an old coffee machine needs to go, and a new needs to come in its place.

There are many situations when it’s time to get a new coffee maker. The old one might have broken down, come with insufficient features, or simply no longer lives up to your expectations. It is only natural that in the course of our coffee brewing experiences, the machines we use are no longer sufficient to brew better and more delicious coffee.

What do you think?

When do you replace your coffee maker? How often do you change your coffee maker for a new version? What was your biggest disappointment while replacing a coffee maker?

Let us know in the comments!

Did you find the post helpful?
[Number of Owly votes: 153 Average: 2.6]