--- title: "Manitowoc E12: water curtain open or off for too long" description: "What E12 means on Manitowoc E12: water curtain open or off for too longs, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e12/" --- # Manitowoc E12: water curtain open or off for too long A Manitowoc head stops when falling ice holds the water curtain or ice damper open, and restarts when it swings shut. ## What E12 actually means. A Manitowoc head stops when falling ice holds the water curtain or ice damper open, and restarts when it swings shut. If the switch reads open for 24 hours on G-board heads (12 hours on E-board heads), the board assumes the curtain is off, stuck or its magnet or switch has failed, and logs E12. Manitowoc ice machine display What to do when E12 shows on the ice machine ### Kind of code Sensors and bin control A sensor is telling the board something that is not true: a bin control that reads full on an empty bin, or empty while ice spills over the top, a curtain switch stuck open, a temperature sensor out of range, or an eye on a dispenser that no longer sees the cup. Scale and slime on a probe or an ultrasonic sensor cause much of it. Clearing ice piled against the bin control is a safe first step; testing and replacing a sensor is a technician's. ### Usually leads to Ice machine bin control repair The thermostat bulb, paddle, curtain switch or electronic eye that senses a full bin, adjusted or replaced so the machine stops and restarts on time. ### Shows up as Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You An ice machine error code may show as a number on a small display, a pattern of blinking lights on the control board, a colored light on the front, or a machine that stops with one indicator flashing. ### Make Manitowoc With a Manitowoc ice machine, the technician notes what the controls report and checks the bin control before opening the cycle for testing. ### Source Manitowoc Indigo Series air, water and remote condenser ice machines technician's handbook (Part Number 000014794) E-board heads log it after 12 hours and G-board heads after 24 hours (firmware 4.017 and later). ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Manitowoc's own guidance for E12 on its ice machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Check whether the bin really is full up to the curtain; if so, E12 may simply reflect low ice use. 02 Lift out any ice holding the curtain or damper open and make sure the curtain hangs in place and swings freely. 03 If the curtain is free and the head still will not start, book a visit to test the curtain switch. ### Still there? It usually turns into [ice machine bin control repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-bin-control-repair/). Book with the code and the model number. ### What not to do E12 does not mean the ice falls slowly; that is E02. A full bin by itself is normal and does not become E12 until the time limit passes. ## What you may notice with it. The ice machine problems E12 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the ice machine before anyone is booked. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Before you call ### [Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) [All 7 causes, cheapest first](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) It also comes with - [**Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-making-ice/) - [**Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-harvesting/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Where E12 usually leads ## Ice machine bin control repair. **Bin thermostat, paddle, curtain switch or ice-level sensor · low.** Book a visit [What the job involves](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-bin-control-repair/) ## Manitowoc ice machines. With a Manitowoc ice machine, the technician notes what the controls report and checks the bin control before opening the cycle for testing. [Manitowoc ice machine repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/manitowoc/) More Manitowoc codes [E01](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e01/) [E02](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e02/) [E03](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e03/) [E04](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e04/) [E05](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e05/) [E11](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e11/) [E19](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e19/) [E20](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e20/) [E21](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e21/) [E25](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e25/) [E28](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e28/) [E31](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e31/) [All 15 Manitowoc codes](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#codes-manitowoc) Sensors and bin control on other makes [Atosa E1](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e1/) [Blue Air E6](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/blue-air-e6/) [Ice-O-Matic Error 2](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/ice-o-matic-error-2/) [Marvel OFF flashing](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/marvel-off-flashing/) [Maxx Ice Blinking exclamation mark](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/maxx-ice-exclamation-mark/) [Monogram Door alarm](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/monogram-door-alarm/) [Scotsman 5](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/scotsman-5/) [True Residential E9](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e9/) [All 21 codes of this kind](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-sensor) Manitowoc builds this ### Modular ice machine An ice-making head set on top of a separate storage bin or drink dispenser, cooled by air, water or a condenser on the roof, turning out hundreds of pounds of cubes a day. Manitowoc builds this ### Undercounter ice machine A self-contained ice machine that makes and stores its own ice under a bar, a service counter or a kitchen island, from commercial units to clear-ice models in large homes. Manitowoc builds this ### Nugget ice machine An ice machine that freezes a thin layer inside a chilled cylinder and pushes it out with an auger as soft, chewable nuggets, for clinics, offices, hotels and large homes. ## In Manitowoc's own words > The ice machine is set to ice making and remains in bin full condition for more than 24 hours. [Manitowoc Indigo Series air, water and remote condenser ice machines technician's handbook (Part Number 000014794)](https://www.manitowocice.com/asset/?id=pnvoq) [Manitowoc Indigo Series air, water and remote condenser ice machines technician's handbook (Part Number 000014794)](https://www.manitowocice.com/asset/?id=pnvoq) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. E-board heads log it after 12 hours and G-board heads after 24 hours (firmware 4.017 and later). ## Manitowoc E12 ice machine repair, where we come out. The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered. 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Check whether the bin really is full up to the curtain; if so, E12 may simply reflect low ice use. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### Why is my Manitowoc logging E12 after a slow weekend? If nobody took ice for a day, the curtain stayed open against a full bin the whole time. That fits the definition without anything being broken; the head restarts once ice is used. ### Can a missing water curtain cause E12 on a Manitowoc? Yes. A curtain left out after cleaning looks like a permanently open switch. Put it back and make sure it swings freely. ### Does E12 mean the curtain switch has failed? Sometimes. If the curtain is in place, hangs closed and the bin is not full, the switch or its magnet needs testing. --- **[Read on the site: Manitowoc E12: water curtain open or off for too long](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e12/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**