Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 1)

[Syzygies]

Legend has it that more than one person has bought the farm after dropping a hair dryer into the bath they were taking. At least some lawyers are convinced this is more than legend, as hair dryers now come with built-in GFCI circuit trippers, even though modern bathroom outlets should themselves be GFCI.

I'm thinking that one should plug the Anova into a GFCI circuit. Anything that can happen, will happen. In my NYC apartment, alas, I balked at swapping in such an outlet after seeing the in-wall wiring. But there's also the option of putting in GFCI circuit breakers at the circuit breaker box. Working on a circuit breaker box is roughly as easy as changing a light bulb, actually easier than working on wall outlets (they're beautifully designed, unlike walls), though many people who have swapped wall outlets view the circuit box as off-limits. Worth rethinking...

[dcarch]

I would like to see UL approvals on all these water related appliances.

dcarch

Edited August 27, 2013 by dcarch (log)

[Anna N]

Ive found their email and telephone number so Ill ask them for a side view with a ref. ruler

Ill PM you if I may if I cant find this info.

many thanks

Is this what you want? The ruler is resting on the bottom of the cambro.

[rotuts]

perfect

I call the company and got a very nice engineer on the line, after understanding my question:

ie how high can the water be in a tank with this attached, he said the ideal would be 1/2 up the stainless part. the clamp point usually rest on the U-part but could be moved up about 1/2

he than put the unit in a tank and said that 3/4 " to 1 " water lever to top of cooler would be ok but one would look for the wave etc.

so you can go OK a bit more up the 1/2 of the SS.

YMMV so if you go to 1 " water lever to top of container better ask for yourself.

thanks for taking the time for the excellent pic: the SS ends about where the inverted U touches the tank top.

1 " is fine for me in the larger cooler i Use, checking for various Harmonics and Local Tsunami's

many thanks!

[rotuts]

if you do not have a GFCI in you wall outlet, but have a grounded 3 prong pug in, you can get extension cords with this built in to them like this:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Prime-Wire-And-Cable-CB614725-No-Overload-25-Foot-14-3-3Out-Extension-Cord-Breaker-9970328.html

Ive seen them much shorter but cant find a Google on it. Harbor Freight / Home Depot has them I think and save a visit from the Electrician.

[Kerry Beal]

Due to an inability to RTFM - I had water about 3/4 of the way up the stainless the first time. I survived!

[rotuts]

1 " from the top of the BC is fine with me. for what its worth ( FWIW ? ) the person that answered the phone was very helpful.

the phone was in some sort of work area where he had all the stuff but some one had to bring him a ruler and he set it up a system to answer my question right a way.

Probably not worth so much ( PNWSM ? )

i bet though that the Red one is Best.

[Anna N]

1 " from the top of the BC is fine with me. for what its worth ( FWIW ? ) the person that answered the phone was very helpful.

the phone was in some sort of work area where he had all the stuff but some one had to bring him a ruler and he set it up a system to answer my question right a way.

Probably not worth so much ( PNWSM ? )

i bet though that the Red one is Best.

I agree! My Demi is red so I must return the Anova to its rightful owner as it is blue and would just destroy the decor of my kitchen.

[Robenco15]

Hey Guys,

I'm new to these forums and have been thinking about possibly buying this Anova Sous Vide Circulator and I just wanted to add my two cents.

I emailed back and forth today with Jeff from the Anova waterbath company and he told me that the lines on the stainless steel where the recommended surface of the water should be between is only there to help the user in not overflowing whichever container they are using. He did not mention the electronics at all and when I asked him about that he said the entire purpose of the lines on the stainless steel section of the sous vide was to prevent water from overflowing in terms of the movement of the water and when you add bags of food to it.

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not to all of you but I wanted to share as a lot of you were discussing the issues of the water coming in contact with the electronics of the circulator, etc. I hope this was helpful and if I am way off in my understanding of this discussion then I apologize for wasting your time!

[Anna N]

Hey Guys,

I'm new to these forums and have been thinking about possibly buying this Anova Sous Vide Circulator and I just wanted to add my two cents.

I emailed back and forth today with Jeff from the Anova waterbath company and he told me that the lines on the stainless steel where the recommended surface of the water should be between is only there to help the user in not overflowing whichever container they are using. He did not mention the electronics at all and when I asked him about that he said the entire purpose of the lines on the stainless steel section of the sous vide was to prevent water from overflowing in terms of the movement of the water and when you add bags of food to it.

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not to all of you but I wanted to share as a lot of you were discussing the issues of the water coming in contact with the electronics of the circulator, etc. I hope this was helpful and if I am way off in my understanding of this discussion then I apologize for wasting your time!

