Hello,
I’m in a slightly tricky situation and was wondering if anyone can offer me any advice/help.
A few weeks ago I was gifted a brand new Anova(WIFI model) from my mother-in-law. I live in the UK and the machine was from the US. I was so excited about using it that I didn’t think about checking the voltage. Obviously it’s 110V and sockets in Britain are 240V so I shouldn’t have plugged it! But I did…
At first it was all good and I managed to set it up using my smartphone.
After about five minutes of cooking I could smell burned plastic and(I think) device’s fuse went off. What’s interesting Anova carried on working fine but I instantly switched it off to prevent further damage. Since then I briefly turned it on once and the LED screen worked fine so the machine is not fully roasted. I wouldn’t dare trying to cook with it though.
I’m in a tricky situation now. I own Anova which I can’t use because it’s not suitable for UK’s sockets. I can’t sell it or return because I’m not sure whether it’s broken or not. I got in touch with Anova’s support but all they offered me is $15 discount for a new machine.
Should I just bin it and forget my sous vide dream or anyone has any better ideas?
Take the Anova offer on a discounted new machine. Toss the one that you have…it’s almost certainly fried as you noticed a burning smell.
It would be dishonest for you to sell this to someone else.
These units don’t work well with voltage converters either. The better solution (had you not plugged it in) would have been for her to get a refund and either purchase you a UK version or e-mail you the funds so you can purchase one yourself.
Thank You for your responses.
I’m not really considering getting a converter. They are very expensive, bulky and Anova doesn’t recommend them.
Plus, I’m not even sure if mine is working.
I’m surprised that Anova doesn’t offer repair service. I’m not the first person with damaged machine.
Well…now I need to break the news to my mother-in-law.
I’d be surprised if they did offer non-warranty repair services. The labor, parts and shipping costs for even minor repairs would be nearly equal to…or even exceed…the cost of simply buying a new cooker.
Well, to be fair, I doubt Anova foresees many people sending machines back due to breakdown because of voltage incompatibility like what you managed to do with yours. If you are determined to carry on your sous vide dream, buy a new, correctly-rated machine. Perhaps you could make the best of a bad situation by keeping the metal skirt and plastic cap as spare parts.
