Anova Nano Lo Error: What It Is, and How to Fix It
Are you a proud owner of the Anova Nano, one of Anova’s top sous vide precision cookers? Have you ever set your Anova Nano to start cooking something, stepped away for a few hours, then came back to see the device shut off and your food only partially cooked?
Super disappointing, right? One main reason for this is due to the automatic shut-off feature of the Anova Nano that gets triggered when the water level drops too low. When this happens, the Anova Nano displays a LO error message.
Here I’ll get into the details of what this message means, how you can fix it, and how you can prevent it from happening again.
What Does the LO Warning Mean on My Anova Nano?
If you see “LO” pop up on your Anova Nano display screen, it means that the water level in your sous vide container is too low.
More specifically, the Anova Nano lo error means that the device is detecting a water level that’s below the MIN line drawn on the outside of the device.
When your Anova Nano detects that the water is too low and displays the LO error message, it shuts off automatically. This automatic shut-off feature is common amongst sous vide devices. Since sous vide cookers can’t function without enough water, this feature is a way for them to preserve themselves from damage (thus prolonging their life).
While this feature is great to have for prolonging the life of your Anova Nano, it can compromise the whole “set it and forget it” promise of sous vide cooking.
Many sous vide users worry (especially with long cooks) that their sous vide device will stop running part of the way through cooking because the water level dropped too low. They’ll come back hours later expecting a perfectly cooked meal, only to realize that their time was wasted. What’s supposed to be so great about sous vide machines is that you don’t have to babysit them.
Read on to the next section to see how to fix the LO display error, and how to prevent it from happening again.
How Do I Fix and Prevent the LO Warning on My Anova Nano?
The obvious fix for the LO display error on the Anova Nano is to make sure the water level falls between the MIN and MAX lines, and not just at the MIN line.
The water circulator in the Anova Nano can create waves as it circulates the water, especially with smaller containers or pots since their size can cause higher turbulence. If the water level is filled too close to the MIN line, the waves can make the water level drop below it, which then triggers your Anova Nano’s low water sensor.
For this reason, it’s important to make sure that the water level falls high enough above the MIN line (and below the MAX line).
Sometimes, even after making sure the water level is between the MIN and MAX lines, Anova Nano users still see the LO error on their device. Here are some things you can try to fix the issue:
- Make sure your bagged food is added to the container or pot, which will raise the water level (after doing this, also make sure you’re not above the MAX line)
- Make sure there’s enough clearance under the circulator; there should be at least about a centimeter of space between the bottom of the device and the bottom of the pot
- Unplug the device to turn it off, then plug it back in again to turn it back on
- Try pressing the start/stop button
- Clean the device (and make sure you continue to clean it regularly)
- Contact Anova about a replacement
In Summary
Hopefully this article helped you to understand why your Anova Nano is displaying the LO error message and resolve the problem.
Also be sure to keep in mind my tips for preventing this issue from happening again in the future. After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than returning to your sous vide machine hours later only to find your meal has only partially been cooked!
Interested in learning more about the Anova Nano? Check out my other articles below:
