Thermomix® not heating, or not hot enough
The soup stays cold or the Varoma barely steams? Often it’s a setting, sometimes the bowl. Here’s how to find out.
In short
The most common reason: no time has been set. Without a time, the Thermomix® doesn’t heat. Next come wet or dirty contact pins on the bowl, large or very cold quantities and, with the Varoma, too little water.
Check the settings first
- Set a time. A temperature on its own isn’t enough. The heating only works while a cooking time is running.
- Temperature display. The reading rises with the contents. With large quantities that takes a while, which is normal.
- Quantity. A bowl filled up to the “max” mark (2.2 litres) takes much longer than a half-full one. Very cold or frozen ingredients slow it down further.
The Varoma doesn’t get hot enough
The Varoma needs enough water in the bowl. On the TM6, about 250 ml evaporates in 15 minutes of Varoma cooking. For longer cooking times, top up the water. Leave some slots free in the Varoma so the steam can circulate, and fit the lid properly.
Heating messages
| Model | Code | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| TM5 | C23 C24 C53 | Clean and dry the contact pins under the bowl, refit the bowl. |
| TM5 | C52 | Often after very cold ingredients: empty the bowl, rinse it with warm water, put the ingredients back and carry on quickly. |
| TM5 | C69 | Restart. Repair if the message comes back. |
| TM6 | C23 C52 C53 | Clean and thoroughly dry the contact pins under the bowl. |
A simple test
- Fill the bowl with 1 litre of cold tap water and insert the measuring cup.
- Set 10 minutes, 100 °C, speed 1 and start.
- At the end the water should be steaming clearly and the display close to 100 °C. If it stays lukewarm, the bowl’s heating or its control is probably faulty.
Good to know: on the TM5 and TM6 the heating element sits in the base of the bowl. If you have a second bowl, run the test with it too: if that one heats, the problem is the first bowl.
If the contact pins are bent, broken or corroded, the bowl needs to be repaired or replaced. The same applies if the base of the bowl is warped.
Mixklinik is an independent workshop and is not affiliated with Vorwerk. Thermomix®, Cookidoo®, Varoma® and Cook-Key® are trademarks of the Vorwerk Group. Information given in good faith; your machine’s user manual takes precedence.