That is very strange. According to the manual, in a list of 18 safety points, the 3rd point warns not to immerse past the halfway mark and to reduce the water amount if splashing is above the midpoint. Perhaps Jeff will pop in here again and clarify things.

[Robenco15]

Hey Guys,

I'm new to these forums and have been thinking about possibly buying this Anova Sous Vide Circulator and I just wanted to add my two cents.

I emailed back and forth today with Jeff from the Anova waterbath company and he told me that the lines on the stainless steel where the recommended surface of the water should be between is only there to help the user in not overflowing whichever container they are using. He did not mention the electronics at all and when I asked him about that he said the entire purpose of the lines on the stainless steel section of the sous vide was to prevent water from overflowing in terms of the movement of the water and when you add bags of food to it.

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not to all of you but I wanted to share as a lot of you were discussing the issues of the water coming in contact with the electronics of the circulator, etc. I hope this was helpful and if I am way off in my understanding of this discussion then I apologize for wasting your time!

That is very strange. According to the manual, in a list of 18 safety points, the 3rd point warns not to immerse past the halfway mark and to reduce the water amount if splashing is above the midpoint. Perhaps Jeff will pop in here again and clarify things.

I thought it sounded strange too so I'm hoping he pops in but maybe it is just to ensure you don't accidentally allow it to get too high, because if it does start overflowing the water could get to the colored part which could then affect the electronics, etc.? I have never held one in person so I'm just going off of pictures I've seen.

[Shalmanese]

I just got the circulator today and I've been trying it out. Pros is that it's a beautiful piece of hardware and it's very easy to set up.

However, accuracy is questionable. Setting the bath to 145F, my Thermapen measured somewhere between 141.7 and 142F and my Taylor probe measures 143F. I don't know which is the most accurate right now but a 3F discrepancy is a pretty big deal.

Also, the UI could use a lot of work and does not take advantage of the touch screen at all. The way to set the temperature/time is that it increments up by 1 every time you press it. That means if the current temperature is 145F and you want to set it to 144, it requires 9 button presses. Either up/down arrows or a keypad entry would be far superior.

Also, I wish there were a way to turn the fan off, there are times I'd be willing to put up with a little bit of temperature inaccuracy in exchange for running completely silent. The fan is not overly loud but I can hear it in the other room with the door closed and it's still a distraction when cooking in the same room.

It doesn't look like there's any obvious way to update the firmware which is a shame because it has the potential to be a really great device if they fix some of the software issues. Hopefully, there'll be a V2 out soon that addresses the issues.

[Shalmanese]

After cooking a test egg in it, the built in thermostat is most definitely off. What came out was a 142F egg, not a 145F egg.

[ChrisBau]

I just got the circulator today and I've been trying it out. Pros is that it's a beautiful piece of hardware and it's very easy to set up.

However, accuracy is questionable. Setting the bath to 145F, my Thermapen measured somewhere between 141.7 and 142F and my Taylor probe measures 143F. I don't know which is the most accurate right now but a 3F discrepancy is a pretty big deal.

Also, the UI could use a lot of work and does not take advantage of the touch screen at all. The way to set the temperature/time is that it increments up by 1 every time you press it. That means if the current temperature is 145F and you want to set it to 144, it requires 9 button presses. Either up/down arrows or a keypad entry would be far superior.

Also, I wish there were a way to turn the fan off, there are times I'd be willing to put up with a little bit of temperature inaccuracy in exchange for running completely silent. The fan is not overly loud but I can hear it in the other room with the door closed and it's still a distraction when cooking in the same room.

It doesn't look like there's any obvious way to update the firmware which is a shame because it has the potential to be a really great device if they fix some of the software issues. Hopefully, there'll be a V2 out soon that addresses the issues.

Is there a cooling fan or did you mean the impeller?

[scubadoo97]

I have one on order. The ability to hold an accurate temp is worrisome and will have to be checked out as soon as it arrives

[dcarch]

I just got the circulator today and I've been trying it out. Pros is that it's a beautiful piece of hardware and it's very easy to set up.

However, accuracy is questionable. Setting the bath to 145F, my Thermapen measured somewhere between 141.7 and 142F and my Taylor probe measures 143F. I don't know which is the most accurate right now but a 3F discrepancy is a pretty big deal.

Also, the UI could use a lot of work and does not take advantage of the touch screen at all. The way to set the temperature/time is that it increments up by 1 every time you press it. That means if the current temperature is 145F and you want to set it to 144, it requires 9 button presses. Either up/down arrows or a keypad entry would be far superior.

