--- title: "Manitowoc E20: water level probes gave an impossible reading" description: "What E20 means on Manitowoc E20: water level probes gave an impossible readings, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e20/" --- # Manitowoc E20: water level probes gave an impossible reading An Indigo head fills its water trough to a high and low probe and watches them through the cycle. ## What E20 actually means. An Indigo head fills its water trough to a high and low probe and watches them through the cycle. If the high probe senses water while the low one does not, if water is still at the low probe after harvest, or if the evaporator gets far too cold early in the freeze, the board logs E20. Scale bridging the probes, a stuck dump valve, low water pressure or a leaking inlet valve are typical reasons. Manitowoc ice machine display What to do when E20 shows on the ice machine ### Kind of code Water supply The water side came up short: the trough did not fill in the time allowed, the float or level probe never saw water, or water kept flowing when the inlet valve should have closed. A supply valve left partly shut, a clogged filter cartridge, low building pressure or a sticking inlet valve are the usual causes. Opening the valve fully and fitting a fresh filter clears the simple cases; a valve that hums without passing water is a visit. ### Usually leads to Ice machine water valve and filter repair The inlet valve, filter, sump float or level probe and supply line, tested and replaced when water arrives short, dirty or nonstop. ### 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) Indigo heads; G-board firmware 4.017 records it in the Event Log only and can fall back to safe mode (E31). Manitowoc asks for 20 to 80 psi at the water inlet. ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Manitowoc's own guidance for E20 on its ice machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Check that the water supply valve is fully open and that any filter cartridge ahead of the head is not overdue. 02 Watch the trough during a fill: water should rise and stop, not keep running. 03 If water keeps running into the trough with the head off, close the supply valve and book a visit. ### Still there? It usually turns into [ice machine water valve and filter repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/). Book with the code and the model number. ### What not to do E20 is not the ice thickness probe; that is E19. It does not by itself mean the drain is blocked, although a dump valve that will not open can trigger it. ## What you may notice with it. The ice machine problems E20 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 Water Running Nonstop to the Drain**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-water-running-constantly/) - [**Ice Machine Making Too Little Ice for the Rush**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-making-little-ice/) - [**Ice Machine Cubes Coming Out Thin, Small or Hollow**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-small-or-hollow/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Where E20 usually leads ## Ice machine water valve and filter repair. **Inlet valve, sump float or level probe, supply line and filter head · low to moderate.** Book a visit [What the job involves](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-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/) [E12](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e12/) [E19](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e19/) [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) Water supply on other makes [Atosa E5](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e5/) [Blue Air E5](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/blue-air-e5/) [Follett LO WATER](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-lo-water/) [Hoshizaki 5 beeps](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/hoshizaki-5-beeps/) [Ice-O-Matic Error 3](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/ice-o-matic-error-3/) [KitchenAid Order Filter](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/kitchenaid-order-filter/) [Koolaire SL#1 + SL#2](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/koolaire-sl3/) [Marvel Er15](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/marvel-er15/) [All 27 codes of this kind](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-water) 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 > E20 Water System Fault [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) [Manitowoc Indigo NXT ice machines installation, operation and maintenance manual (Part Number 040009662 Rev 02)](https://www.manitowocice.com/asset/?id=bepmjn&prefLang=en-US) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Indigo heads; G-board firmware 4.017 records it in the Event Log only and can fall back to safe mode (E31). Manitowoc asks for 20 to 80 psi at the water inlet. ## Manitowoc E20 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 that the water supply valve is fully open and that any filter cartridge ahead of the head is not overdue. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### Can low water pressure cause E20 on a Manitowoc? Yes. A slow fill leaves the probes reading in the wrong order. Manitowoc gives 20 to 80 psi as the inlet range, and a clogged filter can pull pressure below that. ### My Manitowoc trough overflows after E20. What should I do? Switch the head off. If water still enters, close its supply valve, because the inlet valve is not shutting, and book a visit. ### Will descaling stop E20 on a Manitowoc? When scale bridges the probes or jams the dump valve, a full de-scale often clears it. If the entry comes back on a clean head, a valve or probe needs replacing. --- **[Read on the site: Manitowoc E20: water level probes gave an impossible reading](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e20/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**