Capresso Coffee Grinder Troubleshooting & How to Guide

Capresso coffee makers are good quality machines, but like other coffee makers, they can develop some issues from time to time. They also need proper maintenance to work optimally and continue making the nice cup of coffee that you love. If you are having problems with your Capresso coffee grinder, you should consider performing some basic troubleshooting procedures to see if the issue resolves. It may save you both time and money on repairs. Read on to learn how to properly operate your Capresso coffee grinder, as well as troubleshoot some of the common issues.

Why is my Capresso coffee grinder not working?

If grinders won’t grind, check the following:

Check to make sure your Capresso coffee grinder is on. Makes sure the device is plugged in. Troubleshoot grinder not turning on if the device is plugged in but still isn’t working.
Make sure that the top conical burr is placed correctly. The top conical burr needs to be placed flat side down.
Make sure that the slot that is on the black casing surrounding the grinder is at the 2:00 o’clock position.
Check to make sure the motor is working. If you think your motor is defective, replace the motor.
Make sure the bean container is locked. If the top bean container is not locked into place correctly, the grinder won’t work. The black dot on the bean container needs to be lined up with the desired coarseness level.
Check to see if any coffee is stuck in the grinding chamber, bottom conical burr, or top conical burr. If the coffee grinds become compacted in the grinding chamber, the conical burrs will not move. If you find that grounds or beans are compacted, gently clean wherever they are stuck.

If coffee is not being dispersed into the collection container, the collection shoot could be blocked. If you notice that coffee grounds are not going into your plastic collection container, make sure that the collection shoot is not blocked, Use a small brush or q-tip to clean the colletion shoot to make sure the coffee has room to travel down to the collection container.

How to fix a stuck Capresso coffee grinder

When a grinder is jammed, generally the motor will not be able to spin the burrs to grind the beans. This can happen when coffee oils and debris build up in the burrs if they are left to collect over time and/or the burrs are set too fine for the grinder to force the beans through the machine.

Check this too: How to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder

There are several things you can try to fix your Capresso coffee grinder if it is stuck:

Physically remove the burrs for a manual scrubbing. Before removing the components on your coffee equipment, make sure the machine is turned off and unplugged.
Clean the grinder using grinds.

You can clean the grinder using Capresso Clean Grind (sold separately for around $12). Capresso Clean Grind can be used with conical burr grinders, disk burr grinders, and blade grinders to remove coffee residues and oils that build up in your machine with consistent usage. It is not to be used with Jura automatic coffee centers, or Capresso CoffeeTEAM coffee makers. It is recommended for use with stand-alone grinders only.

To clean your grinder using Capresso Clean Grind:

Empty all coffee from the grinder.
Adjust the grinder to a medium setting. (When applicable)
Add 35g (1/4 cup) Capresso Clean Grind to bean container and turn the grinder ON.
Empty Clean Grind powder from ground coffee container.
To purge, repeat above process twice with coffee beans. Repeat if desired.

When running a cap-full of grinds through the grinder to remove the stuck coffee particles, start grinding on the coarsest setting of the machine. This will allow the largest stuck particles to be freed from the discharge chute. Then slowly adjust your grinder to fine settings while the grinder is still running.

How to clean a Capresso coffee grinder

Follow these cleaning instructions for your Capresso infinity grinder (565, 560):

Make sure you unplug the grinder before cleaning.
Coffee oils can deposit inside the grinding chamber and become rancid. Clean the grinding chamber daily.
Clean the upper and lower burr with the brush.
Check the feeder channel for coffee build up into the ground coffee container.
Wipe housing with a soft damp cloth and ensure that all parts are completely dry before next use.

You should never pour water or any other liquid into the grinder. Also, note that dark oily beans require you clean the grinding chamber more often than medium brown non-oily beans.

