Disconnect carafe heater in coffee machine

coffeedude

I figure you guys would know something about this.

I got a cheapo coffee maker and I love the job it does but hate that there is a hotplate under the carafe, I'd rather it just made my coffee instead of also trying to boil it down. So curious if you guys have any advice on how I can just disconnect it.

Experienced with soldering/small tools/repairs etc.

ryan50hrl

Take it apart, and find out where the element is hooked into the unit? Disconnect and safely cap its wires off and you should be good.

coffeedude

Cut the wires that attach to the element and cap them with those round wire caps? Sounds super easy, haven't even looked at the bottom of the thing yet. Getting tired of overbaked coffee when I forget to tend to it immediately after it's brewed so will probably get at this today/tomorrow.

J. V.

Thats why you buy a good coffee maker that has an automatic turn off feature and a temperature adjustment option for the warming plate. LOL!!! Kitchenaid $100.00

ryan50hrl

I'd see if you could just find where the wires are attached inside and remove them entirely.

wkearney99

Most coffee makers use the same heating element under the burner to also heat the water for brewing. So you can't disconnect the one in the base without losing the ability to brew coffee. Better to get a new coffee maker that does what you need. I've always preferred using one with an insulated carafe. This way the coffee's only heated once, not cooked to death on the warming element. I've got a Bunn and the carafe keeps the coffee very hot for upwards of an hour and a half.

rjniles

Owned a lot of coffee makers and never had one that worked that way. Not sure it is possible.

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wkearney99

So you think there are two heating elements? Not likely. There have been a few that do that, but it's rare for a consumer unit. Commercial ones, sure, but not most low-end units. Here's the general idea: http://home.howstuffworks.com/coffee-maker2.htm

I suppose it'd be easy enough to open the maker and look at how it's plumbed. If there's tubing going from the fill reservoir through the base element then you're not going to be able to disconnect that.

But given what makers cost and the risks associated with hacking into something with a high-current heating element, I'd suggest just replacing it with something better designed to do the job you require. Otherwise you risk setting it and your house on fire. Not really a good plan consider how inexpensive these machines are...

rjniles

The coffe makers I have dissected had a metal tube with a coil wrapped around it to brew the coffee and a separate element under the pot. But lets agree to disagree and not get into a flame war

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wkearney99

Well, there's nothing to flame about here. I indicated there have been some models that do use two separate elements. I've also seen a great many more than don't and posted to a page that discusses how they work.

So without knowing which kind he's got it's a toss-up. Neither of us has anything to flame about because we don't know the specific maker involved here. Me, I favor the likelihood it's a cheap, one-element job.

Either way I'd still fall on the side of the argument that says it's probably a safer plan to just get a maker that does what he wants instead. I've got the Bunn Phase Brew with the insulated carafe and really love the job it does. No more burnt coffee from sitting too long.

rjniles

^^^^^^I agree ^^^^^

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notmrjohn

You could just plug the maker into a timer.

wkearney99

Assuming you found one that worked reliably and tolerated the high current a coffee maker pulls. The problem he pointed out was leaving the coffee on the burner cooks it. Using a timer helps avoid that but then you'd still be stuck with cold coffee you'd have to re-heat... further ruining the taste. Trust me, been there, done that... got a better maker with an insulated carafe instead.

notmrjohn

wkearney, I got about 2 dozen industrial and commercial timers out in the garage, I keep forgeting that not every one is a hoarder...er...recycler like me.
I was wonderin about that cold coffee issue myself. Over cooked, re-heated or cold those are terrible things to do to good coffee. I don't worry about it, I usually finish off the 12 cup pot B4 it has a chance to over cook or cool off.
coffeedude, if the plate is getting too hot you pro'lly got a single element maker, in 2 element ones the plate is designed to be cooler than the water heating one. So you're probably outta luck. Chances are the thing is held together with solvent and heat welds anyway.