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A stainless sandwich prep table on a restaurant line, the prep table's lid raised over a row of covered food pans, a probe thermometer standing in one pan, nobody at the table.

Alto-Shaam E13: the steam generator is running too hot

Probe B4 reads the temperature inside the steam generator.

(844) 571-4566

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Temperature and alarms
  • Reach-in and prep table repair
  • Source: Alto-Shaam

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 571-4566

What E13
actually means.

Probe B4 reads the temperature inside the steam generator. E13 is called out when that reading is over 248°F for longer than 25 seconds. The manual points at calcium on the level probe or in the generator, a heating contactor stuck on, or the probe itself.

Alto-Shaam commercial appliance display

What to do when E13 shows on the commercial appliance

Kind of codeTemperature and alarms

The controller has seen a temperature outside the band it was set for and is saying so: a box above its alarm point, a fryer vat or an oven cavity that tripped its high-limit, or a dish machine rinse that never came up to heat. Often the cause sits outside the unit, such as a door left open during a delivery, a coil packed with grease, a kitchen far hotter than the maker allows or a booster fed cold water. Checking the door, the coil and the air around the unit is fair; move the product if a cold box stays above 41°F, and book the visit.

Usually leads toReach-in and prep table repair

Reach-ins, pass-throughs, prep tables and blast chillers: gaskets, hinges, fans, thermostats, condensers and compressors.

Shows up asCommercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

A commercial appliance error code appears as letters or numbers on a combi, fryer, reach-in controller, dish machine or laundry machine display, or as a flashing light or an alarm tone.

MakeAlto-Shaam

An Alto-Shaam call is usually booked for the hours between the last plate and the prep crew, so the cabinet can cool and the tech can open it without holding up service.

SourceAlto-Shaam Combitherm CT PROformance Series operator's manual, MN-35948 Rev 21 (10/21) (Wayback copy)

Combitherm CT PROformance (CTP) combi ovens, error code table in operator's manual MN-35948 Rev 21.

Before you book,
in this order.

Each step comes from Alto-Shaam's own guidance for E13 on its commercial appliances. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Acknowledge the code with Start and stop steam cooking.

02

Check your descaling log; the manual asks for monthly descaling of the oven.

03

Book a visit so the steam generator, its contactor and the B4 probe can be checked.

Still there?

It usually turns into reach-in and prep table repair. Book with the code and the model number.

What not to do

E13 is not the cabinet running hot in steam mode, which is E36. It also differs from E23, which says the B4 probe itself has failed rather than reporting a real high reading.

What you may
notice with it.

The commercial appliance problems E13 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the commercial appliance before anyone is booked.

All problems

Before you call

Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

All 8 causes, cheapest first

It also comes with

Close view of the dark touch control panel on the front of a stainless combi oven in a commercial kitchen, one abstract amber warning indicator glowing among unlit icons, the steam-fogged glass door blurred beside it. Problem

Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

8 causes, cheapest first

Where E13 usually leads

Reach-in and prep table repair.

Reach-in, pass-through or prep table gasket, hinge, fan motor, thermostat or controller, defrost heater, leak repair or compressor · moderate.
Book a visit What the job involves

Alto-Shaam
commercial appliances.

An Alto-Shaam call is usually booked for the hours between the last plate and the prep crew, so the cabinet can cool and the tech can open it without holding up service.

Alto-Shaam commercial appliance repair

More Alto-Shaam codes

E01E02E03E20E21E34E36E57E89E92E100E105
All 15 Alto-Shaam codes

Temperature and alarms on other makes

Beverage-Air HiBlodgett Cavity High Temp ErrorCleveland RESET lightContinental Refrigerator HIDelfield HiFrymaster E16Garland E04Hatco Control Board Overtemp
All 70 codes of this kind
A row of three stainless steel reach-in cabinets with solid doors along the wall of a working restaurant kitchen, the reach-ins clearly the subject, one door open showing sheet pans of prepped vegetables on wire shelves, a walk-in cooler door with a clear strip curtain visible at the far end, a cook seen only from behind in a white jacket passing in the soft background, bright even kitchen light. Alto-Shaam builds this

Commercial cold storage

Reach-in and pass-through cabinets, walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers, prep and sandwich tables, undercounter units and blast chillers that hold a kitchen's food at safe temperatures.

 A working restaurant cooking line under a stainless ventilation hood, two stainless gas fryers with baskets hanging above the oil, a flat griddle and a combi oven with a glass door beside them, the equipment clearly the subject, a cook seen only from behind and shoulders down at the far end of the line, warm kitchen light, small blue flames visible under the griddle. Alto-Shaam builds this

Commercial cooking equipment

Fryers, griddles, charbroilers, restaurant ranges, convection and combi ovens, steamers, kettles, holding cabinets and toasters, on gas or electric, that make up the hot side of a kitchen line.

In Alto-Shaam's own words

Calcium build-up in steam generator.
Alto-Shaam Combitherm CT PROformance Series operator's manual, MN-35948 Rev 21 (10/21) (Wayback copy) Alto-Shaam Combitherm CT PROformance Series operator's manual, MN-35948 Rev 21 (10/21) (Wayback copy)

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Combitherm CT PROformance (CTP) combi ovens, error code table in operator's manual MN-35948 Rev 21.

Alto-Shaam E13 commercial appliance 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.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A restaurant team working a busy commercial kitchen line.
For the heart of your home.

Questions
about E13.

Can I clear E13 myself?
Acknowledge the code with Start and stop steam cooking. If it comes back, it needs a visit.
Does scale cause E13 on an Alto-Shaam steam generator?
It is the first cause the manual lists. Scale insulates the elements and fools the level probe, so the generator can overheat.
How often should an Alto-Shaam combi be descaled to avoid E13?
The manual asks for monthly descaling, and the maintenance screen can remind you. Hard water may need more.
Can I use convection mode on an Alto-Shaam with E13?
The manual is silent on that. Stop steam cooking and have a technician check the generator first.

Back to your everyday

Still showing E13?

A booking with a code goes further when it has the code as shown, the model and serial from the data plate, and a word on whether the unit still holds temperature, heats, rinses or spins. With those three, the office can match the likely part to your unit the same day.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 571-4566
(844) 571-4566 Schedule a repair