I love using the sous vide method, maybe too much. My wife and I are using are ANOVA cooker 2 or 3 times a week. When it works, it works perfectly. Then they die… I am in process of returning my 2nd one in the 6 months since I bought it. Each time the support team is very nice to work with, they were before and I am sure they will be again. Just emailed me a label as I wrote this. The first one just wouldn’t do anything, wouldn’t start. Like the screen was dead. Then after a while it just wouldn’t turn on. This one refuses to heat. Pump works fine, can set the temp, just doesn’t get any warmer.
What I want to know is, using the cooker 2 or 3 times a week is that too much? Are these things really so unreliable and don’t have replaceable parts. I asked them if there was a more commercial/reliable one I could get as a replacement and I would pay extra. They said there was no path to do so.
Is there something I am doing wrong? Is our water no good? Power no good? What could be killing these things?
Was the first one DOA? (you don’t really give an indication how long you used each of them before there were issues).
No, I certainly think you should be able to use these as often as you like - would be nice if they published a MTBF (mean time before failure) rating - in hours, so we could gauge how much usage you’re going to get out of it.
So, sounds like the first one shouldn’t have gotten out of the plant at all. Sounds like the element burnt out on the second. Only thing I’d say to that is - you’re making sure you don’t let hard water scale build up on the heating element, right? Me - I make sure the unit is pristine before I put it away each time - and make sure there’s no scale build-up on the inside of the sleeve that comes off.
If you had REALLY hard water, maybe that might contribute to making the element work a little harder to heat up the bath. Also, you’re not exceeding the maximum water volume for your bath, right? (think the limit is 22 litres? - so just over 5 gallons). Making the PC heat up too much water could certainly shorten its lifespan - it wasn’t engineered for that.
My water is extremely soft (Boston tap water), but I’ve had a similar problem - first Anova One I ordered was dead after one use, and I’m currently in the process of requesting a return for another unit that had its water sensor malfunction after about five uses (and now refuses to run). I’m not mistreating them or using them improperly but they continually seem to die.
@SteveP - well, I wouldn’t say that two is enough to indicate a pattern. It is possible they’ve had some quality issues, but I’d also be a little suspicious about the environment. (eg. “dirty” power). Do you have issues with any other electronics failing where you live? Do you live in a house or an apartment? (the latter are much more prone to power littered with destructive line noise, due to the number of appliances sharing the system).
As for the tap water in Boston - have you had it tested to see that it’s actually soft? I lived there for a couple of years - don’t really recall if the water was soft or hard. (it was some time ago now though).
I had the same problem with mine also… luckily for me it happened in
the first 2 weeks of owning both of them… I started with a bluetooth
version first, within the first week, it did exactly what yours did…
The customer service WAS so good, I returned this one on Amazon, which
is super easy, and re-ordered the Wi-fi version directly from Anova… I
received the second unit and enjoyed the Wifi feature and cooked with it
almost daily for over a week. I went to use it in one morning to cook
some eggs and the temperature went to the moon again, displaying the
incorrect temperature. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, it then
read that it was 32F when it was actually 182F, I unplugged it again and
plugged it back in, it then read -32F… I contacted Anova again…Strike
2… customer service on unit #2 was not as good as previously
experienced. Returning this unit to Anova is not as easy as Amazon… I
was hoping to have a good experience with Anova, I like the design, the
size and the wifi option… Unfortunately they cannot build a unit to
work and last. I have purchased a Sansaire and have used it for almost a
month now and have had no problems with it.
My first one failed after 6 months of fairly heavy use. Second one I have used less than 10 times. Now the front panel where you change the timer does not work. Bizarre.
I’m having the same problems. The first one failed after 2 uses. I was able to exchange for a new one no problem. The second worked for another month. I was really excited to cook awesome dinner for guests. Then it suddenly stopped heating the water. Since it is now about 6 months past my purchase date, I came to website to see if I can find information about a warranty. Should I just call and ask for another one? I agree it is quite annoying if it is not reliable. I’m considering investing in ones that come with a lid. I think those are more efficient.
Mine on first use ran for about 20 minutes. Then it sounded like a buzzer going off. Ever hopeful I stopped it and read the manual online. Nothing. I looked into the vents and could see where the impeller was hitting the base of the sleeve. I slid off the sleeve as instructed in the manual and observed that the motor must have shifted in the housing. The shaft was not bent it came out of the housing off centered. Off to the apple store to return. My question on this question is for $200 shouldn’t these last longer than they do? There seem to be more negative reviews that positive on amazon as well.
Well my front panel works again but I agree they should have less problems. Even the non-electronic parts seem to fail. The metal housing was difficult to get off on the first one and then became so loose it would fall off and I didn't take it off very many times.
It is possible they’ve had some quality issues, but I’d also be a little suspicious about the environment. (eg. “dirty” power). Do you have issues with any other electronics failing where you live? Do you live in a house or an apartment? (the latter are much more prone to power littered with destructive line noise, due to the number of appliances sharing the system).