Prusa Error 13822: Heatbreak Thermistor Disconnected
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Prusa error 13822 means the heatbreak thermistor has been read as disconnected and the printer wants the wiring inspected. This sensor does not control the nozzle temperature. It watches the cold side of the heatbreak so the printer can tell when heat is creeping upwards, which is the early sign of a jam forming.
Losing it does not make the printer unsafe in the way a nozzle sensor fault does, but it removes a warning you would rather keep.
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Why there is a sensor there at all
The heatbreak is the deliberate thermal bottleneck between the hot nozzle and the cold extruder. If cooling falters, the temperature at that point rises and filament softens before it should. A sensor there turns a slow, silent failure into a message. Most jams that end in a stripped drive gear start as heat creep.
Disconnected usually means the connector, not the sensor
Thermistors fail open, so a broken wire and an unplugged connector look identical to the board. The print head end is where to start, because that connector moves constantly. Reseat it, then flex the loom while watching the reading: a value that appears and vanishes locates a break far faster than a meter does.
When it follows maintenance
This code very often shows up right after a nozzle change or a hotend rebuild, because the thin sensor lead is easy to pinch, pull or leave half-seated. If you were inside the print head in the last day, that is the first place to look and usually the last.
Measuring it properly
With the printer off and the connector unplugged, a healthy 100 K NTC reads roughly 100 kilohms at room temperature. An open circuit or a reading in megohms means a broken element or a broken wire. Anything close to zero means a short, which reports as a different fault entirely. Background on the types and where each one sits is in 3D printer thermistors.
How it relates to the other print head codes
The nozzle thermistor reading below range is 13208 MINTEMP, which stops the print immediately because it controls heating. This one is advisory by comparison. If the heatbreak genuinely runs hot rather than reading as disconnected, look at the heatsink fan first — a stalled one gives 13828, and the relationship between the parts is set out in the hotend explainer.
The code reads 12822 on MINI, 17822 on XL, 23822 on MK3.5 and 31822 on CORE One.
Prusa Error 13822 FAQ
Can I print with it disconnected?
The printer may allow it, but you lose the early warning for heat creep. Fix it before a long unattended job.
Is this the same sensor that sets my nozzle temperature?
No. That is a separate thermistor in the heater block. This one only monitors the heatbreak.
It appeared right after I changed the nozzle. Coincidence?
Almost certainly not. The sensor lead is routed past the area you were working in and is easy to disturb.
Does a disconnected heatbreak sensor cause clogs?
Not by itself. It removes the warning that a clog is developing, which is why jams that follow tend to arrive without notice.
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