diff --git a/src/output/dump.cpp b/src/output/dump.cpp
index 5a27ecc2..73b0df99 100644
--- a/src/output/dump.cpp
+++ b/src/output/dump.cpp
@@ -248,7 +248,9 @@ void Dump::WriteString(IdfxFileHandler fileHdl, char *str, int size) {
     }
     offset=offset+size;
   #else
-    fwrite (str, sizeof(char), size, fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite (str, sizeof(char), size, fileHdl) != size) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
   #endif
 }
 
@@ -312,15 +314,23 @@ void Dump::WriteSerial(IdfxFileHandler fileHdl, int ndim, int *dim,
 
   #else
     // Write type of data
-    fwrite(&type, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(&type, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
     // Write dimensions of array
-    fwrite(&ndim, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(&ndim, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
     for(int n = 0 ; n < ndim ; n++) {
-      fwrite(dim+n, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+      if(fwrite(dim+n, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+        IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+      }
       ntot = ntot * dim[n];
     }
     // Write raw data
-    fwrite(data, ntot, size, fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(data, size, ntot, fileHdl) != ntot) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
   #endif
 }
 
@@ -384,18 +394,26 @@ void Dump::WriteDistributed(IdfxFileHandler fileHdl, int ndim, int *dim, int *gd
   #else
     // Write type of data
 
-    fwrite(&type, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(&type, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
 
     // Write dimensions of array
     // (in serial, dim and gdim are identical, so no need to differentiate)
-    fwrite(&ndim, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(&ndim, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
     for(int n = 0 ; n < ndim ; n++) {
-      fwrite(dim+n, 1, sizeof(int), fileHdl);
+      if(fwrite(dim+n, sizeof(int), 1, fileHdl) != 1) {
+        IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+      }
       ntot = ntot * dim[n];
     }
 
     // Write raw data
-    fwrite(data, ntot, sizeof(real), fileHdl);
+    if(fwrite(data, sizeof(real), ntot, fileHdl) != ntot) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
   #endif
 }
 
@@ -836,6 +854,12 @@ int Dump::Write(Output& output) {
   this->offset = 0;
 #else
   fileHdl = fopen(filename.c_str(),"wb");
+  if(fileHdl == NULL) {
+    std::stringstream msg;
+    msg << "Unable to open file " << filename << std::endl;
+    msg << "Check that you have write access and that you don't exceed your quota." << std::endl;
+    IDEFIX_ERROR(msg);
+  }
 #endif
   // File is open
   // First thing we need are coordinates: init a host mirror and sync it
diff --git a/src/output/vtk.cpp b/src/output/vtk.cpp
index 13b47d30..0f52f37c 100644
--- a/src/output/vtk.cpp
+++ b/src/output/vtk.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ void Vtk::WriteHeaderNodes(IdfxFileHandler fvtk) {
                                    MPI_FLOAT, MPI_STATUS_IGNORE));
   this->offset += sizeof(float)*(nx1+ioffset)*(nx2+joffset)*(nx3+koffset)*3;
 #else
-  fwrite(node_coord.data(),sizeof(float),size,fvtk);
+  if(fwrite(node_coord.data(),sizeof(float),size,fvtk) != size) {
+    IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+  }
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -290,6 +292,13 @@ int Vtk::Write() {
   this->offset = 0;
 #else
   fileHdl = fopen(filename.c_str(),"wb");
+
+  if(fileHdl == NULL) {
+    std::stringstream msg;
+    msg << "Unable to open file " << filename << std::endl;
+    msg << "Check that you have write access and that you don't exceed your quota." << std::endl;
+    IDEFIX_ERROR(msg);
+  }
 #endif
 
   WriteHeader(fileHdl, this->data->t);
@@ -502,6 +511,8 @@ void Vtk::WriteScalar(IdfxFileHandler fvtk, float* Vin,  const std::string &var_
 
   this->offset = this->offset + sizeof(float)*nx1*nx2*nx3;
 #else
-  fwrite(Vin,sizeof(float),nx1loc*nx2loc*nx3loc,fvtk);
+  if(fwrite(Vin,sizeof(float),nx1loc*nx2loc*nx3loc,fvtk) != nx1loc*nx2loc*nx3loc) {
+    IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+  }
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/src/output/vtk.hpp b/src/output/vtk.hpp
index c33e0d05..dcda3618 100644
--- a/src/output/vtk.hpp
+++ b/src/output/vtk.hpp
@@ -75,7 +75,10 @@ class BaseVtk {
     }
     offset=offset+strlen(header);
   #else
-    fprintf (fvtk, "%s", header);
+    int rc = fprintf (fvtk, "%s", header);
+    if(rc<0) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
   #endif
   }
 
@@ -90,7 +93,9 @@ class BaseVtk {
     }
     offset=offset+nelem*sizeof(T);
   #else
-    fwrite(buffer, sizeof(T), nelem, fvtk);
+    if(fwrite(buffer, sizeof(T), nelem, fvtk) != nelem) {
+      IDEFIX_ERROR("Unable to write to file. Check your filesystem permissions and disk quota.");
+    }
   #endif
   }
 };