Folks, here is the way you get your Anova working once its had this problem, and a way to prevent it from happening again. The issue I'm addressing is when the beeping happens and you receive an alert that the water is too low when in fact it's not.
- Once the device starts beeping repeatedly, unplug it immediately. Observe that the head unit has been in a particularly steamy part of the pot, and the sensors are being overwhelmed with humidity.
- Remove the device entirely from the water, allowing as much of the water to pour out of the anova as possible.
- The metal cover will be very, very hot. Holding the head of the unit in your left hand and use a potholder or otherwise heat-resistant glove, remove the metal shaft by twisting it counter-clockwise. It shouldn't resist much, and should easily open up. You'll see the heating coils exposed.
- Place the unit on its side on a heat resistant surface (granite or stainless steel counter, stovetop) to cool down. Leave it for ten minutes. When you come back to it, it should be room temperature again, and there should be no remaining liquid. (Take this time to wipe off the metal parts with a dry paper towel and make sure there is nothing trapped among the coils.)
- Put the unit back together (align the metal shaft with the head unit and twist clockwise until it locks), then put the unit back in the liquid, re-fastening it to your container. Plug it back in and allow the unit to re-heat the water.
- As the unit starts re-heating the water, cover the container with saran wrap in a way that prevents steam from reaching the head unit, being careful not to submerge the wrap in the water, and preventing the wrap from touching the hot metal surface of the unit. The idea is that that the steam won't be able to escape the pot and most especially not flow into the unit.
Since doing this myself, I have had no issue, but it may not be a lasting solution. I'll report back if I have further issues.
