A Blocked Strainer Was Stopping the Heat Pump From Working — And Nobody Had Checked It
A Blocked Strainer Was Stopping the Heat Pump From Working — And Nobody Had Checked It
A Blocked Strainer Was Stopping the Heat Pump From Working — And Nobody Had Checked It
A Blocked Strainer Was Stopping the Heat Pump From Working — And Nobody Had Checked It
A Blocked Strainer Was Stopping the Heat Pump From Working — And Nobody Had Checked It
A Sussex homeowner had already cleaned his magnetic filter and spent hours searching for answers online, but the Samsung E911 fault kept coming back. During a single video call, we found a second strainer inside the system that was heavily blocked with debris. Once cleaned, the fault cleared instantly — and we used the remaining time to improve the controls the system had never been set up properly from the start.
A Sussex homeowner had already cleaned his magnetic filter and spent hours searching for answers online, but the Samsung E911 fault kept coming back. During a single video call, we found a second strainer inside the system that was heavily blocked with debris. Once cleaned, the fault cleared instantly — and we used the remaining time to improve the controls the system had never been set up properly from the start.
A Sussex homeowner had already cleaned his magnetic filter and spent hours searching for answers online, but the Samsung E911 fault kept coming back. During a single video call, we found a second strainer inside the system that was heavily blocked with debris. Once cleaned, the fault cleared instantly — and we used the remaining time to improve the controls the system had never been set up properly from the start.
A homeowner in Sussex got in touch after his Samsung heat pump had been displaying an E911 fault on and off for some time. He wasn't new to the problem he'd already cleaned the magnetic filter himself and spent a good few hours searching online trying to work out what was causing it. Despite his efforts, the fault kept returning and his frustration was starting to build. He was beginning to worry that something had gone seriously wrong with the heat pump itself.
When we spoke to him, we explained that the Samsung E911 error is a flow protection fault it appears when the heat pump detects that water isn't circulating through the system at the rate it needs. This can happen for several reasons, and a dirty magnetic filter is one of the more common ones. But it's far from the only one. You can read more about why heat pumps trigger flow errors and what they actually mean in our article Why Your Heat Pump Shows a Flow Error (And What It Actually Means).
Rather than immediately booking an engineer visit, we suggested something simpler first a video call. The homeowner was practical and comfortable having a look at things himself, so we agreed to work through the system together. His wife kindly held the phone and a torch throughout, which made the whole process much easier.
During the call, we went through the Samsung controller, checked the system pressures, reviewed the pump settings, looked at the pipework layout, and inspected the filters and valves. The magnetic filter was exactly as he'd described clean. But as we looked more carefully at the wider system, we spotted something that hadn't been checked: a second strainer located elsewhere in the pipework. Many homeowners aren't aware their system contains more than one filter or strainer, and this one had never been looked at. Our article on How Dirty Filters Can Cause Heat Pump Problems goes into more detail on exactly this issue.
When the strainer was removed and inspected, it was heavily packed with debris. Water flow through the heating system had been significantly restricted, and the heat pump had been correctly protecting itself by shutting down and displaying the E911 fault. Once the strainer was cleaned and reassembled, the homeowner restarted the heat pump and the fault cleared straight away.
We didn't stop there, though. With the system running properly again, we took the time to look through the operating settings together. The homeowner mentioned that even before the fault appeared, the heat pump had never really felt like it was performing as well as he expected. Looking at the controls, it was easy to see why the system hadn't been configured particularly well from the start. We went through the flow temperature settings, talked about how heating schedules work, explained weather compensation and what it's actually doing, and walked him through the general principles of how a heat pump should operate day to day. If you want to understand more about this, our guide on What Does Weather Compensation Actually Do? is a good place to start, along with How to Set a Heat Pump for Maximum Efficiency.
By the end of the call, the fault had been resolved, the system was running again, and the homeowner had a much clearer picture of how his heat pump should actually be operating. He and his wife were genuinely relieved — not just because the E911 error was gone, but because they hadn't had to wait weeks for another engineer to show up.
This case is a good reminder that a fault code doesn't mean the heat pump has broken down. In most cases, the heat pump is doing exactly what it's designed to do protecting itself from a condition that shouldn't exist. The challenge is finding what's creating that condition. Here, a single blocked strainer that had never been inspected was enough to bring the whole system down. Remove the restriction, and the fault disappears.
