You are trying to make your first cup of coffee in the morning only to discover that your Nespresso needs to be fixed. If your Nespresso is blinking orange, and you need to figure out what is wrong with it, you have landed on the right page.
Generally, the Nespresso will blink orange if the water tank is empty. In that case, you must check and refill it. Sometimes, the orange light indicates that your machine might need to be cleaned or descaled. It can also happen due to overheating. If so, turn off the machine and let it cool down.
There can be various reasons for your Nespresso blinking orange, and usually, it is an easy fix. So no need to worry about it as I will try to guide you through fixing this. But before this, let’s find out which Nespresso you own.
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This post includes some affiliate links.Do you own an OriginalLine or a VertuoLine Nespresso?
Before going into the details of the orange light blinking issue, you will need to know which machine you currently have.
Nespresso machines come in two varieties: OriginalLine and VertuoLine.
Virtuoline machines use the centrifugal process for brewing.
However, OriginalLine uses a different method.
The OriginalLine was launched in 2004, whereas the Virtuoline was launched in 2014.
If you ask me which variant is better, I will tell you that VirtuoLine brews better coffee because its pod rotates at 7000/minute, enabling it to produce creamy and flavored coffee.
Let us find out which variant you have:
| OriginalLine Variant | VertuoLine Variant |
|---|---|
| It was in 2004 when these machines were introduced, and they brew wonderful coffee, but the next variant overpowered these. | It was in 2014 when these machines were introduced, and the quality of coffee produced is a notch ahead of OriginalLine, because of its centrifugal brewing process. |
| Citiz, Inissia, Essenza Mini, and Pixie are some popular models of this variant, ranging between 100-$200. | VertuoPlus, Vertuo, and Evoluo are some popular models of this variant, ranging between $200-$400. |
| If you use the small coffee capsules, your Nespresso is from OriginalLine. | The Nespresso pods used in this machine are bigger than the OriginalLine ones, and the sizes vary according to the coffee type. |
Why does my Nespresso blink orange light?
Let us understand why the orange light is blinking in your Nespresso:
1. Your Nespresso needs cleaning.
It needs deep cleaning if your Nespresso machine blinks orange twice a second.
You might not have cleaned your machine for quite a few days, so you are facing such an issue.
So let’s understand how we need to clean it:
- First, you will need to remove the capsule by opening the head of the machine to clean it manually if you still need to clean it after multiple brewing.
- You will need to clean the residual coffee grounds inside the machine with the help of a paper towel.
- You will also need to clean the water tank by rinsing it thoroughly and then reinstalling it with fresh water.
- The drip tray and the capsule container are also to be cleaned after you remove them.
- You will need to get it into the lock position by closing the head and turning the handle to the left.
- As soon as you lock the machine, the light will start blinking, and the machine will heat up. You know it is ready for cleaning when the light stops blinking.
- You will need to push its button 3 times within 2 seconds, and it will follow with the water flow, and the cleaning can take up to 7 minutes.
- If you press the button once while the cleaning is on, it will stop, and you can resume the program by pressing the button again.
2. Your Nespresso is overheating.
If you find the orange light in your Nespresso pulsing, i.e., fading off and on, there is an overheating issue.
After multiple brewings (10 or more times), it is common that your machine will overheat, but there is nothing to worry about.
Let’s find out what you need to do in this case:
- Push the button and hold it for 3 seconds to turn the machine off.
- Push the button again to turn the machine on.
- Give your Nespresso at least 20 minutes for cooling before you start brewing again.
- If you still see that the light is blinking, it is in descaling mode. In this scenario, you must press the button for 7 seconds to leave that mode.
3. Your Nespresso has an empty water tank.
If you find that the orange light blinks so that it is on for 1.5 seconds and off for 0.5 seconds, it needs more water to brew the coffee.
In this way, your machine tells you that it has run out of water to brew coffee for you.
But this has an easy fix; let’s see how?
- Check if the water level is too low in the water tank to brew the coffee.
- Remove the tank to fill it with fresh water.
- Rinse the tank with clean hot water in case of any build-up.
- Refill it with fresh water and install it in its place.
4. Your Nespresso has an error.
If the light blinks rapidly 2 times and goes off for a long, then the machine has encountered any error.
