--- title: "Manitowoc E31: running in safe mode on a sensor failure" description: "What E31 means on Manitowoc E31: running in safe mode on a sensor failures, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e31/" --- # Manitowoc E31: running in safe mode on a sensor failure Safe mode lets an Indigo head keep making ice on cycle times it learned from its last five good cycles. ## What E31 actually means. Safe mode lets an Indigo head keep making ice on cycle times it learned from its last five good cycles. The board flashes an alert, logs E31, and keeps checking the probe; it leaves safe mode on its own if a normal signal returns. After 72 hours in a row it goes to standby and stops. Manitowoc ice machine display What to do when E31 shows on the ice machine ### Kind of code Mode, not a failure Nothing is broken; the control is reporting a state someone chose or a routine it runs: a clean or sanitize reminder counting the hours since the last cycle, a delay of a few minutes after power returns before the pump and compressor start, a bin-full light while the bin control is satisfied, or a standby or off mode someone chose at the keypad. No part is needed; finishing the cycle the light asks for, waiting out the delay or the key sequence from the manual ends it. ### Usually leads to No repair Look for the alert on the display and note whether E19 or E20 was logged just before E31. ### 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 and Indigo NXT heads; Event Log only, while the display shows the safe mode alert. ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Manitowoc's own guidance for E31 on its ice machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Look for the alert on the display and note whether E19 or E20 was logged just before E31. 02 Keep using the ice, but expect cube size to vary a little. 03 Book a visit within the 72-hour window so the failed probe can be fixed before the head stops. ### Cleared? The light or code is gone, and the machine fills, freezes and drops a full batch of cubes into the bin with no new part. If it returns within a week, or the clean light comes back straight after a cleaning cycle, mention that in the booking. ### What not to do E31 is not a failure of its own; it is the head coping with E19 or E20. A head that has never finished five good cycles cannot use safe mode and simply shuts off. ## What you may notice with it. The ice machine problems E31 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 Cubes Coming Out Thin, Small or Hollow**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-small-or-hollow/) - [**Ice Machine Making Too Little Ice for the Rush**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-making-little-ice/) - [**Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-making-ice/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first No repair indicated ## Nothing to repair. Nothing is broken; the control is reporting a state someone chose or a routine it runs: a clean or sanitize reminder counting the hours since the last cycle, a delay of a few minutes after power returns before the pump and compressor start, a bin-full light while the bin control is satisfied, or a standby or off mode someone chose at the keypad. No part is needed; finishing the cycle the light asks for, waiting out the delay or the key sequence from the manual ends it. [How to read what your ice machine is telling you](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) ## 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/) [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/) [All 15 Manitowoc codes](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#codes-manitowoc) Mode, not a failure on other makes [Atosa FUL](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-ful/) [Follett TIME DELAY](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-time-delay/) [Ice-O-Matic Slow blue flash](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/ice-o-matic-slow-blue-flash/) [KitchenAid Clean light blinking](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/kitchenaid-clean-light-blinking/) [Marvel DOOR flashing](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/marvel-door-flashing/) [Maxx Ice Bin Full](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/maxx-ice-bin-full/) [Monogram Time to Clean](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/monogram-time-to-clean/) [Scotsman b](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/scotsman-b/) [All 35 codes of this kind](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-mode) 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 > Safe mode allows the ice machine to operate for a period of time in the event of a WLP or ITP sensor failure. [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 and Indigo NXT heads; Event Log only, while the display shows the safe mode alert. ## Manitowoc E31 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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Look for the alert on the display and note whether E19 or E20 was logged just before E31. ### How long can my Manitowoc run in safe mode? Up to 72 hours in a row. After that it goes to standby, so treat the alert as a deadline for a visit. ### Why did my new Manitowoc stop instead of entering safe mode? Safe mode needs a history of five good cycles. A freshly installed head, or one reset without that history, just shuts off when a probe fails. ### Will safe mode damage my Manitowoc? It is designed for short-term use. The larger risk is ice that comes out too thin or too thick while the head guesses its timing. --- **[Read on the site: Manitowoc E31: running in safe mode on a sensor failure](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e31/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**