Anova stops heating sometimes.

General
1

I got this Anova in January, have used it a few times.

It seems like the Anova stops trying to heat after some time. Maybe it’s 15 minutes, or 20 minutes.

And it does this before it reaches the desired temperature.

So if I set it at 183 degrees, it might stop trying to heat after 20 minutes, when it’s still at 123.

I have to go to it and hit the start button again, for it to continue.

I’ve checked the water level, it’s still above the minimum. So I don’t know why it’s doing this.

Also, yesterday it started one more annoying behavior. I was using it to cook pasta, and had just set the timer to 15 mins, after it reached the desired temperature. In less than 5 minutes, it stopped trying to heat again.

Whenever it stops trying to heat, the power still remains on. I have to go to it and hit start again.

2

Hi Nuraman, from your description of the problem you may have a faulty device. It happens.

Otherwise, older Anova Circulator models were susceptible to rising water vapour getting inside the top and interfering with the electronics. I thought Anova had made design changes to overcome that. Maybe not.

With high temperature SV cooking it’s best to cover the water bath to reduce evaporation and prevent water vapour from reaching the controls.

Cooking pasta with a circulator can be a challenge. Are you using the SV technique with the pasta in a water filled bag? If not, what steps are you taking to keep the pasta out of your machine’s base?

3

I just tried pasta this most recent time (lasagna noodles).

No, I didn’t put it in a water filled bag. I just put it in the container.

I don’t think any of the pasta got in the machine’s base, because my pasta was intact at the end.

I had been having a problem with the pasta breaking when I tried them on the gas range in a pot, so I wanted to try the pasta in my tall plastic food safe container, where it would fit more comfortably.

Ok, so you think the water vapor is getting into the controls. So when the water is heating next time, I’ll cover my container. Since that’s when I seem to have it stop heating the most often, during the heating process.

If I still experience this, should I then contact Anova? Since I think I’ve experienced the heating stopping all 3 - 4 times I’ve used it (when preparing those different meals).

One more question.

Is it ok to put the machine directly in my container, and not use the screw to latch it onto the container? If I latch it onto the container, then I have to fill my container almost all the way up, for it to get past the minimum line. And then the water would drop below due to the evaporation, and then the machine would say the level was too low.

After I saw that, I started putting it directly in the container. It did move around a little while heating, but this seemed much better. The cord is still away from the water. And once it was heated and I put my food bag in there, then the machine didn’t move around in the container as much. Overall, this seemed better for me the last few times, for the container that I use. The only issue I then seemed to have, is what I described earlier, with it stopping heating (but not because the water level was too low this time).

4

Hi Nuraman, have you tried cooking delicate pasta in a skillet to prevent breaking? I start with cold water and pasta in my largest skillet making sure there’s enough water to completely cover the pasta. I live alone so i don’t have much pasta to cook. It you are cooking for a large crew you will need a deeper pot. Just bring the pasta to low boil with the water just barely moving. That will agitate the pasta enough to keep it from sticking but not so much that it breaks. No stirring required although i do push it around a little with a wooden spoon or spatula if i’m not busy elsewhere. It takes about the usual length of time to cook on my induction cooktop. You will have the test a piece or two the first time to get it cooked properly.

First, i would contact Anova Support right away to get their input as the clock is ticking on your warranty.

Your sharing more details certainly helps in diagnosing the cause of your problem. Thank you. We know water vapour reaching the controls often causes the problems you describe. There can be other causes as you have now revealed.

Cooking with a low water level, even if above the Minimum level, results in an increase in water surface turbulence that elevates the amount of water vapour escaping. High cooking temperatures add to the amount of water vapour being created.

That is one very deep container you are working with, what’s it’s capacity? You realize that if your unattached circulator falls over into the water it’s toast, - and you could have a few seconds of unplanned excitement in your kitchen before you go looking for the circuit breaker.
A few cooks here have admitted to having it happen over the years.

Also not having the Anova properly attached to the rim of your vessel as it has been designed to be could be causing your problem. Think about it. Your are placing your circulator down into the container where there is a far greater concentration of water vapour than above the rim. Add the high cooking temperatures and increased surface turbulence and there’s a good chance of there being trouble in River City, and in your Anova.

You might want to perform a test cook by increasing the water level to at least the middle of your circulator while correctly attaching your Anova to the rim of your vessel. See if that eliminates your problem. If not, please share any other observations you have when SV cooking.

5

Most pasta I cook, I can do in a pot fine.

For lasagna specifically, I didn’t have a pot that was really big enough. When I tried, it barely fit in the pot, and ended up breaking.

That’s why I wanted to try the Anovo in a tall plastic container I have. The fit of the noodles worked better. I could orient them a little diagonally, and they would fit and still be submerged.

It was just for me, so it was only 16 noodles.

6

The tall plastic container I have is 7L, might be 8 Quarts if filled all the way up.

The problem with using the Anova I seemed to have, was that the pots that I had where I could attached it to, weren’t very tall. I would have to fill them up all the way, just to get to the minimum after attaching the Anova to the side. And then that would get messy as soon as I’d put my food bag in there.

So, after that, I tried this taller plastic food safe container. However, after latching it, I saw I would have to fill this container at least 3/4 of the way. Due to the fixed latching location on the Anova itself, I couldn’t raise that latching bar higher, and thus make the Anova submerged a bit more. Still, using this container seemed better than most pots I have. I wish the height of the latching bar could be raised or lowered, to fit different heights of containers.

However, I wanted to find a way where I could fill this only 1/2 way up, and for that, I had to put the Anova directly in the container.

I have one more pot which might be taller, haven’t tried that yet.

I will try some of these recommendations next time, to close the lid when heating, and/or attach it again and have the water level to the middle level.

I want to use this without buying new cookware. I don’t want any new cookware.

So whether the one taller pot that I haven’t tried yet, or using the tall plastic food safe container, I am trying to make it work with what I have.