• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

SD Codefree Meters

B

Bryn-Jones

Member
Messages
11
Location
Ashton-Under-Lyne
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Does anyone have problems with their Codefree Meter or am I missing something. I am on my second meter and don't use it very much. The first malfunctioned so I purchased another and now this one has malfunctioned with exactly the same error code. I have only had it for just short of 100 tests. (I know this because of the test strips I have bought). It displays ERR-4 which apparently according to the booklet, a fault with the temperature. I have moved it to the lounge where it is a nice temperature but it is still showing. I am not getting in touch with the maker, its in Korea. If because they are a cheaper meter this is what happens, then I will get a better one but I thought I would post on here to see if anyone else has had any problems with theirs. Thanks in anticipation.
 
Bryn-Jones said:
Does anyone have problems with their Codefree Meter or am I missing something. I am on my second meter and don't use it very much. The first malfunctioned so I purchased another and now this one has malfunctioned with exactly the same error code. I have only had it for just short of 100 tests. (I know this because of the test strips I have bought). It displays ERR-4 which apparently according to the booklet, a fault with the temperature. I have moved it to the lounge where it is a nice temperature but it is still showing. I am not getting in touch with the maker, its in Korea. If because they are a cheaper meter this is what happens, then I will get a better one but I thought I would post on here to see if anyone else has had any problems with theirs. Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

Get in touch with the UK supplier, Home Health. They are very approachable and very accommodating. They should (and probably will) replace your meter. I have never had a problem with this meter. Is it the meter in the wrong temperature, or your strips? Have you left your strips in the plastic tub and with the lid snapped shut at all times? It wasn't kept in a bathroom or kitchen was it?

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
 
I have not had any problems with mine (bought towards the end of January this year). Where did you buy it from? If from Home Health, I have found their customer services to be very helpful so it might be worth seeking advice from them.
 
I had a problem with my first with it eating batteries but bought a second which has been fine..
The only time I get an error message is when my blood droplet isn't big enough to run up the test strip.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Get in touch with the UK supplier, Home Health. They are very approachable and very accommodating. They should (and probably will) replace your meter. I have never had a problem with this meter. Is it the meter in the wrong temperature, or your strips? Have you left your strips in the plastic tub and with the lid snapped shut at all times? It wasn't kept in a bathroom or kitchen was it?

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
Click to expand...
Whoops, I always keep it in the kitchen for convenience, but the kitchen isn't cold. I keep the lid snapped shut always. Looks like I will have to get another, they are only cheap. I'll keep it in the bedroom in future.
 
Bryn-Jones said:
Whoops, I always keep it in the kitchen for convenience, but the kitchen isn't cold. I keep the lid snapped shut always. Looks like I will have to get another, they are only cheap. I'll keep it in the bedroom in future.
Click to expand...

Contact Home Health from their website - it is worth a try.

I only asked about where you keep it because steam and heat will affect it. I keep mine in the bedroom.
 
Most of the time, I find my meter (not a Codefree) has been pretty rugged. However, last winter, I nearly threw it in the bin in disgust.
I had been out mostly walking for about half a day on one of those days when you multiple layers of gloves (at least I do ... it may have something to do with Raynaud's but please don't let that ruin the image I am trying to paint :)) with the wind battering my along the street. Apart from popping into a cafe for a warming hot chocolate (medicinal ... for the Raynaud's, of course), my diabetes kit and I had been outside in the elements for a few hours.
As I was returning home, I thought I could feel a hypo coming on so, after removing my many layers, and getting enough blood to flow to my fingertips, I inserted the strip into my meter. Alas, the meter decreed "ERROR". I tried again and was met with the same response. My meter was broken and I was feeling the same way. A couple of dextrose got me up the hill but the meter needed more.
Thankfully, I have a spare meter which takes the same test strips. The spare, gobbled up a test strip with glee. No complaint. It sucked up my blood and gave me a reading to tell me I would live to fight another day. But I was less convinced by my primary meter.
It being late on a Saturday evening, I could not call the manufacturers to berate them so I resorted to the next best thing - Google. There I learnt my meter is a sensitive soul: just like my fingers, it has a minimum temperature below which it will refuse to work. As it was warmed by the central heating, it came back to life and has been a happy meter ever since.