It can happen when something requires to be corrected while preparing coffee; for example, the capsule must be placed correctly.
During cleaning or descaling also, blinking of this sort might happen.
You can do the following to check what is wrong:
- Check if the capsule is placed properly after unlocking the lever and opening the machine head.
- One reason might be that its lever needs to be locked properly, so make sure it is locked.
- The water level in the tank can also be a reason, so check if there is enough water.
- If you still need help finding what’s wrong, open the machine’s head and replace the coffee capsule.
- Unplug and plug the cord after 10 seconds and see if it can brew again.
- Turning the machine off and on can be a good hack for fixing this error. It sometimes works as the machine gets stuck while brewing, so resetting it can be a good option.
- If nothing works and it is still stuck in error, you will need to get in touch with Nespresso customer care for an exact resolution.
5. Your Nespresso needs a factory reset.
The machine needs a factory reset if the light blinks 5 times in 10 seconds.
Factory rest is an easy process to follow; below are the steps:
- You will need to remove the coffee capsule first.
- The lever should be kept unlocked.
- Within 3 seconds, you will need to press the lungo button 5 times to do the factory reset.
- The factory reset is done if the machine blinks 5 times in the orange.
6. Need emptying or descaling
If, in 1 second, the orange light blinks 3 times, there is a need for emptying or descaling the machine.
Because of its build-up, your machine will require descaling every 3-4 months.
If you want to descale, use the right descaling solution.
The Nespresso descaling kit is the best for this purpose because it is made by Nespresso and does the job perfectly.
7. Your Nespresso needs a descaling.
If your Nespresso is blinking orange and white light 3 times in an alternate manner, it needs immediate descaling.
Descaling is often required when there is a build-up in the machine, which affects the water flow, and the quality of your coffee deteriorates.
Remember that descaling cannot be stopped in the middle like you were able to do in the cleaning program.
Unplugging will also not work to stop the descaling; when you plug it in, it will start over again.
If you are in a hurry to brew your coffee, wait to start descaling, as it will take 20 minutes to finish the program.
Below is the guide for descaling your Nespresso:
- First, you will need to remove the coffee capsule from the container.
- You will need to take out the drip tray and wash it properly with warm water.
- Pour Nespresso descaling solution or Universal Descaling Solution into the water tank and fill it with 17 ounces of water.
- Place a mug or container of more than 34 ounces of capacity below the spout to hold the discharge.
- Start the machine while keeping the lever unlocked.
- You will need to press the button for more than 7 seconds to turn the descaling mode on.
- Once the descaling mode is on, the light will blink rapidly for 45 seconds so that you can turn on the descaling mode. Otherwise, it will go back to brewing mode.
- Once you confirm that you should go with descaling, lock the lever, and press the button.
- The descaling will continue for 20 minutes.
- Once completed, the water tank, cup support, and drip tray should be emptied and cleaned.
- To rinse the machine, add fresh water to the water tank and push the button.
Your Nespresso is descaled now, so give it at least 10 minutes to dry, and post that, you brew your coffee again.
Final words
The orange light always indicates the problems of your Nespresso. You must follow the blinking light pattern and find the solution accordingly.
Please make sure that you are descaling your Nespresso at regular intervals of 3-4 months; this will make your brewing easier, and you will be able to avoid the last-moment hiccups.
Even after following this article’s instructions, if you cannot resolve the issue with your Nespresso, then it’s high time you call the expert at Nespeasso customer care for troubleshooting.
FAQs
How to reset the Nespresso descaling light?
You can reset the Nespresso descaling light by doing a factory reset on your Nespresso machine, and you can do it by pushing the button for 5 seconds.
If it is OriginalLine, pressing the button for 3 seconds will work.
After descaling, why does my Nespresso blink the orange light?
The heating element might be at fault if your Nespresso blinks orange light even after descaling.
You can try keeping it off for a few minutes and then check if the problem persists.
If the light still blinks, you can call customer care or take it to the nearest Nespresso store for repair.
How to stop my Nespresso from entering the descaling mode?
You will need to push the button with the lever for 3 seconds and wait for the light to become green.
You can use the machine after 10 minutes.
Reference: Nespresso Official User Manual, Nespresso Cleaning & Maintainance Manual.