If you're seeing similar problems with your system low flow errors, repeated fault codes, or a heat pump that's never quite performed the way it should — you might also find it useful to read about the Heat Pump Short Cycling & High Running Costs – Zoning Design Issue or the Heat Pump Freezing Up Repeatedly – Pipework & System Design Issue, both of which involve restricted or inadequate water flow as the root cause. The case of Poor Heating & Limited Hot Water – Cylinder Temperature Probe Fault is also worth a look if your system has other underlying performance issues that haven't been properly addressed since installation.
If your heat pump is showing a fault code or simply isn't performing as it should, get in touch with us and we'll let you know whether a video call or a full technical review is the right next step. You can also find out more about how we work on the Fix My Heat Pump page.
A homeowner in Sussex got in touch after his Samsung heat pump had been displaying an E911 fault on and off for some time. He wasn't new to the problem he'd already cleaned the magnetic filter himself and spent a good few hours searching online trying to work out what was causing it. Despite his efforts, the fault kept returning and his frustration was starting to build. He was beginning to worry that something had gone seriously wrong with the heat pump itself.
When we spoke to him, we explained that the Samsung E911 error is a flow protection fault it appears when the heat pump detects that water isn't circulating through the system at the rate it needs. This can happen for several reasons, and a dirty magnetic filter is one of the more common ones. But it's far from the only one. You can read more about why heat pumps trigger flow errors and what they actually mean in our article Why Your Heat Pump Shows a Flow Error (And What It Actually Means).
Rather than immediately booking an engineer visit, we suggested something simpler first a video call. The homeowner was practical and comfortable having a look at things himself, so we agreed to work through the system together. His wife kindly held the phone and a torch throughout, which made the whole process much easier.
During the call, we went through the Samsung controller, checked the system pressures, reviewed the pump settings, looked at the pipework layout, and inspected the filters and valves. The magnetic filter was exactly as he'd described clean. But as we looked more carefully at the wider system, we spotted something that hadn't been checked: a second strainer located elsewhere in the pipework. Many homeowners aren't aware their system contains more than one filter or strainer, and this one had never been looked at. Our article on How Dirty Filters Can Cause Heat Pump Problems goes into more detail on exactly this issue.
When the strainer was removed and inspected, it was heavily packed with debris. Water flow through the heating system had been significantly restricted, and the heat pump had been correctly protecting itself by shutting down and displaying the E911 fault. Once the strainer was cleaned and reassembled, the homeowner restarted the heat pump and the fault cleared straight away.
We didn't stop there, though. With the system running properly again, we took the time to look through the operating settings together. The homeowner mentioned that even before the fault appeared, the heat pump had never really felt like it was performing as well as he expected. Looking at the controls, it was easy to see why the system hadn't been configured particularly well from the start. We went through the flow temperature settings, talked about how heating schedules work, explained weather compensation and what it's actually doing, and walked him through the general principles of how a heat pump should operate day to day. If you want to understand more about this, our guide on What Does Weather Compensation Actually Do? is a good place to start, along with How to Set a Heat Pump for Maximum Efficiency.
By the end of the call, the fault had been resolved, the system was running again, and the homeowner had a much clearer picture of how his heat pump should actually be operating. He and his wife were genuinely relieved — not just because the E911 error was gone, but because they hadn't had to wait weeks for another engineer to show up.
This case is a good reminder that a fault code doesn't mean the heat pump has broken down. In most cases, the heat pump is doing exactly what it's designed to do protecting itself from a condition that shouldn't exist. The challenge is finding what's creating that condition. Here, a single blocked strainer that had never been inspected was enough to bring the whole system down. Remove the restriction, and the fault disappears.
If you're seeing similar problems with your system low flow errors, repeated fault codes, or a heat pump that's never quite performed the way it should — you might also find it useful to read about the Heat Pump Short Cycling & High Running Costs – Zoning Design Issue or the Heat Pump Freezing Up Repeatedly – Pipework & System Design Issue, both of which involve restricted or inadequate water flow as the root cause. The case of Poor Heating & Limited Hot Water – Cylinder Temperature Probe Fault is also worth a look if your system has other underlying performance issues that haven't been properly addressed since installation.
If your heat pump is showing a fault code or simply isn't performing as it should, get in touch with us and we'll let you know whether a video call or a full technical review is the right next step. You can also find out more about how we work on the Fix My Heat Pump page.
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If you're unsure whether your heat pump problem can be diagnosed remotely, send us a short description of the issue and we’ll let you know if a technical review is worthwhile. No obligation.
If you're unsure whether your heat pump problem can be diagnosed remotely, send us a short description of the issue and we’ll let you know if a technical review is worthwhile. No obligation.
If you're unsure whether your heat pump problem can be diagnosed remotely, send us a short description of the issue and we’ll let you know if a technical review is worthwhile. No obligation.
