If you've got a LARQ bottle and the cap is showing a red light this is not a good sign. But what exactly does it mean and what can you do about it?
The LARQ used UV-C lights to self clean and sterilize the water in your bottle. But sometimes the lid can break or malfunction and show and red light.
A red light on the LARQ bottle lid indicated that the UV-C light is not working and there has been some sort of terminal failure. Unfortunately there is no known way to fix this, you must contact LARQ customer service and make a warranty claim.
The red light could be caused by a variety of things but impact damage is a common cause. If you've recently dropped or bumped your bottle with significant force this could cause the red light to appear.
Some reviewers say that even dropping the bottle from a small height can cause the red ring to appear.
Exposure to extremes conditions like the inside of a dishwasher or sauna or if you've put your LARQ in the microwave then this could also cause a malfunction. Or the bottle could just malfunction on it's own with no known cause.
What Does a Red Light on my LARQ bottle mean?
If you notice that the lid of your LARQ bottle is emitting a red LED light this means there has been some sort of terminal failure and the lid is no longer working (see LARQ's FAQ).
This means that something has because faulty or broken with the UV-C light in the lid that cleans and purifies the bottle and water.
LARQ state on their FAQ page:
RED/PURPLE LIGHT
Oh no! Something is wrong. Please complete the Warranty Claims Form, and our Customer Experience team will have you drinking brilliantly again in no time!
I personally reached out to the LARQ customer service team about both the red light and the LARQ purple light (which seems to mean the exact same thing).
They said:
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for reaching out to us. The purple light LED indicator is designed to turn on if there is a malfunction, after this is triggered we are unable to fix it remotely and the customer would need to contact us for assistance.
This lid will not contaminate the bottle, the purple light is an indication that the UV cleaning cycle will no longer work. We would recommend contacting our team for further details should this issue arise.
Hope this helps!
Drink brilliantly,
Marissa
I then asked them if the red and purple light were different or meant different things. They wrote back and said:
Hi Ryan,
Great question! In either case, red or purple light, you would need to contact customer service for assistance. Both indicate that the cap may be malfunctioning.
Drink brilliantly,
Marissa
It's pure speculation on my part but I can't imagine that both red and purple lights mean identical things.
My guess is that to the technical support team red and purple lights indicate different internal issues. Once could mean water damage while another means impact damage or something else.
Regardless, what you need to do with a red or purple light is identical.
What Do You Do If You See a Red Light on Your LARQ Bottle?
If you see a red light on your LARQ bottle then you need to contact LARQ customer service and submit a warranty claim to (hopefully) get a replacement lid.
However, depending on the circumstances, the age of the bottle, and other factors, they may or may not replace the bottle.
LARQ customer support has confirmed that the lid won't contaminate your water and thus the bottle is still safe to use. However, if you see a red light the bottle will no longer be self cleaning and will unable to sterilize any water.
This means you can still use your bottle but you can only use it with water who's quality you are confident in. No drinking from questionable water sources and trusting the LARQ to sterilize the water for you.
The lack of self cleaning will also mean your LARQ bottle can start to smell if you don't wash it.
This is one of the downsides of UV water sterilization. If there is no battery power or a machine malfunction then you can't sterilize water anymore. This is something that doesn't happen when boiling water or using chemical sterilizers.
What Do the Other Larq Ring Colors Mean?
The LARQ doesn't have a screen on connected app to tell you what's happening with the bottle so it relies of a variety of different colored lights to tell you what's happening with your bottle. See the full guide to all LARQ bottle lights.
Different colors represent different modes or issues. A “breathing” green light means it's charging. When the light stops “breathing” and is solid green, it's fully charged.
The cleaning mode is a “breathing” sky blue light, while adventure cleaning is a pulsing blue light.
To prevent the bacteria-killing UVC light from coming on when the lid isn't on the bottle, a safety mode is shown with a pulsing orange light.
When you see the yellow ring, it means the battery is low and must be charged.
And of course, the red light (or purple) means there is a failure within the bottle. It's broken or malfunctioning and will no longer clean your water.
