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A small digital hygrometer resting on a wooden wine rack in a stone cellar, a faint film of moisture on the wall behind the bottles and the supply grille of the cooling unit above.

Wine Guardian !2: the condensate switch has shut the system down

!2 comes from the condensate switch, which is off unless it is enabled in setting 17.

(844) 398-5977

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Humidity
  • Cellar humidity control repair
  • Source: Wine Guardian

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Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 398-5977

What !2
actually means.

!2 comes from the condensate switch, which is off unless it is enabled in setting 17. When water is not draining, the switch stops the whole system before the pan can overflow, and the code stays until the water problem is resolved and the switch resets. A clogged drain, a pan full of dust and sludge or a condensate pump that has stopped are the usual reasons.

Wine Guardian wine cellar cooling unit display · also shown as (!2), CS

What to do when !2 shows on the wine cellar cooling unit

Kind of codeHumidity

The unit or its hygrometer reads the cellar's air as too dry for the corks or too damp for the labels and the walls. Cooling pulls water out of the air, so a unit that runs long in a leaky room tends to dry it out, while a gap in the vapor barrier, damp ground or a clogged drain can push it the other way. A humidifier or humidity kit, where one is fitted, is checked along with the door seal and the room before a sensor is blamed.

Usually leads toCellar humidity control repair

Bringing a wine cellar back into its humidity window, roughly 50 to 70 percent, by fixing the humidifier, the fan settings, the drain or the room.

Shows up asCellar Cooling Unit Leaking Water

A cellar cooling unit leaking water leaves a dark stain spreading down the wall under the unit, drips landing on the top row of bottles, a wet patch on the floor of the next room, or water where a ceiling unit meets the drywall.

MakeWine Guardian

Wine Guardian systems examined at the cellar, the ductwork and the equipment space when the air stops holding its temperature or its moisture.

SourceWine Guardian Remote Interface Operation Guide

Remote Interface controller; appears only when the condensate switch is fitted and enabled (setting 17).

Before you book,
in this order.

Each step comes from Wine Guardian's own guidance for !2 on its wine cellar cooling units. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Switch the unit off and check under and around it for water, keeping clear of any outlet or wiring that is wet.

02

Follow the drain line from the unit and look for a kink, a sag holding water or a pump that is not running.

03

If the drain is clear and the code does not go away, or water has reached a wall or floor, book a visit.

Still there?

It usually turns into cellar humidity control repair. Book with the code and the model number.

What not to do

!2 does not point at the refrigeration system; the unit is stopping itself to keep water in the pan. On units where the condensate switch is disabled in settings, the same clog shows up as dripping water instead of a code.

What you may
notice with it.

The wine cellar cooling unit problems !2 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the wine cellar cooling unit before anyone is booked.

All problems

Before you call

Cellar Cooling Unit Leaking Water

All 6 causes, cheapest first

It also comes with

The cellar-side grille of a through-the-wall cooling unit high on a plastered wine cellar wall, a dark wet streak running down the plaster below it toward a wall outlet, wooden racks of unlabeled bottles along the side wall and a folded towel on the tile floor. The collection is exposed

Cellar Cooling Unit Leaking Water

6 causes, cheapest first

Where !2 usually leads

Cellar humidity control repair.

Humidifier module, humidity probe or settings · low to moderate.
Book a visit What the job involves

Wine Guardian
wine cellar cooling units.

Wine Guardian systems examined at the cellar, the ductwork and the equipment space when the air stops holding its temperature or its moisture.

Wine Guardian wine cellar cooling unit repair

More Wine Guardian codes

!1!3!4Flashing temperature with (!)Flashing temperature with (!) below the low limitFlashing humidity with (!)Flashing humidity with (!) below the low limit- - -

Humidity on other makes

CellarCool EAWhisperKOOL EA
A wine cellar cooling unit set into the upper part of a stone wall in a US home wine cellar, its cellar-side grille flush with the wall above dark wood racks full of wine bottles, cool soft lighting. Wine Guardian builds this

Through-the-wall cellar cooling unit

A self-contained box set into an opening in the cellar wall: its cold face blows into the wine room, and its warm face breathes out into the room next door.

 A wine cellar in a US home seen from inside, a white rectangular supply grille for its cooling unit set in the wood-paneled ceiling above tall dark racks of wine bottles, a matching return grille low on the far wall, soft even lighting. Wine Guardian builds this

Ducted cellar cooling unit

A self-contained cooling unit placed outside the cellar, in a mechanical room, attic or basement, that sends chilled air in and takes return air back through insulated ducts.

 A slim white split-system wine cellar evaporator unit mounted high on a plastered wall of a US home wine cellar above curved wooden racks of wine bottles without labels, insulated copper lines entering the wall beside it, warm low lighting. Wine Guardian builds this

Split-system cellar cooling

An evaporator inside or beside the cellar and a condensing unit outside or in another room, joined by an insulated copper line set and charged on site.

In Wine Guardian's own words

!2 = CS (Condensate Switch Fault)
Wine Guardian Remote Interface Operation Guide Wine Guardian Remote Interface Operation Guide Wine Guardian Ducted Self-Contained manual (Chassis B, Dec 2022), Wayback copy

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Remote Interface controller; appears only when the condensate switch is fitted and enabled (setting 17).

Wine Guardian !2 wine cellar cooling unit 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 couple lifting a bottle from a lit stone-walled wine cellar, the cooling unit's grille high on the far wall
For the heart of your home.

Questions
about !2.

Can I clear !2 myself?
Switch the unit off and check under and around it for water, keeping clear of any outlet or wiring that is wet. If it comes back, it needs a visit.
How do I clear !2 on a Wine Guardian?
Clear the reason water is not draining and let the pan empty; Wine Guardian keeps the code on until the switch problem is resolved and reset. A condensate pump that lost power may need it restored.
How often should the Wine Guardian drain be cleaned?
Wine Guardian asks for the condensate drain system to be cleaned once a year, and more often in a dusty space. Flushing the pan clears the sludge that usually causes !2.
Why does !2 appear after a humid week?
A cellar that lets in moist air makes the coil pull more water, and a slow drain that coped before falls behind. The door seal and vapor barrier are worth a look along with the drain.

Back to your everyday

Still showing !2?

When you book, type the code or the blink count as the controller shows it, add the full model number, and say what the thermometer in the cellar reads now — that gives the technician a head start.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 398-5977
(844) 398-5977 Schedule a repair