Mr coffee how does it work

How does the water get from the reservoir over to the coffee grounds in the filter basket? How does everything heat up so quickly, and what on earth is that gurgling noise? In this article, we'll look inside a typical drip coffee maker so you can understand exactly what's happening when you make coffee.

We'll also look at the possible problems that might cause your coffee maker to stop working. By the end of this article, you may look at your old friend in a completely new way. Coffee beans as we know them are actually the seeds of the fruit of the coffee plant -- called coffee cherries -- and these popular plants have been cultivated by man for hundreds of years.

The two most commonly grown species of coffee plants are Coffee arabica Arabica coffee and Coffea canephora Robusta coffee. For more about details about what's in your morning cup, check out the article How Coffee Works. There are lots of coffee makers on the market that can arguably make a better pot of Joe, but in this article, we'll be focusing on the trusty drip.

On the other hand, if you're gunning for an insider's look at your kitchen's appliance of the year, we'll crack it open and take a peek on the next page.

A modern drip coffee maker is a surprisingly simple device. Manufacturers have had more than 30 years to hone their designs, so these coffee makers are pretty straightforward once you open them up.

Looking at this picture, you get your first impression that this isn't a high-tech device. If you take the bottom off the coffee maker, here's what you'll find:. The depression on the right-hand side of this figure is the bottom of the bucket. The orange tube on the top picks up the cold water coming down from the hole in the reservoir.

The orange tube on the bottom is the hot-water tube it connects to the white tube that we saw in the previous picture. You can also see the power cord coming in as well. On the left-hand side of the base of the coffee maker is the heating element.

This component is comprised of an aluminum extrusion with two parts: a resistive heating element and a tube for water to flow through. The resistive heating element and the aluminum tube heat the water. On the next page, we'll take a closer gander at what this apparatus looks like. The resistive heating element is simply a coiled wire, very similar to the filament of a light bulb or the element in an electric toaster that gets hot when you run electricity through it.

In a resistive element like this, the coil is embedded in a plaster to make it more rugged. The heating element has two jobs:. The resistive heating element presses directly against the underside of the warming plate, and white, heat-conductive grease makes sure the heat transfers efficiently. This grease, by the way, is extremely messy very hard to get off of your fingers!

You find this grease in all sorts of devices, including stereo amplifiers , power supplies -- pretty much anything that has to dissipate heat. The coffee maker's switch turns power to the heating element on and off.

To keep the heating element from overheating, there are also components such as sensors and fuses. In coffee makers, sensors detect if the coil is getting too hot and cut off the current. Then, when it cools down, they turn the current back on. By cycling on and off like this, they keep the coil at an even temperature. Fuses simply cut the power if they sense too high a temperature. They're there for safety reasons, in the event that the main sensor fails. Another important part of the coffee maker is the one-way valve.

This valve is usually either in the hole in the bucket or in the aluminum heating pipe. If there were no one-way valve, then the boiling water would be just as likely to flow back into the bucket as to rise up the white tube.

The one-way valve lets cold water into the aluminum tube, but forces the bubbles of boiling water to flow up the white tube. If you blow on the tube leading into this value, the valve should be open. If you inhale through the tube, the one-way valve should block any air. Now that we've got the basic elements down, let's turn on the coffee maker and take it for a test drive. All this talk of coffee got you thirsting for some java? Well, here's the lowdown on how a drip coffee maker turns a handful of grounds and a couple of cups of water into a steaming hot cup of Joe.

Sounds pretty simple, right? This boiling-water pump, by the way, is the same mechanism that drives a percolator-type coffee machine. As you can see, there's no mechanical pump of any type and really no moving parts except for the moving portion of the one-way valve. This makes coffee machines extremely reliable. In some drip coffee makers, there are also different advanced features that give you more control over your coffee. On the next page, we'll learn about them, as well as what happens when disaster strikes and the coffee maker goes out of commission.

The sky still looks the same as when you started snoozing the night before and you stumble into the kitchen gung-ho to flip that magic switch. But what's this? You turned it on and nothing happened. No cheerful gurgling, no promising rumbling. No coffee! There are two problems that are nearly impossible to fix: failure of one of the heat-sensitive switches and failure of the heating coil.

Because it's very challenging to get replacement parts, you'll probably have to buy a new coffee maker if one of these problems disables your machine. Well for starters, many have a programmable timer, meaning you can get everything ready the night before and when your alarm clock starts beeping, the coffee pot starts gurgling.

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Deliver to Edit zip code. Ship it. Help us improve this page. About this item. At a glance. Wedding Registry Favorites. The Mr. Specifications Dimensions Overall : Weight: 4 Pounds. Capacity Volume : 22 Ounces.

Cup Capacity: 2. Mount Type: Free Standing. Coffee Filter Type: Basket Filter. Coffee Type Used: Ground Coffee. Wattage Output: watts. Material: Plastic. Power Source: Electric. Battery: No Battery Used. Warranty: 1 Year Limited Warranty. To obtain a copy of the manufacturer's or supplier's warranty for this item prior to purchasing the item, please call Target Guest Services at Street Date : September 8, TCIN : UPC : Origin : Imported.

Description The Mr. The pod-free brewing method allows you to enjoy iced coffee with great taste, and less waste. Just add water and coffee grounds to the machine, fill the tumbler with ice, then press Start. Customize with your favorite flavorings and milks, and sip and enjoy. You'll always have perfect iced coffee to help you conquer the day! And by making your own iced coffee at home, you can save money, too! It's iced coffee made easy.

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