Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We loved this coffee maker and the tasty coffee it produced. But after just a year of ownership, it started leaking water out of the bottom when we filled the reservoir. We did a Google search and discovered this is a widespread problem with these units. There are two internal rubber water hoses which get brittle very quickly and leak clear water out of the bottom as (or before) the coffee maker can make a pot of coffee. We always staged our coffee on a timer the night before and suddenly started awaking to floods on our kitchen floor dripping off the counter. We finally realized it was the Cuisinart, so we started filling and brewing as fast as possible and then wiped up the mess with paper towels. It also didn't seem very safe having an electrical unit sitting in a puddle of water, so we did some research and figured out how to fix the problem and keep our Cuisinart working! Cuisinart wasn't very helpful and even denied the problem existed, yet there are hundreds of complaints on the web detailing the problem. Here's what we pieced together from various sources: 1. You need to remove the base plate to access the silicone rubber water hose (or hoses) that have gone bad. The unit has two of them that sit just below the hot plate (the heat obviously makes them brittle). To remove the base plate, you will need a Torx #10 security screwdriver. They cost about $5 at a hardware store (or on Amazon). 2. You also need to order some replacement hose you can cut to fit. Go to McMaster-Carr (sorry, Amazon doesn't allow links) and key in part number 5236K73. It's the same high-temperature silicone rubber tubing semisoft, 3/8" ID, 5/8" OD, opaque red hosing as in the coffee maker. Food safe and heat resistant. The hose sells for $2.59 per foot and costs about $9 with shipping and tax. One foot is plenty...each hose is about 4 1/2 inches long. 3. Unplug the coffee maker and turn it upside down. There are 4 torx screws holding the base plate. Two are under the rear rubber feet grommets that need to be popped off to access the screws; the other two are in the "open" holes in the middle right/left sides of the base plate. There are no screws underneath the front rubber feet grommets; 4. Once the four screws are removed, the base plate comes right off. You'll be looking at the bottom of the hot plate and two red rubber hoses attached to aluminum tubes. The hoses are held onto the metal tubes by two black metal spring clamps, which can be removed by pressing the edges together with your fingers (easy). When I looked at mine, the right hose had a clearly visible crack where the clamp held it to the tube. Once the clamp is removed, the hose detaches easily from the metal tubing. The other end of the hose seats into a plastic nipple at the base of the water tank; 5. DON'T TOSS OUT THE HOSE YET! There is a small plastic backflow protection device inserted into the hose. It's small...a tiny plastic cage with an "X" design and a very small plastic ball inside. I got mine out by putting a screwdriver in one end and pushing it out the other. Be careful not to lose the little ball. Mine bounced across the kitchen floor. 6. Cut the new hose to length, insert the backflow protector into the hose at the metal tube side, pinch the spring clamp back into position to hold the hose on the metal tubing, push the other end of the hose onto the plastic nipple at the base of the water tank and VOILA!...repaired Cuisinart coffee maker with no leak good for (hopefully) another 18 months!