I store my 6-rack in an outdoor plastic shed on the patio. Pulled it out and set it up this morning. Plugged it up and it immediately started throwing E1. Checked all the cabling and everything was OK. It's pretty chilly this morning, so I thought that the thermal sensor might just be too cold to pass the continuity test that the unit does at startup. Solved it by filling the catch pan with hot water and letting it preheat the box a little. Let it stand about 5 minutes and it started right up.
Thanks Takem01 Worked for me, today in Michigan it was 14F, put a pot of boiling water in the smoker, let it sit for 15mins and the E1 error code was gone. Also had no issues bringing the smoker up to temp with the pan of boiling water.