--- title: "True E28: the water pump check failed at startup" description: "What E28 means on True E28: the water pump check failed at startups, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e28/" --- # True E28: the water pump check failed at startup When the circulation pump starts, it lifts water from the sump to the evaporator and the level should drop quickly. ## What E28 actually means. When the circulation pump starts, it lifts water from the sump to the evaporator and the level should drop quickly. If it does not, the control logs E28, and True points to the pump's power and to an inlet valve that keeps filling. True Residential ice machine display What to do when E28 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 True Residential True ice machine visits begin with the installation: the supply, the drain fall and the clearance the machine needs to cool. ### Source True Ice TCIM modular ice machine service manual (TEC_TM_198 Rev A) True Ice TCIM air-cooled modular heads (TCIM-422 to TCIM-830), touchscreen control; the code shows on the active alarm screen and stays in the alarm log. ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from True Residential's own guidance for E28 on its ice machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Turn the head off and back on at the touchscreen and listen for the pump starting. 02 Watch whether water keeps running into the sump after the fill should have stopped. 03 Book a visit if E28 returns; the pump voltage and the inlet valve need testing. ### 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 E28 is not a drain pump alarm; this machine drains through a drain valve, and a slow drain is E25. It is checked only at startup, so a pump that fails later in the day may show up as a freeze or harvest alarm instead. ## What you may notice with it. The ice machine problems E28 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 Water Running Nonstop to the Drain**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-water-running-constantly/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Where E28 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/) ## True Residential ice machines. True ice machine visits begin with the installation: the supply, the drain fall and the clearance the machine needs to cool. [True Residential ice machine repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/true/) More True Residential codes [E6](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e6/) [E20](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e20/) [E14](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e14/) [E22](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e22/) [E32](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e32/) [E12](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e12/) [E24](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e24/) [E29](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e29/) [E27](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e27/) [E25](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e25/) [E26](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e26/) [E31](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e31/) [All 15 True Residential codes](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#codes-true) 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/) [Manitowoc E20](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/manitowoc-e20/) [All 24 codes of this kind](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-water) True Residential 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. ## In True Residential's own words > ALARM Pump Motor [True Ice TCIM modular ice machine service manual (TEC_TM_198 Rev A)](https://www.truemfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/857284-TI-TCIM-Service-Manual_Rev_A_EN.pdf) [True Ice TCIM modular ice machine service manual (TEC_TM_198 Rev A)](https://www.truemfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/857284-TI-TCIM-Service-Manual_Rev_A_EN.pdf) [True Ice TCIM modular ice machine service manual (TEC_TM_198 Rev A)](https://www.truemfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/857284-TI-TCIM-Service-Manual_Rev_A_EN.pdf) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. True Ice TCIM air-cooled modular heads (TCIM-422 to TCIM-830), touchscreen control; the code shows on the active alarm screen and stays in the alarm log. ## True Residential E28 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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Turn the head off and back on at the touchscreen and listen for the pump starting. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### How can an inlet valve cause a pump alarm on a True? If the valve keeps filling, the sump level cannot fall even with a good pump, so the startup check fails. True lists the valve for that reason. ### Does E28 mean my True needs a new pump? It might, but voltage to the pump and the inlet valve are checked first. ### Can scale cause E28? Heavy scale can slow a pump and its tubing. True's descaling schedule, quarterly for preventive maintenance, is there to prevent that. --- **[Read on the site: True E28: the water pump check failed at startup](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e28/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**