Also, I wish there were a way to turn the fan off, there are times I'd be willing to put up with a little bit of temperature inaccuracy in exchange for running completely silent. The fan is not overly loud but I can hear it in the other room with the door closed and it's still a distraction when cooking in the same room.

It doesn't look like there's any obvious way to update the firmware which is a shame because it has the potential to be a really great device if they fix some of the software issues. Hopefully, there'll be a V2 out soon that addresses the issues.

Is there a cooling fan or did you mean the impeller?

I don't think any one of these similar devices have cooling fans that you can hear. Some motors have turbine blades integral with the rotor for ventilation, but these motors are running at low RPMs and you should not hear "fan" noise. There are brushless micro fans, which are also very quiet.

The noise you hear possible is water turbulence.

The other possible source of the noise is the motor mounted to the body without rubber vibration isolators.

dcarch

[rotuts]

Shalmanese

thanks for this input. Im wondering if other that have this device might check the temp accuracy when they get the chance.

esp. with regard to eggs and maybe 130.1 meat this would suggest waiting until the Sansair unit comes out and is looked at here.

perhaps your unit is defective? please follow up

many thanks.

sorry for this formating have no idea why its happening.

[Anova Jeff]

I've convinced my superiors to release calibration functions ahead of schedule - which was suppose to be a "feature" on the next version release.

The systems are capable of user calibration adjustment right now.

Tapping the top right corner of the boot screen 3 times will pop up a screen you will allow you to +- the temperature read. Press "0" to accept or "x" to exit. The adjustment increments are in 0.1C when you hit either the plus or minus.

You can make the system match any thermometer you want but please be careful when doing this.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Anova Jeff (log)

[rotuts]

Wow. thanks for your continued comments to this thread. its unusual for a company to be this straightforward.

[Anova Jeff]

How does the Anova deal with brief power interuptions?

When I was playing with the SideKIC, I had to plug it into a battery back up power supply to insure I didn't loose power and data due to a momentary power interuption which we get from time to time

Auto-resume isn't being included due to liability reasons. I had it running on a early build but had to pull the function.

[Anova Jeff]

That is very strange. According to the manual, in a list of 18 safety points, the 3rd point warns not to immerse past the halfway mark and to reduce the water amount if splashing is above the midpoint. Perhaps Jeff will pop in here again and clarify things.

Mid point guidance is for overtopping your container not for electronics. It is also for the pump - so it does not suck air (happens during low water level) which makes a constant gurgling noise.

[scubadoo97]

Thanks for the responses to concerns Jeff

[Anova Jeff]

Also, the UI could use a lot of work and does not take advantage of the touch screen at all. The way to set the temperature/time is that it increments up by 1 every time you press it. That means if the current temperature is 145F and you want to set it to 144, it requires 9 button presses. Either up/down arrows or a keypad entry would be far superior.

Also, I wish there were a way to turn the fan off, there are times I'd be willing to put up with a little bit of temperature inaccuracy in exchange for running completely silent. The fan is not overly loud but I can hear it in the other room with the door closed and it's still a distraction when cooking in the same room.

The system uses a resistive touch screen right now - Here is an over view on resistive screens Wikipedia and why we chose it. This type of screen isn't as UI friendly as an iPod or cellphone ( has capacitive screens that has multi-touch / drag functions) but it is fantastically durable. There are a lot of UI constraints on what I can do with a 2.7' resistive unit - If we ever switch to a capacitive screen I'll make the UI fly.

No the cooling fan off cannot be turned off. Also make sure what you are hearing is not the pump sucking air because of low water level.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Anova Jeff (log)

[wangjt]

Is there a recommend or best method to calibrate the device if I receive one that's not properly calibrated? I built a DIY temp controller using a PID box and calibrated using ice water (0 degree C) and boiling water (100 degree C). It didn't work out well because when I calibrated it to Ice Water, the temperature would be off for boiling water and vice versa.

Also, I ordered one last week. how long does it usually take to ship? Is there a way to check the order status? I sent out an email on Monday but never received a reply.

[gfweb]

Is there a recommend or best method to calibrate the device if I receive one that's not properly calibrated? I built a DIY temp controller using a PID box and calibrated using ice water (0 degree C) and boiling water (100 degree C). It didn't work out well because when I calibrated it to Ice Water, the temperature would be off for boiling water and vice versa.

Also, I ordered one last week. how long does it usually take to ship? Is there a way to check the order status? I sent out an email on Monday but never received a reply.

Sounds odd. What altitude are you? And how much different was the boiling delta?

Edited August 28, 2013 by gfweb (log)