diff --git a/pysqa/ext/modular.py b/pysqa/ext/modular.py
index 3e7ab94b..95736624 100644
--- a/pysqa/ext/modular.py
+++ b/pysqa/ext/modular.py
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@ def __init__(self, config, directory="~/.queues", execute_command=execute_comman
         }
         for v in self._queue_to_cluster_dict.values():
             if v not in self._config["cluster"]:
-                raise ValueError()
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "The cluster "
+                    + v
+                    + " was not found in the list of clusters "
+                    + str(list(self._config["cluster"].keys()))
+                )
 
     def submit_job(
         self,
diff --git a/pysqa/queueadapter.py b/pysqa/queueadapter.py
index b975de40..f06888a1 100644
--- a/pysqa/queueadapter.py
+++ b/pysqa/queueadapter.py
@@ -69,7 +69,10 @@ def __init__(self, directory="~/.queues", execute_command=execute_command):
             }
             primary_queue = config["cluster_primary"]
         else:
-            raise ValueError
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Neither a queue.yaml file nor a clusters.yaml file were found in "
+                + directory
+            )
         self._adapter = self._queue_dict[primary_queue]
 
     def list_clusters(self):
@@ -321,4 +324,9 @@ def set_queue_adapter(config, directory, execute_command=execute_command):
             config=config, directory=directory, execute_command=execute_command
         )
     else:
-        raise ValueError
+        raise ValueError(
+            "The queue_type "
+            + config["queue_type"]
+            + " is not found in the list of supported queue types "
+            + str(["SGE", "TORQUE", "SLURM", "LSF", "MOAB", "FLUX", "GENT", "REMOTE"])
+        )
diff --git a/pysqa/utils/basic.py b/pysqa/utils/basic.py
index 24932830..78c120d5 100644
--- a/pysqa/utils/basic.py
+++ b/pysqa/utils/basic.py
@@ -70,7 +70,14 @@ def __init__(self, config, directory="~/.queues", execute_command=execute_comman
             class_name = "FluxCommands"
             module_name = "pysqa.wrapper.flux"
         else:
-            raise ValueError()
+            raise ValueError(
+                "The queue_type "
+                + self._config["queue_type"]
+                + " is not found in the list of supported queue types "
+                + str(
+                    ["SGE", "TORQUE", "SLURM", "LSF", "MOAB", "FLUX", "GENT", "REMOTE"]
+                )
+            )
         if self._config["queue_type"] != "REMOTE":
             self._commands = getattr(importlib.import_module(module_name), class_name)()
         self._queues = Queues(self.queue_list)
@@ -391,7 +398,12 @@ def _job_submission_template(
             queue = self._config["queue_primary"]
         self._value_error_if_none(value=command)
         if queue not in self.queue_list:
-            raise ValueError()
+            raise ValueError(
+                "The queue "
+                + queue
+                + " was not found in the list of queues: "
+                + str(self.queue_list)
+            )
         active_queue = self._config["queues"][queue]
         cores, run_time_max, memory_max = self.check_queue_parameters(
             queue=None,