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Sous Vide Machine Not Working? Fixes (2026)
Sous vide machine problems solved: water not heating, temperature errors, WiFi issues, and beeping error codes.
Most sous vide problems come from three sources: water level, limescale, and connectivity. Work through these fixes in order before assuming the unit is broken.
Water is not heating or heats very slowly
Check the water level first: every circulator has minimum and maximum fill lines, and most refuse to heat below the minimum as a safety measure. If the level is fine, start with hot tap water instead of cold to cut preheat time dramatically. In hard-water areas, limescale on the heating coil insulates it; run the unit in a vinegar-water bath for 30 minutes to descale.
Temperature reading seems wrong
Verify with an instant-read thermometer in the bath, away from the circulator's outlet stream. If the bath is truly off, the unit's sensor may be scaled or failing. Descale first. A consistent offset of a degree or two is normal for budget units; a wild swing means the sensor or heating element needs service.
WiFi will not connect or the app cannot find the cooker
Most circulators only join 2.4 GHz networks; make sure your phone is on the 2.4 GHz band during setup, not 5 GHz. The Anova 3.0 supports both bands, which solves this, but older and budget units do not. Move the cooker closer to the router for setup, then relocate it. If it worked before and stopped, power-cycle the unit and re-pair rather than reinstalling the app.
Unit beeps or shows an error code
Continuous beeping usually means low water: evaporation on long cooks drops the level below the minimum line, so top up with hot water. Error codes most often indicate overheating protection (bath too hot, usually from direct sun or a stove-adjacent setup) or a sensor fault after descaling neglect. Consult the manual's code table; if descaling and water level do not clear it, contact support before opening anything.
Questions, answered
Why does my sous vide keep shutting off?
Almost always low water from evaporation on long cooks. Use a lid or cover the bath surface, and check the level every few hours on 12-plus-hour cooks. Thermal cutoff from an overheated bath is the second most common cause.
Can I use my sous vide in a metal pot on the stove?
Use the pot off the heat. Metal pots work fine and the magnetic Joule base even prefers them, but never run the burner under an active circulator; it confuses the temperature control and risks damage.