How To Fix Nespresso Blinking Orange Light (Solved!)

Struggling to figure out why a blinking orange light is coming from your Nespresso? Don't worry; it's not going on strike.

There are a few different things your Nespresso machine could be trying to tell you with its orange light - let’s dive into what potential issues could be happening and how to fix them.

With these tips, you'll be back to sipping that delicious cup of joe in no time.

Unlike humans, your Nespresso machine cannot talk. The orange light blinks are a way of letting you know what it needs (but more clearly than when a baby cries and you have to work down a list).

Some common reasons why the orange light status, or error indicator, may start flashing.

1. Machine Needs To Be Cleaned/Descaled

One of the biggest, yet easiest to forget, elements of caring for your Nespresso machine is the cleaning and descaling schedule.

How often you need to clean and descale your Nespresso machine will differ depending on your location and how often you brew a cup.

It is easy to slip out of the habit, but make a point to clean and descale your machine regularly - it will extend its life and keep you chugging along for longer.

Descale Nespresso Machine

2. Low Water Pressure

If the water pressure in your Nespresso machine is too low, it cannot make your morning coffee.

When this flashing orange light appears, it typically means that your water tank is empty.

This is pretty quick to fix - just refill the water tank with fresh water.

3. Over-Heated Machine

An over-heated coffee machine is not a happy coffee machine.

This is rare for most people, but the most caffeine-addicted among us may find their Nespresso machine struggling to keep up after a quick series of espressos.

If your machine is too hot, give it a break. Your Nespresso coffee machine will be ready to go after a short rest.

4. Blocked Water Inlet

A blocked water inlet or funnel will make brewing coffee difficult for Nespresso machines.

These inlets can get blocked due to mineral buildup or lost coffee grounds and prevent water from getting through the machine to the heating element.

Giving your Nespresso machine a quick clean should remove the orange light and fix your coffee maker.


How To Decode & Fix Nespresso Flashing Orange Light

So what do these flashing orange lights mean specifically?

Let's investigate and discuss potential fixes for your coffee maker and its Nespresso blinking lights.

Two Blinks Per Second

When the orange light blinks twice per second, it means that you need to clean your machine. This is an easy fix, simply:

  •  Turn off and unplug the power cord of your Nespresso machine
  •  Open the machine head according to manual instructions and empty the capsule container[1]
  • Clean the machine head with a damp paper towel or clean cloth
  • Rinse and clean the water tank and lid before filling and replacing
  • Clean the cup support
  • Place a large container under the spout
  • Was the drip tray and pill bottle
  • Plug in and turn on your machine
  • Prepare and insert cleaning solution (optional)
  • Run a cleaning cycle
  • Run a rinse cycle (optional)

If it continues, you may have a blockage and need to repeat these steps to ensure the water reservoir is inserted correctly.

Three Blinks Per Second

When you see an orange light blinking three times a second or orange light blinking rapidly, this is a sign that you need to descale the machine.

This descaling alert is pretty urgent and means that you should break out a Nespresso descaling kit.[2] To begin the descaling process, simply:

  • Turn off and unplug your Nespresso machine blinking orange
  • Remove any empty capsule containers or coffee capsules[3][4]
  • Clean the machine head and capsule holder
  • Remove and clean the water tank before filling and replacing
  • Prepare the Nespresso descaling solution according to product instructions
  • Place a large cup under the spout
  • Run the coffee maker’s descaling mode
  • Refill the water tank and run two or three rinse cycles
  • Empty and clean the drip tray and the cup support
  • Let your Nespresso dry for at least 10 minutes before use

This descaling process should get rid of most issues but may need to be done a second time if you live in especially hard water areas or left it too long.

You can choose to use a 1:1 white vinegar-to-water mix instead of a descaling solution, but it may not be as effective.

Once you have completed the descaling mode, the blinking orange light descaling alert should clear.

Two Blinks And Steady

If the alert light blinks twice and then gives a steady orange light for a moment, it typically means that there is a technical error that needs to be fixed.

To fix it, try doing a classic move first: -- power cycling:

  • Turn off and unplug your machine for 30 seconds
  • Replug and turn on

If this orange light sequence continues, it means that you need to contact the Nespresso customer support team to troubleshoot or organize for repairs.

You can contact Nespresso customer service on their website, phone, fax, or mail.

Hand Touching the Nespresso Machine

Light On For 1.5 to 2 Seconds, Off For 1 Second

If your machine’s light alternates blinking orange by being on for two seconds then off again for a moment, then the water tank is empty. You can quickly and easily fix this by:

  • Removing the water tank
  • Rinse it with hot water
  • Fill the water tank with fresh water
  • Replace the water reservoir

This should clear the blinking light issue on most Nespresso coffee machines.

Blinks 5 Times In 10 Seconds

When you see an orange light flashing five times in ten seconds, that typically means that an error has occurred and the coffee maker must be reset to factory settings.

  • Eject any coffee pods from the capsule container
  • Close the machine head
  • Factory reset according to the model’s manual instructions

Once the light stops flashing, you should have reset your coffee machine. If the flashing orange light persists, try again or contact Nespresso customer service.

Blinks Alternately 3 Times Then Steady

If your Nespresso blinks orange and white alternately three times and then gives a steady light for a bit, this is an urgent descaling alert.

The previous descaling alert was there to let you know to descale your machine fairly soon, but this one is meant to light a fire under your butt to break out the descaling solution.

Follow the tips above and use your coffee maker’s descaling mode to clear the alert.

