It’s a pain to take care of that because it is apparently non-replaceable. Letting straight vinegar sit in the tank overnight helped the situation. After a couple of years, I grew tired of this process, so I actually grabbed a knife and popped that thing out. Coffee flows normal, however it’s not being filtered (shouldn’t be a problem if you don’t spill the ground coffee when preparing it). I tried going online looking for that little spout part with no luck. You can buy the entire tank part for $20, but really? All I need is to replace this tiny spout (strainer/filter) piece. All in all, the actual piece I removed looks like it was painted with black ink, impossible for anything to filter out through it anymore. I would submit pictures, but I don’t see how I can do that.
You can pop the filter out and drop it in a cup with equal parts vinegar and hot water to try to clean it. place the end of a flathead screwdriver between one of the three plastic nubs that sticks out of the bottom to hold it and one of the plastic tines on the filter. Apply a bit of pressure and it will flex enough to pop out. I was unable to find a replacement. You can also just take it out and leave it out. Grounds won’t usually be a problem unless the basket is overfilled.