The moral of this tale is to be aware there is a lower temperature limit as well as the upper limit you have been discussing.
 
bulkbiker said:
I had a problem with my first with it eating batteries but bought a second which has been fine..
The only time I get an error message is when my blood droplet isn't big enough to run up the test strip.
Click to expand...
That is SOOOO irritating!!
Oh, go on then... surely that's enough.... beep, beep, beep.... B%GGER!!
 
I have had a Code Free for 4 months, since my diagnosis. It lives in my handbag, so usually in the lounge or bedroom. I knew it wouldn't like high temperatures but thank you for your chilly tale @helensaramay, forewarned is forearmed for winter time. :coldfeet:
 
Mr_Pot said:
You could get a TEE2 instead, it uses a smaller blood sample.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for that info. I suffer from Raynauds so at times it can be very difficult to squeeze out enough blood. This morning I tried to do a fasting test straight out of bed and had to give up. So obviously a machine that requires a larger sample would be a disaster for me, even though I'm attracted by the idea of cheaper Code Free strips if one buys in bulk. So far I have had no problem with my TEE2 despite living in a rather cold house.

However I am not impressed by the 2 free lancet guns I have been given by TEE2. The first had a very weak spring that gave up working at all very soon, and the replacement is not much better, going downhill fast. Please can anyone suggest one that will work well and go on working?
 
Last edited:
helensaramay said:
Most of the time, I find my meter (not a Codefree) has been pretty rugged. However, last winter, I nearly threw it in the bin in disgust.
I had been out mostly walking for about half a day on one of those days when you multiple layers of gloves (at least I do ... it may have something to do with Raynaud's but please don't let that ruin the image I am trying to paint :)) with the wind battering my along the street. Apart from popping into a cafe for a warming hot chocolate (medicinal ... for the Raynaud's, of course), my diabetes kit and I had been outside in the elements for a few hours.
As I was returning home, I thought I could feel a hypo coming on so, after removing my many layers, and getting enough blood to flow to my fingertips, I inserted the strip into my meter. Alas, the meter decreed "ERROR". I tried again and was met with the same response. My meter was broken and I was feeling the same way. A couple of dextrose got me up the hill but the meter needed more.
Thankfully, I have a spare meter which takes the same test strips. The spare, gobbled up a test strip with glee. No complaint. It sucked up my blood and gave me a reading to tell me I would live to fight another day. But I was less convinced by my primary meter.
It being late on a Saturday evening, I could not call the manufacturers to berate them so I resorted to the next best thing - Google. There I learnt my meter is a sensitive soul: just like my fingers, it has a minimum temperature below which it will refuse to work. As it was warmed by the central heating, it came back to life and has been a happy meter ever since.

The moral of this tale is to be aware there is a lower temperature limit as well as the upper limit you have been discussing.
Click to expand...
From what I remember from the leaflet, the meter is more tolerant of temperature than the strips that go into it (strips go +2C to 32 C only)

The meter goes
If the environmental temperature is above or below the operating range of a meter, a thermometer icon will appear on the display. Move to an area between 10-45°C (50-113°F), wait for 30 minutes, and perform a test. Do not artificially heat or cool the meter.
 
Last edited:
Mr_Pot said:
Does this use the same lancets as the ones supplied with the TEE2 and the SD Codefree?
Click to expand...
You can you use any pricking device with any meter. So if you have an old pricking device and spare lancets, you can use it. All you're doing is making a sterile hole in your fingertip.
 
Alexandra100 said:
However I am not inpressed by the 2 free lancet guns I have been given by TEE2. The first had a very weak spring that gave up working at all very soon, and the replacement is not much better, going downhill fast. Please can anyone suggest one that will work well and go on working?
Click to expand...

You can use any lancet pen you like. The best and easiest is the AccuChek Fastclix. You don't handle the lancets at all. They live inside a small drum that is inserted in the pen. Each drum has 6 lancets. You just change the drum when they are all used.
 
A few people have had the ERR-4 problem; Home Health seem to replace these without much questioning.
 
Back
Top