Capresso infinity burr grinder disassembly guide

To disassemble a Capresso infinity burr grinder, you will need these tools:

T20 Torx screwdriver
T10 Torx security bit screwdriver
Spudger
Soldering iron
Metal spudger

Remove the metal outside casing. Twist the top plastic container to the left counterclockwise. Pull upwards to remove.
Twist the top burr to the left counterclockwise. Pull upwards to remove.
Flip the entire device upside down. Remove the two rubber coverings on the back of the device.
Remove four 11.59 mm T10 screws. The screws will have small circular washers under them. Put them aside for reassembly.
Lift the metal casing outside casing off the black base. Flip the outside casing forward to have access to the inside of it.
Remove one 11.59mm T10 screw. Place the green wire where it doesn’t get in the way. Put the small metal retainer and washer you find aside for reassembly.
Remove two 11.59mm T10 screws.
Remove the time/on switch by pulling upwards.
Remove the bottom conical burr by grabbing the edge of the plastic black ring that sits on top of the device and gently pulling up to release.
Remove the black rubber knob atop the bottom burr by gently pulling up.
Partially remove one 47.20mm T20 screw. The screw does not need to come out completely to pull the burr out of the device.
Remove the bottom burr piece by pulling upwards. Underneath the burr, you will find 3 springs and 3 metal balls under the spring. Set them aside for reassembly.
Remove loosened screw by pulling it upwards.
Grip the plastic piece at the top of the conical burr and pull upwards to remove. Grip the metal burr, and pull upwards to slide it off the plastic base.
Remove the three 19.61mm T10 screws surrounding the white plastic burr housing. Pry up the gold colored screw castings for each hole using a spudger. Remove all the three gold castings and put them aside for reassembly.
Remove the two 13.60mm T10mm screws holding the bean chute to the base.
Pull the white plastic burr housing and motor up and out of the base. Remove rubber wraps covering both wire solder points using a metal spudger. Remove the two wires from the motor by unsoldering them.
Locate the three knobs preventing the white plastic burr housing from being removed from the motor. They are all along the seem. Pry the seem between the two pieces down enough to allow each knob to slide counterclockwise with an opening tool. Twist the white plastic burr housing as far counterclockwise as you possibly can.
Lift up the white plastic burr housing and separate it from the motor. The black plastic piece is attached to the motor. You need to remove the motor with it for replacement.

How to use a Capresso coffee grinder

Capresso infinity burr coffee grinder (#565, 560)

Before initial use, follow these instructions:

Carefully unpack your grinder and remove all packaging material.
Wipe the base, lid and containers with a dry, clean cloth.
Lift the upper burr and check if the grinding chamber is free of any foreign objects.
Replace the upper burr. Make sure the soft plastic collar of the upper burr is in place.
Insert the bean container into the machine.
Place the lid onto the bean container before turning it to the desired position. It is easier to turn the bean container back and forth with the lid in place.
Initially only fill a few scoops of coffee beans into the grinder.

Consider these helpful tips when using your Capresso infinity burr coffee grinder:

Never grind without the ground coffee container in place. Ensure that the ground coffee container is completely inserted into the machine before grinding to prevent ground coffee from blowing out of the grinder spout and creating a mess on your countertop.
Make sure there are no beans in the bean container before removing it from the machine.
When grinding different kinds of beans, only fill the bean container with the amount you intend to grind. This way you avoid emptying the bean container.
If you need to empty the bean container, proceed as follows:
Unplug the item
Turn the machine upside down
Carefully pour the beans into another receptacle.
The finer the grind setting the longer it takes to grind a certain amount of coffee.
When grinding in the two or three finest settings (for Turkish coffee) only fill a few coffee beans scoops into the bean container and check if the ground coffee passes through into the ground coffee container. Clean the grinding chamber before next use after grinding in the finest settings.
Do not grind for more than 3 minutes in a row. All parts will get warm; which can influence the aroma of your coffee.
Never let ground coffee exceed the Max-Line on the ground coffee container. Too much coffee in the ground coffee container can back-up into the feeder channel. This can burn out the motor if the grinding continues.
Before removing the ground coffee container, tap the machine several times. This will relieve some of the static build-up which occurs when grinding.

Grinding:

The grinder only grinds with the bean container in place and the dot on the bean container pointing on one of the fineness settings.
Between the insertion marking and the coarsest setting the grinder will not work.
When the bean container points to one of the grind settings, turn the timer to any position and grinding will start.

Stopping the grinding action

The machine will stop the grinding action when the timer reaches the 0-position. You can also stop the grinding manually. This manual stopping action can come in handy if you turned the timer too much or if a foreign object such as a stone blocks the burrs.

To stop the grinding action manually:

Turn the bean container to the right (counter clockwise) beyond the coarser setting. This will stop the grinding action. The timer will still run until it stops in the 0-position.

