If you have a Breville Precision Brewer (coffee maker), many of them use a nifty trick to determine if the water is low. Most of the time, you can rely on this message to show that the water is indeed in need of filling. However, since some of the Breville models use a prism to measure the water fill level, you might get this message even when the tank is full.
So here are some steps that will help you fix the “Fill Tank” message.
1. Fill The Tank
Yeah, I know it is obvious and not likely why you are looking this up online. But sometimes, we just need a little reminder to check the basics. If your tank is actually low take a moment to fill it and then use the extra time you have left to check out our YouTube
🙂
So if your tank is actually filled, the next thing you will want to do is:
2. Clean The Prism
When you remove the tank and empty it, you will see the prism/sensor, and this is your chance to give it a quick wipe. Just clean it up and re-fill the tank to see if your issue is cleared. Some models do not have removable tanks. Leave a comment below and let me know what you are having issues with, and one of the team members will figure out the solution for you.
If that didn’t fix the problem, we need to start looking at your surroundings.
3. Remove Over Powering Light Sources
Due to the way the sensor works, the sensor may be overwhelmed by a bright light. Move the coffee maker out of any sunlight that might be hitting the sensor if you need a way to test this, but don’t have a lot of “low light” areas to put your coffee maker. You can try covering the tank with a cloth to see if the message goes away.
If this is not fixing the issue, you might need to call for support.
From the USA, you will want to use: 1-866-273-8455 M-F 8-5 Pacific Time
I will also have another article about the error codes coming soon. Thanks for reading!
Ours does not have a removable tank so not sure where to find the prism to clean it. Did refill tank to no success. Planning on calling support tomorrow but would love coffee today if you’ve got another recommendation. Thank you
Dang do you have the same model? I would love to hear what support said about this and if you got it fixed. Please let us know!
All I had to do was empty the water and refill it, but why? Seemed air bubbles may have been involved.
Scott, I think you are right. Since the sensor is light-based any disturbance in the lighting could in theory cause the sensor to think the water is low. So a bubble could have been refracting the light in just the right way.
I had set the coffee maker to auto start when I woke up the full tank was on. I had to unplug the coffee maker empty the water out refill it and start it. I also got a message to insert carafe even though the carafe was on the plate and seated correctly. It’s also making a gurgling noise when starting to brew.
Hey Valerie, we have heard about this error from a couple of other people and I started an article to help reset the machine. I will send you an email once I get that finshed.
Where exactly is the prism within the water tank?
Hey Leann,
Thanks for the question.
In the model I’m looking at, I can see a bump in the back of the tank (assuming you are looking at the unit with the coffee pot on the right). I presume all models are the same with this bump, and it should be easy to wipe off once all the water is out of your tank. You can also visually see if you have any sunlight or other bright lights directly hitting that spot. I’ll try to get a picture later and post it into the article. If I find out I’m wrong, I’ll comment back with a correction. Thanks again!