What does Follett code Solid LOW WATER LED mean?

Follett Horizon code Solid LOW WATER LED means: A soft error: the machine did not detect water within 60 seconds of power-on. Common causes include follett's own description. the purpose is protective rather than diagnostic: it exists to prevent burn-out of the fill solenoid coil when water flow is not sensed. the machine then places itself in time delay and will attempt to restart after one hour. so this is not a failure, it is the machine protecting a part and waiting, and ice production stops meanwhile.

Follett Horizon: what does "Low water with the supply confirmed on" mean?

Follett Horizon code Low water with the supply confirmed on means: Water is present and the machine cannot sense it. Common causes include this is where the useful and little-known fact sits: follett machines require a minimum water tds of 10 ppm. total dissolved solids provide the conductivity the water detection circuit depends on, and a reverse osmosis system can remove minerals so completely that the probes cannot see the water that is definitely there. follett's instruction is that all technicians should carry a tds meter and measure at the machine.

Follett Horizon: what does "Low water with good water and good TDS" mean?

Follett Horizon code Low water with good water and good TDS means: Scale on the probes, or a scale bridge on the reservoir lid. Common causes include follett names a failure mode worth knowing because it is invisible: scale build-up on the underside of the reservoir lid can form scale bridges that disrupt the detection circuit's logic, quite apart from scale on the probes themselves. so the circuit can be defeated by a part nobody thinks of as part of the circuit.

Follett Horizon: what does "Low water immediately after an installation or a filter change" mean?

Follett Horizon code Low water immediately after an installation or a filter change means: Check valve or regulator fitted backwards. Common causes include follett's first listed cause is orientation. the shok-blok pressure regulator allows water to flow in one direction only, and the arrow must point with the flow; the same applies to the water supply check valve. fitted the wrong way round, the machine behaves exactly as though the supply were shut off.

Follett Horizon: what does "Shok-Blok regulator, and why not to remove it" mean?

Follett Horizon code Shok-Blok regulator, and why not to remove it means: Not a fault: a deliberately fitted restriction. Common causes include the fill solenoid is rated at 70 psig and the shok-blok limits supply pressure to the machine to 40 psig, protecting the solenoid from over-pressurisation when a booster pump cycles. follett states plainly that it should not be removed and that any removed one should be reinstalled, even where removing it appears to help a low water condition.

Follett Horizon ice machine Error Codes

Applies to: Horizon Elite Chewblet ice machines. Compiled and paraphrased from Follett's own Technical Bulletin TS TB 011, revisions 00 and 01, dated November 2023 and December 2024, titled Low Water Error, Horizon Elite Ice Machine, published on follettice.com. Follett is a Middleby brand based in Easton, Pennsylvania. THIS TABLE IS DELIBERATELY NARROW: it covers the low water condition in the depth Follett documents it, because that bulletin is the manufacturer material available. Follett publishes other indicators, including a Hi-Amp fault light, in its service video library rather than in a downloadable document, and those are not reproduced here rather than guessed at. Several parts sellers publish numbered E1 and E2 code lists for Follett machines; those are not used, and they do not match how these machines actually signal. Table last updated Aug 22, 2026.

How to read the codes

Follett Horizon Elite machines report through LED INDICATORS rather than numbered codes, so there is nothing to write down except which light is showing and whether it is SOLID OR FLASHING. That distinction is the diagnosis: Follett's own legend separates on, off, and flashing as different states of the same light. Several of these are SOFT ERRORS, meaning the machine puts itself into a timed delay and tries again on its own rather than failing, so a machine reported as dead may be waiting. Cycling power or pressing the control board reset button clears them. Note what the machine was doing and how long ago, because the recovery intervals below are long enough that an operator will usually have given up before the machine would have restarted itself.

The codes

Code	Meaning	Likely causes	Operator-safe steps	Technician work
Solid LOW WATER LED	A soft error: the machine did not detect water within 60 seconds of power-on	Follett's own description. The purpose is protective rather than diagnostic: it exists to PREVENT BURN-OUT OF THE FILL SOLENOID COIL when water flow is not sensed. The machine then places itself in time delay and WILL ATTEMPT TO RESTART AFTER ONE HOUR. So this is not a failure, it is the machine protecting a part and waiting, and ice production stops meanwhile	Restore the water supply and check the filters, then either wait the hour or press the control board reset button. Follett notes that IF THE EVAPORATOR WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY the reset button may have to be pressed to restart the machine, so waiting alone does not always work	Cycling power or the control board reset clears it. Work Follett's six documented causes in order before replacing anything
Low water with the supply confirmed on	Water is present and the machine cannot sense it	This is where the useful and little-known fact sits: FOLLETT MACHINES REQUIRE A MINIMUM WATER TDS OF 10 PPM. Total Dissolved Solids provide the conductivity the water detection circuit depends on, and a reverse osmosis system can remove minerals so completely that the probes cannot see the water that is definitely there. Follett's instruction is that all technicians should carry a TDS meter and measure at the machine	If the site has an RO system or recently changed water treatment, say so when you call. Water that is too pure is a documented cause and nobody guesses it	Measure TDS at the ice machine. Below 10 ppm, investigate the RO system rather than the machine
Low water with good water and good TDS	Scale on the probes, or a scale bridge on the reservoir lid	Follett names a failure mode worth knowing because it is invisible: scale build-up ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RESERVOIR LID can form SCALE BRIDGES that disrupt the detection circuit's logic, quite apart from scale on the probes themselves. So the circuit can be defeated by a part nobody thinks of as part of the circuit	Descaling the visible probes may not be enough. The lid needs cleaning between the probes too	Clean with ice machine cleaner and a Scotch-Brite pad, clean the underside of the lid between the probes, rinse debris away before refitting. Also check the orange wire is on the CENTRE terminal of the level sensing probe
Low water immediately after an installation or a filter change	Check valve or regulator fitted backwards	Follett's first listed cause is orientation. The Shok-Blok pressure regulator ALLOWS WATER TO FLOW IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY, and the arrow must point with the flow; the same applies to the water supply check valve. Fitted the wrong way round, the machine behaves exactly as though the supply were shut off	If this started right after somebody worked on the water line, say so. It changes where a technician looks first	Also check the screen on the inlet side of the fill solenoid and the check valve for blockage, both of which Follett lists separately
Shok-Blok regulator, and why not to remove it	Not a fault: a deliberately fitted restriction	The fill solenoid is rated at 70 psig and the Shok-Blok limits supply pressure to the machine to 40 psig, protecting the solenoid from over-pressurisation when a booster pump cycles. Follett states plainly that it SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED and that any removed one should be reinstalled, even where removing it appears to help a low water condition	If a previous visit removed one, that is worth reporting: it is protecting a part that costs more than the regulator	Where supply pressure and flow are genuinely the cause, Follett directs the issue back to the site rather than to the machine

Refrigerant-side work legally requires an EPA Section 608 certified technician, and opening electrical panels is technician work. When in doubt, record the code and the cycle behavior; that detail alone shortens the service call.

If this needs an ice machine technician

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Related: the PM checklist that prevents the most common codes outright, and the operator guides for symptom-first diagnosis.

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