Slowly Fading Off

A slowly pulsing orange light means that your machine has overheated and needs to cool.

As we covered above, you will need to turn off and unplug your machine for a few minutes before getting brewing once again.


Which Models Have A Blinking Orange Light?

Nespresso has two types of coffee makers: Original and Vertuo.

There are some models that may have red light blinks or steady green or half-green lights to indicate errors, but these are orange-focused machines.

Now that the Nespresso orange lights have been broken down, it is time to cover what Nespresso machines blink orange in the first place.

Original

Released in 2004, the Original Nespresso line creates expresso-based coffee by pumping hot water into each coffee pod at high pressure to extract coffee.

This creates a more traditional espresso experience with a crema top.[5]

nespresso original

There are various models in this line that range between $180 and $849, including:

  • Creatista Pro[6]
  • Creatista Plus[7]
  • Lattissima One[8]
  • Lattissima Pro[9]
  • Gran Lattissima[10]
  • CitiZ[11]
  • Essenza Mini[12]
  • Pixie[13]

Vertuo

Released in 2014, the Nespresso Vertuo line aims to create the ultimate modern coffee experience through a new design and technology.

A centrifugal one-touch system causes the machine to read the barcode on a new coffee pod and automatically tailors the brew to the capsule.

Hot water is pushed through a spinning capsule during the brewing process to extract both espresso and drip-style coffees.[14]

There are various models included in the Nespresso Vertuo line, ranging from $199 to $219, including:

  • VertuoPlus[15]
  • Nespresso Vertuo Next[16]
  • Evoluo[17]
  • Vertuo[18]
  • Pop[19]

Each line uses green lights to indicate that the coffee outlet is on and orange or pulsing red lights to indicate that there is an issue to be addressed.

For specific details regarding an individual product, consult your manual.

nespresso virtuo coffee machine

How To Get Orange Light Alerts On The Nespresso App

Nespresso knows how hard it can be to know what orange light alerts can mean on their Nespresso machines.

To help with this, Vertuo Next and Pop are two coffee makers that have Bluetooth sync abilities, which means that they can send alerts to their app to help diagnose your unit.

Common alerts they flag are:

  • Your machine’s head is unlocked
  • The water tank is empty
  • An empty capsule needs to be ejected
  • The brew unit is blocked internally
  • The coffee maker does not recognize your chosen coffee capsule
  • An electronic error has occurred
  • Your coffee maker needs to be descaled
So how do you connect your mobile app to the machine?
  • 1
    Download the Nespresso app from Google Play[20] or Apple Store[21]
  • 2
    Turn on Bluetooth on your phone
  • 3
    Open the Nespresso app
  • 4
    Select the machine icon in the top right corner of the screen
  • 5
    Follow the on-screen steps
  • 6
    Select connect and OK when prompted

Once done, the app should tell you that your machine is connected.

If you have any issues connecting the Vertuo Next or Pop to your app, contact the customer service team for help.

It is important to bear in mind that both versions of the Nespresso app have mixed reviews, but they can be really helpful to understand why the Nespresso machine is blinking orange.

Nespresso App On Mobile

Nespresso Blinking Orange Light Questions

What does a Nespresso Vertuo red light after descaling mean?

A Nespresso Vertuo machine that gives a steady red light or pulsing red light after descaling can mean that you have an issue with your machine. Contact the Nespresso support team to troubleshoot the issue.

How do you reset the Nespresso descaling light?

You can reset the Nespresso descaling light by factory resetting your machine. Most models require you to press the button for 3-5 seconds or push the button multiple times to perform this reset - consult your manual for product-specific reset instructions.


Conclusion

An orange blinking light on Nespresso coffee makers typically indicates one of a few common alerts to let you know that something is wrong.

Most of these are easy fixes once you know what to look for - give our tips above a try and see what works for you.

If you encounter any issues or the light does not stop blinking, consult your product manual or contact the Nespresso support team for personalized troubleshooting tips.

References:

1. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/machine-assistance
2. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/accessories/original/descaling-kit
3. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/choose-your-technology-original
4. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/original-coffee-pods
5. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/vertuo-coffee-pods
6. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/creatista-pro-coffee-machine-breville
7. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/nespresso-creatista-plus-metal-stainless-steel-coffee-machine
8. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/lattissima-one-coffee-machine-shadow-black
9. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/lattissima-pro-automatic-delonghi
10. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/gran-lattissima-coffee-machine-black-sophisticated-darks
11. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/nespresso-citizandmilk-cherry-red-refresh
12. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/essenza-mini-c30-intense-grey
13. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/nespresso-pixie-electric-aluminium
14. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/choose-your-technology-vertuo
15. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/vertuo/vertuo-plus-deluxe-navy-blue
16. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/vertuo/vertuo-next-matte-black-limited-edition
17. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/vertuo/vertuo-evoluo-silver
18. https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/vertuo/vertuo-vertuoline-titanium
19. https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/order/machines/vertuo/vertuo-pop-liquoriceblack-nespresso-coffee-machine
20. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nespresso.activities&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1
21. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nespresso/id342879434

Chloe Page

Author

Chloe Page
A lifelong mocha fan, Chloe is an award-winning writer with over eight years’ experience weaving words. Her journey in the coffee industry is highlighted by extensive research and interviews with coffee experts. In her moments of relaxation, you'll often find her sipping on Bird and Blend tea, thoughtfully scribbling in her notebook.

My favorite drink? I'd go with... Bird and Blend Co Tea

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