De'Longhi TrueBrew Not Working? 6 Fixes (CAM51025MB)

Why a TrueBrew Stops: Usually the Tray Assembly

When a De'Longhi TrueBrew (CAM51025MB, CAM51035M) won't start or ignores its buttons, De'Longhi's manual gives one answer for both problems: the tray assembly, the disposal water container and the grounds container aren't seated correctly. Pull the tray assembly out, push both containers fully home inside it, and slide it back in until it's flush.

The TrueBrew grinds beans and brews drip-style coffee from 3 oz up to 24 oz (40 oz on carafe models), but it shares more with De'Longhi's bean-to-cup machines (whose symbols are in our De'Longhi error lights guide) than with a drip maker. Inside is a removable infuser, and the machine checks the parts around it before it brews. That's why most of its warnings are about a container, a tray or the infuser, and why a blinking icon usually means "put something back" rather than "broken".

Everything below comes from De'Longhi's TrueBrew instructions (US edition) and its US support FAQs.

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Try This First

• Push the tray assembly fully in with both containers seated inside it. "Does not start" and "does not respond to commands" both point here.
• Check the icon row above the size buttons. A blinking triangle, a blinking grounds icon and a lit water tank each have their own fix (see the table below).
• Press brew if the brew button is blinking. After a descale, or when the water circuit is empty, the machine waits for you to press it to refill the circuit.
• Plug it in firmly. "Does not come on" has one remedy in the manual: plug it into the socket.
• Dark after a while? It switches itself off after 30 minutes, and that can't be changed. Press power.

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What the TrueBrew Icons Mean

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Fix 1: Reseat the Tray Assembly and Infuser (Works About 30% of the Time)

The TrueBrew won't brew until everything around the infuser is in place. De'Longhi lists three separate symptoms with this fix: the machine doesn't start, it doesn't respond to commands, or the grounds icon blinks. A blinking triangle is the infuser's own version: De'Longhi's FAQ says it means "the unit has been turned on without the infuser properly inserted".

Signs it's this one: a blinking grounds icon or a blinking triangle, or nothing happens when you press size, type or brew.

1. Pull the tray assembly (the drip tray unit at the front) out of the machine.
2. Seat the grounds container and the disposal water container fully inside it.
3. Triangle blinking? Check the infuser is in its housing. If it isn't, slide it onto its support and press the PUSH mark until it clicks.
4. Slide the tray assembly back in until it's fully home.
5. With the infuser fixed, De'Longhi says the machine restarts by itself. If the triangle keeps blinking, contact De'Longhi.

Time: 2 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 30%
Difficulty: Easy

Common mistake: emptying the grounds container and leaving the disposal water container half-seated. The manual names both containers every time.

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Fix 2: Seat the Tank and Refill the Water Circuit (Works About 20% of the Time)

There are two different water warnings. The water tank icon on its own means the tank is empty, or, if it's full, not seated properly. The water icon with the brew button blinking means the water circuit inside is empty, which is normal after a descale or the first time you switch on.

Signs it's this one: a lit water icon even with a full tank, or a blinking brew button and no coffee.

1. Lift the tank out, fill it to MAX with fresh water, and put it back so it seats properly.
2. If the water icon was lit mid-brew, press brew to finish the drink. The manual makes one exception: an espresso-style drink won't be completed.
3. If the brew button is blinking, put a cup under the spout and press brew to fill the circuit.
4. On a brand-new machine, run the first fill with a 7 oz (200 ml) container under the spout. If no water comes out and brew keeps flashing, press brew again.

Time: 2 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 20%
Difficulty: Easy

Not a fault: De'Longhi warns the first fill can be very noisy, because the circuit is empty. It gets quieter as the circuit fills.

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Fix 3: Load Enough Beans or Pre-Ground Coffee (Works About 15% of the Time)

The TrueBrew warns you before the beans run out: the beans icon blinks when the container is almost empty. For an espresso-style drink, De'Longhi's FAQ says the triangle and beans blinking together mean the container is empty or doesn't hold enough beans for the drink you chose.

1. Fill the beans container (it holds about 250 g, or 0.55 lb) and brew again.
2. Using pre-ground coffee? Select the pre-ground option under type, then add coffee to the funnel with the supplied measure. It works only at 3, 8, 12 or 16 oz.
3. Use the manual's measures and don't exceed them: 2 scoops for 3 oz or 8 oz, 3 for 12 oz, 4 for 16 oz (each scoop about 7 g).
4. Triangle with the scoop symbol means too little pre-ground coffee: add more and repeat.
5. Never add pre-ground coffee with the machine off. De'Longhi says that's why grounds sometimes turn up outside the grounds container when you pull the tray out.

Time: 2 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 15%
Difficulty: Easy

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Fix 4: Clean the Infuser (Works About 15% of the Time)

A steady triangle is what De'Longhi calls the "brewing unit alarm", and its remedy is to clean the inside of the machine. The infuser is the part that does the brewing, and the manual asks you to clean it at least once a month whether or not the triangle is on.

Signs it's this one: a steady (not blinking) triangle.

⚠️ Safety: turn the machine off and unplug it first. The manual says the infuser can't be removed while the machine is on, so let the shutdown finish.

1. Turn the machine off and wait for the shutdown rinse to finish, then unplug it.
2. Pull out the tray assembly.
3. Press the two red release buttons inwards and pull the infuser out.
4. Soak it in plain water for about 5 minutes, then rinse it under the tap. No detergent: De'Longhi says it can damage the infuser.
5. Clear coffee residue from the infuser housing. A little loose coffee in there is normal.
6. Empty and rinse the draining tray under the infuser.
7. Slide the infuser back onto its support and press PUSH until it clicks. Refit the tray assembly.
8. If the steady triangle comes back after cleaning, contact De'Longhi customer service.

