In this article, we’ll help you fix the Nespresso red and yellow lights. These lights are also called Nespresso error lights.
What do these lights mean?
These lights may blink because of three reasons: either the Nespresso machine needs water, to be descaled, or cleaned a bit. Let’s dive in to help you understand which one you need to do.
how to fix red & yellow light on a Nespresso
- Fill half of the tank with water and run a descaling cycle without any descaling solution.
- Rinse the machine with less than half of the tank of water.
- Hold down the lever and button on top of the machine for a minimum of 8 seconds.
- The light will start flashing green after 3-4 seconds, but keep holding until the green light stays on.
A Quick Review of Nespresso Red and Yellow Light
When a Nespresso machine is turned on, the status light glows when it is warm and ready to go.
If you see a red or orange blinking light, the machine either needs descaling or does not have any water in it. The status light on some devices, such as the Nespresso VertuoPlus, is split 50/50 between orange and green.
2 Common Solutions to the Nespresso Red and Yellow Light Problem
One issue is that it needs to be descaled.
When that’s done, fill enough water into the machine so that it also blinks red and yellow.
The good news is, we won’t only cover the Nespresso but also the Nespresso VertuoPlus red and yellow light errors and the Nespresso Pixie coffee maker light errors as well.
Make sure to go through the methods completely so you don’t get stuck in the middle of the process.
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Method #1: Filling the Nespresso Machine with Water
Before we get into the weeds with fixing the yellow and red lights, let’s try the easy method. Not having enough water in the machine’s reservoir causes the lights to come on.
Clean the water reservoir, then partially fill it with fresh water.
If you removed the reservoir to add water, slide it back into position on the back of the Nespresso machine.
Voilà!
The machine’s red-yellow light should be fixed by applying the above methods.
Method #2: Descaling the Nespresso Machine
Step 1: Select your descaling agent
To descale your Nespresso coffee maker, you must have a descaler. You can use any descaler in place of Nespresso’s version; just make sure to follow the directions on how much to use.
Two sachets are included in the package. We’ll use Nespresso descaler in this example.
Alternative ingredients include vinegar or lemon juice. You can use these other things instead of vinegar, which we don’t recommend because it smells awful.
Lemon juice can work, but you need a lot of it, so using it will probably be harder than using a descaling solution.
Step 2: Put The Descaling Solution
Add the descaler to your machine’s water tank.
One sachet of descaling solution needs to be mixed with 0.5 liters of water. Be careful with the Vertuo range because these appliances have much larger water tanks, and you don’t want to oversaturate with the descaler.
Place the water tank back in its position once you have your descaling solution.
Ensure that the area behind the spout is large enough to accommodate all of the water (remove the drip tray if you would like).
The machines feed water and descaler through in bursts, so you may use two containers and swap them out when one is full.
Get the best Nespresso descaling solution here
Step 3: Set Your Machine To Descaling Mode
By opening and closing the machine, first check if a capsule has been inserted, then turn the machine off.
Some devices have a physical power button, while others require you to press and hold a button, like the VertuoPlus, which requires you to push and hold the front lever.
Then put the machine into declaring mode. Use this button combination to activate the machine’s descaling mode.
On the VertuoPlus, you have to press the down lever and the main button at the same time for 3 seconds.
On the Pixie, you have to press the espresso and lungo buttons at the same time for 3 seconds.
Check the user’s manual for the most accurate information.
The machine will not need to be used in descaling mode again until the maintenance light illuminates.
Once the descaling is done, you can put capsules in the machine and make coffee as usual.
Method #3 to Fix the Blinking Light on a Nespresso
- Unplug the device.
- Dampen a balled-up paper towel with hot water.
- Gently wipe the paper towel around the upper centrifuge (spinny thing) inside the device.
- Plug in the device.
- Profit!
Final thoughts on Nespresso error lights
Errors on Nespresso machines are annoying. Especially since there aren’t any clear indicators. By going through the above-mentioned steps of descaling and refilling with water, you can fix the red & yellow (orangish) light issues.
Have more questions or issues? Leave a comment! Maybe someone else has a fix.
