What does Kaeser alarm 0001 A (direction of rotation) mean?
Short answer: Motor turning the wrong direction. If your Kaeser Sigma Control 2 is showing 0001 A — Direction of rotation, the controller has logged a specific, documented condition. This page covers what it means, what causes it, what you can safely fix yourself, and when — and why — it takes a technician.
What exactly is the machine telling you?
The compressor motor is rotating in the wrong direction, usually after electrical work swapped supply phases. The documented remedy is reversing supply lines L1 and L2.
Which machines show this?
the wide range of current-generation Kaeser rotary screw compressors — ASD, BSD, CSD, DSD, ESD and related series — built since roughly 2011 with the Sigma Control 2, the industrial-PC controller with a text display and RFID access. It reports faults as a four-digit number plus a letter: 'A' messages are alarms that shut the machine down, 'W' messages are warnings or service reminders it keeps running through, with arrows marking whether the value went over or under its limit — so 0015 A is the airend-overheat shutdown while 0013 W just asks for an air filter. Practical tip: the same subsystem often has a W and an A code (0004 W before 0022 A on the separator); acting on the W message is how you avoid the A shutdown.
What causes it?
- Supply phases swapped during recent electrical work — the near-universal cause
- Motor rotating the wrong direction; the remedy is reversing supply lines L1 and L2
Can you fix it yourself?
No — do not keep trying to run it. The only in-house contribution is confirming what electrical work just happened.
Step by step — what to try, in order:
- Do not keep trying to run the machine.
- Note whether the building or the machine recently had electrical work — that is almost always the cause.
When do you need a technician — and why?
The phase swap is incoming-power work at line voltage, done and verified by a qualified electrician or Kaeser service — and reverse rotation destroys screw airends fast.
If it does come to a service call and you're in Nashville, TN or Birmingham, AL, we maintain independently compiled lists of local companies that service industrial air compressors — real businesses with verified contact information, none of whom paid to be listed.
Related questions
What does 0001 A — Direction of rotation mean on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2?
Motor turning the wrong direction. The compressor motor is rotating in the wrong direction, usually after electrical work swapped supply phases. The documented remedy is reversing supply lines L1 and L2.
Can I fix 0001 A — Direction of rotation on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2 myself?
No — do not keep trying to run it. The only in-house contribution is confirming what electrical work just happened.
When does 0001 A — Direction of rotation on a Kaeser Sigma Control 2 need a technician?
The phase swap is incoming-power work at line voltage, done and verified by a qualified electrician or Kaeser service — and reverse rotation destroys screw airends fast. Call a qualified electrician or Kaeser service to swap the phases — this is incoming-power work, not an operator task.
Verified against service documentation: Kaeser Sigma Control 2 documentation for 0001 A — Direction of rotation (airsolcan.com)