The service life of an average 5-cup coffee maker is about 3 years. It should go without saying that without proper maintenance even an expensive 5-cup brewer might go out of commission much earlier before its expiration date, as it were. Regular cleaning, descaling, and the general following of manufacturer guidelines might even extend the service life of your coffee machine, provided you don’t overload it on a regular basis. It should be kept in mind that in some cases this rule doesn’t extend to other components or accessories included with the coffee maker. For instance, some coffee makers feature anti-drip systems which connect the dispenser nozzle directly to the carafe’s brew-through lid, so using any other drinkware to store the coffee is practically impossible. And should you irreparably damage such a decanter, there might be no choice but to replace it with the specific model from the same manufacturer. Though most brands supply replacement decanters, the issue is with their accessibility that can considerably drop over time. If you happen to need a new carafe for an older coffee maker, chances are the manufacturer simply doesn’t produce them anymore.