Time: 15 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 15%
Difficulty: Easy

Check the pre-ground funnel while you're there. The manual says to brush it out about once a month, and it lifts out for cleaning.

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Fix 5: Stop Overflows and Leaks (Works About 10% of the Time)

The manual doesn't have a "leaking" row. The water it does warn about comes from three places: a drip tray left too long, containers that are full, and a carafe that still had coffee in it.

1. Empty the drip tray before its water level indicator pokes up through the cup tray. De'Longhi says otherwise the water "may overflow the edge and damage the appliance" and the counter.
2. Every time you empty the drip tray, empty both the grounds container and the disposal water container, even if they don't look full.
3. Steady grounds icon? One of those two containers is full. Empty both. De'Longhi's FAQ says the light also comes on after 72 hours, so empty them every two or three days anyway.
4. Carafe models: empty and rinse the carafe before every brew. The manual warns that leftover coffee "can cause overflow". Lock the lid and stand the carafe directly on the cup tray.
5. Check the holes in the coffee spout aren't blocked, and clear them with a toothpick if they are.

Time: 2-5 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 10%
Difficulty: Easy

If water keeps appearing under the machine with the tray, containers and carafe all dealt with, stop using it and contact De'Longhi. The manual says not to remove the cover or attempt repairs yourself.

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Fix 6: Descale When the Descale Button Lights (Works About 10% of the Time)

The TrueBrew tells you when to descale by lighting the descale button. Set your water hardness in the settings menu (levels 1-4, tested with the strip in the box) so the machine knows your water.

Tools: De'Longhi descaler, and a container that holds at least 70 fl oz (2 L).

1. Hold the descale button for 3 seconds.
2. Empty the drip tray and the grounds container.
3. Pour 3.5 fl oz (100 ml) of De'Longhi descaler into the tank and add about 35 fl oz (1 L) of water. Refit the tank.
4. Put the 2 L container under the coffee spout and press the descale button. The machine runs descaler, rinses and pauses automatically.
5. When it asks for the rinse, empty the container, rinse the tank and fill it to MAX with fresh water. Empty the drip tray and grounds container again.
6. Put the empty container back and press descale to run the rinse.
7. At the end, empty the disposal water container and refill the tank. The machine switches itself off.
8. Switch it on again. The water alarm shows and brew blinks: press brew to refill the circuit.

Time: About 30 minutes
Cost: Free with the descaler in the box; De'Longhi descaler after that
Success Rate: About 10%
Difficulty: Easy

Use De'Longhi descaler only. The manual warns that an unsuitable descaler, or descaling incorrectly, "may result in faults not covered by the manufacturer's guarantee". Need another cycle? Hold the descale button for 3 seconds again.

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When DIY Won't Work

Contact De'Longhi if:

• The triangle stays on (steady) after you've cleaned the infuser and the machine inside
• The triangle keeps blinking with the infuser seated
• The machine does not start with the tray assembly and both containers seated, and the tank full
• Water appears under the machine with the drip tray, containers and carafe emptied

Stop using it if the cord or plug is damaged, if it's been dropped, or if it trips a breaker.

Warranty: De'Longhi's manual sends all repairs to its customer service ("contact De'Longhi customer services only"; the addresses are on the guarantee certificate in the box). It also warns that attempting to repair or modify the machine voids the warranty, so don't remove the cover.

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Keep It Running

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FAQ

Why is my TrueBrew coffee lukewarm?

Raise the temperature setting first. In the settings menu (gear button), coffee temperature has three levels: 1 low, 2 medium and 3 high. De'Longhi also recommends pre-heating the carafe or cup with hot water for about 30 seconds.

Why didn't my TrueBrew brew at the programmed time?

Auto-on isn't a daily timer. De'Longhi says it has to be activated anew every time, because it resets after each auto-on brew. Your saved choices stay, though: hold the auto-on button for 3 seconds to switch them back on, and leave a cup under the spout.

How do I reset a De'Longhi TrueBrew?

There's no reset in De'Longhi's manual. Each warning clears when you fix its cause: seat the tray assembly, refit the infuser, fill the tank, or press brew to refill the circuit. The settings menu changes the clock, beeps, temperature, water hardness and auto-on, but it doesn't reset faults.

Can I put TrueBrew parts in the dishwasher?

Only three: the disposal water container, the grounds container and the carafe. Everything else is hand-wash only. Wash the infuser in plain water, with no detergent.

Why does the grounds light come on when the container isn't full?

The machine counts how much coffee each recipe uses rather than measuring the container, according to De'Longhi's FAQ, so there's no fixed number of cups. The light also comes on if the containers haven't been emptied for 72 hours. Empty both and it clears.

Can I use pre-ground coffee in any size?

No. Pre-ground works only at 3, 8, 12 and 16 oz. Use no more than 2, 2, 3 and 4 measures respectively, and only add it with the machine on.

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Related De'Longhi Guides

• De'Longhi error lights and symbols: icons on the Magnifica, Dinamica and Dedica
• De'Longhi descaling guide: every model's descale sequence
• De'Longhi leaking water
• De'Longhi timer not working: how the drip makers' timers differ

Sources: De'Longhi TrueBrew Instructions for Use (CAM51025MB, CAM51035M, CAM51015B; US edition); De'Longhi US support FAQs on the TrueBrew triangle, beans and grounds-container lights.