Why Is My Juicer Not Making Much Juice?

Thin juice and wet pulp almost never mean a failing motor. Work through these six causes in order -- they are arranged by how likely they are, and the first one accounts for most cases on its own.

The test that tells you there is a problem

Take a handful of the ejected pulp and squeeze it hard over the sink. If liquid runs out, juice is being left behind. If it comes out as a dry crumbly mat, your machine is working properly and the issue is your expectations about that produce rather than the machine.

Do this before changing anything, because it tells you which problem you actually have.

1. A blocked screen

The most common cause by a wide margin. Pulp dries into the perforations of a mesh screen and blocks them, so juice cannot get through and leaves with the fiber instead. It happens gradually, which is why people blame the motor.

The fix: soak the screen in warm water for twenty minutes, then brush it from the outside, which pushes pulp back out the way it came rather than driving it further in. A soak in warm water with a little white vinegar helps with mineral film.

Hold the screen up to a light. You should see light through the perforations evenly. Dark patches are blockages. How to clean a juicer covers the routine that prevents this.

2. Feeding too fast

The second most common cause, and the easiest to fix. Pushing produce in faster than the auger can crush it means material passes through under-squeezed -- the machine is moving produce rather than extracting from it.

The fix: let each piece disappear before adding the next. On celery and greens this makes a genuinely large difference, and it costs nothing.

3. The wrong mechanism for the produce

If you are juicing celery, kale or wheatgrass in a centrifugal machine, it is working as designed and the design is wrong for that produce. A spinning basket cuts across long fiber instead of crushing along it, so the strand arrives in the pulp bin still wet.

No setting, speed or technique fixes this. Masticating vs centrifugal explains why, and it is worth reading before you conclude your machine is faulty.

4. Produce that was never going to yield much

Some produce simply does not give much juice relative to its volume, and that is not a machine problem:

• Leafy greens. A kale leaf has very little free liquid. Modest yield is normal.
• Wheatgrass. An ounce or two from a generous handful is realistic.
• Limp, old produce. Celery loses water in the fridge. A week-old bunch yields visibly less than a fresh one.
• Ginger and turmeric. Potent, and low volume by nature.

5. Back-pressure set too low

Only applies if your machine has an adjustable end cap, which in our registry means Omega's NC900HDC and its five pressure settings. Low back-pressure lets fiber leave before it has been squeezed properly.

The fix: raise it for dense hard produce. Do not raise it for soft produce like tomatoes -- that causes packing and clogging instead, which is the opposite problem.

6. A worn auger or screen

Last, because it is least likely. Augers wear and screens deform, usually from years of use or from abrasive cleaning. A deformed screen has enlarged or distorted perforations and never recovers.

This is where a warranty earns its keep: Omega, Hurom and Kuvings all quote 15 years on their premium machines, and Hurom covers parts as well as the motor for that period. Check your cover before buying a replacement part.

The free fixes, in order of impact

1. 1.Clean the screen properly -- soak and brush from the outside.
2. 2.Feed more slowly. Let each piece clear.
3. 3.Cut produce smaller, to a size the auger takes without stalling.
4. 4.Clear the screen partway through long sessions. Accumulated fiber chokes the flow before you finish.
5. 5.Alternate soft and firm produce. Firm pieces act as plungers and keep the screen clear. Cucumber and apple are the best at this.
6. 6.Run very wet pulp back through once. With greens, celery and wheatgrass this routinely yields a meaningful second pour.