Capresso Burr Grinder #559

To use your Capresso burr grinder 559 for grinding, follow these instructions:

Place your burr grinder on a flat, level surface.
Place the cover of the ground coffee container lid on the ground coffee container.
Plug the grinder into an outlet.
Fill the bean container with coffee beans and replace the lid. The bean container can hold up to 8 ounces of coffee beans.
Set the grind amount selector to the number of cups of coffee you want to grind by sliding the grind amount selector above the correct number.
Set the fineness selector to the desired settings. Never change the fineness selector setting while grinding.
Push and hold the on-button for 2 seconds to start your Capresso grinder. The grinder will begin grinding the coffee directly into the ground coffee container. It will stop automatically. Beans may stick to the wall of the bean container, preventing them from falling into the burrs. When this happens, you will hear a high-pitched noise from the motor. Gently shake the grinder so that the beans slide down into the burrs.
If you need to turn the grinder off before the grinding cycle is complete, slide the grind amount selector to the “OFF” position.
Be sure to unplug the appliance after every use.

Capresso infinity grinder settings

There are a total of 16 grind settings. They are subdivided into 4 settings each for coarse, medium, fine and extra fine.

For coffee preparation, Capresso recommends the following setting:

COARSE:

French press coffee makers.
Percolators.

MEDIUM:

Steam boiler espresso machines.
Drip coffee makers. When using GoldTone filters use a somewhat coarser setting; when using filter paper try a finer setting.

FINE:

Espresso pump machines.
Fully automatic coffee centers (when using ground coffee).
Stovetop Mocha machines.
Manual filters with manual brewing.

EXTRA FINE:

Some espresso pump machines.
Manual preparation of Turkish coffee (two finest settings).

Furthermore, you might find the following tips helpful when choosing your settings:

For espresso pump machines and automatic coffee centers: if your coffee or espresso brews too fast, try finer settings. If your espresso brews too slow, try coarser settings.
For French press: After pouring water over the ground coffee, stir thoroughly to prevent the ground coffee from clogging.
Grind dark oily beans one or two steps coarser than medium or light brown beans. In the finest setting, oil residue of dark, oily beans can clog the feeder channel.
If your coffee making equipment cannot process the water through the grounds, overflow or clogging might occur. Choose a coarser grind setting.

Why won’t my Capresso coffee grinder turn on

If your grinder does not turn on, check the following:

Make sure the bean container is locked. Align the black dot on the top bean container with the preferred coarseness of your coffee beans located on the grinder. This should also lock the bean container into the grinder when the black dot is on the preferred setting. Ensure that the bean container is properly secured and is not loose on top of the burr grinder.
If your Capresso infinity coffee grinder is plugged in and the dial is functioning properly, there is a chance the motor is faulty or broken. Replace the motor as necessary.
Check the Timer-On switch. If the timer/on-switch won’t turn on the grinder, there could be a few issues. There could be a loose wire on the inside of the mechanism that prevents the dial from turning on the machine. Another possible issue is the physical dial might have dislodged from your Capresso infinity. Replace the timer-on switch as necessary.
Make sure that the coffee grinder is plugged in to an outlet in order to function.
If the coffee grinder is plugged in and the dial is working properly, there might be a chance that the power cord is faulty and needs to be replaced.

How to fix a rusted Capresso infinity burr grinder

Left unchecked, rust on your burr grinder can degrade the metal part until it breaks apart. It is through proper cleaning that you avoid rust on your grinder.

To fix a rusted Capresso infinity burr grinder:

Take the grinder apart. Look for butterfly nuts or screws that will free the plate and release the components.
Soak all the parts in a sink full of hot, soapy water. Use dish soap, or another mild detergent. Leave the parts in the sink for 30 minutes. This will remove some of the rust on the surface.
Remove the grinder parts from the sink and hand-dry them with a clean, old towel that you won’t mind ruining to dry the parts.
Scrub the metal surface with a wire brush. Run the wire from the brush over each component until all remaining rust comes off.
Clean the components with a mesh or steel wood pad under running water. Use a stirrer or pipe cleanser to poke holes into the grinder disc to loosen embedded rust and dirt.
Wash the components in soapy water and dry thoroughly with a clean towel.
Before assembling the grinder, apply a thin coat of spray-on oil to each piece to protect the metal surfaces from future rusting.