Douglas Machines Pot and Pan Washer Error: PGM LED 6 Flashes
Six flashes of the PGM light, then a pause, mean someone tried to start a Fill or Teach Fill cycle when the water was already at the level probe. The board will not fill a tank that is already full. Start a new cycle to clear the code, and call us if it returns on an empty tank.
Low: an operator mistake or a dirty probe, cleared by starting a new cycle.
- Code
- PGM LED 6 flashes
- Maker
- Douglas Machines
- Equipment
- Pot & pan washers
- Applies to
- 1827 PC board (in use since 1999; PGM LED blink count, pause 3 s)
What does Douglas Machines PGM LED 6 flashes mean?
This is the gentlest message on the 1827 board. A Fill or Teach Fill cycle exists to bring the tank up to its level, so the board checks first whether the water is already there. If the level probe already sees water when such a cycle is requested, the board refuses and flashes the PGM light six times. It would be pointless, and in a Teach cycle it would record a wrong level. The maker says the code clears by starting a new cycle, so nothing is broken in the usual case. The reasons on the maker's list are ordinary: a fill was started on a tank that already has water, water was left in the tank from the last cycle, a level probe that shows wet, or a float switch that is stuck. Only the last two are repairs. If the tank is plainly empty and six flashes still appear, the probe is probably coated with grease or scale and is telling the board the tank is full, which is the opposite of what a dirty probe does in the one-flash case. Cleaning the probe and float switch, as the daily routine already requires, is the answer.
Affected models and control systems
Douglas door-type pot, pan and utensil washers with the 1827 PC board in use since 1999.
Code numbers and their meaning can change between control generations. We match the full model and control before acting on a code.
What you may notice
- The PGM light flashes six times, pauses, and repeats
- Nothing fills when the Fill button is pressed
- The tank already holds water
- The code appears with an empty tank
Possible causes
Listed in Douglas Machines's documentation
- Fill started on a tank that already holds water
- Water left in the tank from the last cycle
- Level probe reading wet
- Float switch stuck
Other likely causes — what usually sits behind PGM LED 6 flashes on this control. A technician confirms which one it is before any part is replaced.
- A probe bridged by a drop of detergent paste so it reads wet in an empty tank
- A float switch held up by dried residue after the machine sat overnight
Safe checks before calling for service
- Count six flashes with the pause between groups.
- Check whether the tank already holds water.
- Start a new cycle, which clears the code, as the maker says.
- If six flashes return when the tank is clearly empty, call us. The level probe may need cleaning.
- Tell us whether the tank was full or empty.
How a technician diagnoses PGM LED 6 flashes
- Confirm six flashes and check the real tank level.
- Clear the code by starting a new cycle.
- If the tank is empty, clean the probe and free the float switch.
- Check whether the board reads the probe as wet in an empty tank.
- Test the probe wiring for leakage to ground.
- Replace the probe or switch if it still reads wet, then run a fill.
- Testing a probe that reads wet in an empty tank needs a meter and the board connected.
- Probe wiring is behind panels on a wet machine.
- A coated float switch must be cleaned and checked, which is quick for a technician but near the tank.
How PGM LED 6 flashes differs from similar codes
One flash on the same board is a fill that never reached the probe; six flashes is a fill requested when the probe already sees water.
Technical reference
- Document
- Douglas Machines Troubleshooting Guide (2024 edition), Troubleshooting (1827 board) p.14-15
- Edition
- 2024 edition
- Models / control
- 1827 PC board (in use since 1999; PGM LED blink count, pause 3 s)
- Section
- Troubleshooting - Error Code Value Table (PGM LED) printed pp. 14-15; Touch Pad Error Code Value Table printed p. 26
- Checked
- October 2026
We use the maker's document to read the code and do not reproduce it. Always confirm the complete model and control before applying these steps.
Related Douglas Machines pot & pan washer error codes
Do I need a repair for six flashes?
Usually not. The maker says it clears when a new cycle is started.
Why would an empty tank show it?
A coated probe or a stuck float switch can read wet when it is dry.
Is this the opposite of one flash?
Yes. One flash means the water never arrived; six means it was already there.
Need help with Douglas Machines PGM LED 6 flashes?
A technician confirms the cause on site and gives you the price in writing before any work starts.