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FAQ

Fault: “E3 Heater Overtemp.” What should I do?

To get this fault, the temperature sensor in one or more of the paddle heaters is reporting high temperatures. This could occur at different times under specific conditions such as:

  • During the Amylase phase or when the instrument is idle if a temperature of over 105°C is reported.
  • During the cooling cycle (after the Amylase phase) if after twenty minutes the bags have failed to drop in temperature to 62°C.
  • During the AMG or Protease phase if a temperature of over 70°C is reported.

Should any one of these conditions be met during a run, the run will be aborted. The E3 error message on the touchscreen display will indicate which station(s) are reporting the over-temp fault. This may be an actual over-temp condition, or it may be erroneous due to a connectivity issue. Either way, the heaters will be shut down by the program, and the run is aborted. If this were to occur during an SDF precipitation, the heaters would shut down, but the SDF precipitation would continue as normal. 

To determine if the over-temp condition is the result of a heater that is failing to cycle or turn off, run the following test. Turn the power off to the instrument and allow the paddles to cool to room temperature. Turn the power back on and from the touchscreen display, select Diagnostics. Press Temperatures to monitor the reported temperatures. At the same time, by touch, check the temperature of each paddle, especially the one that faulted earlier. If the suspect paddle begins getting warm, there is a problem with the paddle heater control. Turn the power off. This will require the replacement of the I/O-2 circuit board. Contact ANKOM Technology for further assistance at https://www.ankom.com/contact/technical-services or (315) 986-8090.

If the previous test does not reveal a problem with the paddle(s) heating, take the following steps to identify the problem. Turn the TDF instrument power off and then back on. From the Select a Function screen, press Diagnostics and select Temperatures. Observe if the suspect paddle heater is again reporting an abnormally high (false) reading while sitting at room temperature. If so, there is a fault in one of the temperature sensors and the Paddle Bar Assembly (Part #: TDF23) needs to be replaced or with the newer style Paddle Bar Assembly, the individual paddles (Part #: TDF48) can be replaced. Contact ANKOM to verify which paddle assembly you have. 

If the readings appear normal and the E3 fault does not recur, run a brief test. Again, using the Diagnostics mode, select Heater Test, and press Paddle Heater Power Enable. Having done so, turn on all six paddle heaters. Monitor the temperatures closely to see if the E3 fault returns during the heating of the paddles. Do not leave the instrument at this time as the heaters will stay on potentially overheating them if not controlled. Turn the heaters off when they reach 90°C. Allow the paddles to cool back to ambient temperature. If during the heating or cooling, the fault recurs, the paddle bar will need to be replaced with the newer style Paddle Bar Assembly or the individual paddles can be replaced. Contact ANKOM to verify which paddle assembly you have.  

If the fault does not happen again, leave power on to the instrument overnight while in the Select a Function screen. The program is always monitoring temperatures when power is on and if the fault occurs again during this time, the paddle bar will need to be replaced or with the newer style Paddle Bar Assembly the individual paddles can be replaced. If the fault does not recur during any of these tests, it is possible that a voltage fluctuation or static discharge near the sensor may have caused this fault. The instrument may be put back into use. Keep a record of any further E3 faults and if any do occur again, replace the Paddle Bar Assembly. 

Refer to either TDF Service Procedure Paddle Bar Assembly Replacement (TS021) or Service Procedure Paddle Replacement TDF48 (TS042) for replacement instructions. This will require calibration of the temperature sensors and proper setting of the mixing stroke. If the problem persists or any questions arise, contact ANKOM Technology for further assistance https://www.ankom.com/contact/technical-services or (315) 986-8090.