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.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Mode, not a failure
- No repair needed
- Source: Manitowoc
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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 machineKind of codeMode, 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 toNo repair
Look for the alert on the display and note whether E19 or E20 was logged just before E31.
Shows up asIce 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.
MakeManitowoc
With a Manitowoc ice machine, the technician notes what the controls report and checks the bin control before opening the cycle for testing.
SourceManitowoc 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.
Look for the alert on the display and note whether E19 or E20 was logged just before E31.
Keep using the ice, but expect cube size to vary a little.
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
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.
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 repairMore Manitowoc codes
All 15 Manitowoc codesMode, not a failure on other makes
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.
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.
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.
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.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions
about E31.
Can I clear E31 myself?
How long can my Manitowoc run in safe mode?
Why did my new Manitowoc stop instead of entering safe mode?
Will safe mode damage my Manitowoc?
Back to your everyday
Still showing E31?
A booking with a code goes further when it carries the light or code copied as it appeared, the model and serial off the data plate, and a word on whether cubes still fall into the bin. With those three in hand, our office can match the probable part to your machine the same afternoon.