How do I clean Joule?

Thanks to Joule’s seamless design, to clean the outside, you can simply clean it with a damp cloth or sponge and then wipe it dry. Store in a dry area in between cooks. Please also see this page for additional maintenance tips: Best way to maintain Joule

To keep Joule running smoothly over the long haul, we suggest cleaning it regularly in a vinegar bath. The harder the water is in your area, the more often you will want to clean your Joule. The cleaning instructions are detailed here, and also shown in the video below: 

• 1. Pour equal parts of water and distilled white vinegar into a small pot.
  2. Add Joule, use manual mode to set the temperature to 140 °F / 60 °C, and allow Joule to heat the liquid. 
  3. When Joule alerts you that it has reached that temperature, the cleaning is complete. 
  4. Although 140 °F / 60 °C is preferred, running a vinegar circulation bath at a lower temperature can still do wonders for cleaning / de-scaling. (Even at Joule's minimum temp of 68 °F / 20 °C.)
  5. Clean the inside of Joule. To do so, take off the magnetic foot of the device by twisting it counterclockwise, remove the propeller, and then use a wet sponge or bottle brush to gently wipe out the inside. If food has become cooked on the heater, use a nylon or brass brush to gently clean the interior, being careful around the soft rubber seals at the top of the heating cavity. 
     
     
• If it's been a while since you cleaned Joule, it is making more noise than expected during circulation, taking much longer than expected to heat up the water bath, or you are receiving a low water error message, please try a longer vinegar bath using the same steps above but extending the time to 20-30 minutes. 
• If Joule is not circulating at all, or if you are receiving a stuck motor or cooks stopping error, run the vinegar circulation bath for 20-30 minutes. If it still stops while running at 140 °F / 60 °C, change the temperature to Joule's minimum temp (or room temp) of 68 °F / 20 °C and attempt the cleaning cycle again. You can also start by leaving Joule in the vinegar/water solution for about 30 minutes before starting the room temperature cleaning. 
  

WARNING: Do not put Joule in the dishwasher, and do not submerge Joule in water.

If you have any trouble removing the propeller, you can start with a vinegar/water soak and then try the following:

• Removal of the propeller is easiest if it is pulled straight out, which isn't easy with an average fork. The most consistent way we have found to remove the propeller is to stick one of the outside tines of the fork into the hole on the propeller and use the side of the fork as a lever.  This keeps the fork from bending while being gentle on the propeller.
• When attaching the propeller, check to make sure that the flattened part of the motor shaft is lined up with the flattened part of the propeller's hole. Forcing the propeller on when they are not aligned can damage the propeller.

Related articles:

• What is the best way to maintain Joule?
• How do I store Joule?
• How to Properly Clean Your Sous Vide Equipment (SousVideWizard.com).