The short answer
A blinking green light on a Daikin ductless mini split in Northern Virginia means the unit shut itself down to protect something: a safety device, a temperature sensor, or lost contact with the outdoor unit. Turn it off at the breaker, wait a minute, turn it back on and restart it from the remote. If the green light starts blinking again, the remote can read you the code, and that tells a tech where to start. The visit starts with a $99 diagnostic.
What the lights mean
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| The light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green, steady | Running normally |
| Green, one quick flash | It got a signal from the remote. Normal. |
| Green, blinking | It stopped itself: a protection device, a sensor or a signal problem |
| Orange or yellow | The timer is set |
| Off | Off, or no power |
From the FTX owner’s manual. Some models put the lamps in slightly different spots, but green is always the operation lamp.
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What to do, in order
- Turn it off at the breaker. Wait about a minute, turn the breaker back on, and start it with the remote. That’s Daikin’s own first step.
- Wait. After power comes back it can take about 3 minutes to start. In heat, a few more minutes before warm air comes out.
- If it blinks again, read the code. Hold TIMER CANCEL on the remote until 00 blinks, then press it until you hear a long beep. Every code is in our Daikin mini split error codes list.
- Call with the code. It saves the tech a step and you a second visit.
Things that look like trouble and aren’t
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| What you see or hear | What’s going on |
|---|---|
| It doesn’t start for about 3 minutes | Protecting the compressor after a stop |
| It restarts by itself after an outage | Auto restart, about 3 minutes after power returns |
| No warm air for a few minutes in heat | The coil warming up so it doesn’t blow cold |
| Heat stops, hissing, steam or water outside | Defrost, a few minutes up to about 12 |
| The outdoor fan runs after the unit stops | Clearing heat, about a minute |
| The airflow drops | It reached your set temperature |
Defrost is the one people call about most. If the outdoor unit is a block of ice, not just frosty, that’s a different problem, in our iced heat pump guide. Cold air that lasts past the warm-up is in our mini split not heating guide, and which clicks and hums are normal is in our mini split noise guide.
When the weather is the reason
Daikin rates most of its wall units to cool when it’s 50 to 115 degrees outside and to heat down to 5 degrees. The cold climate RXL outdoor units heat down to minus 13. A Northern Virginia cold snap under those numbers can stop a unit that isn’t broken. Our heat pumps in winter guide covers what to expect.
What you can check yourself
- The filters. Daikin says every 2 weeks. Pop the front panel, slide them out, rinse them, let them dry.
- The outdoor unit. Snow, ice, leaves, a cover left on from last season.
- The remote. Two fresh AAA batteries; nothing blocking the receiver.
- After a lightning storm, turn the breaker off and back on. Daikin says to.
Daikin tells owners not to repair or modify the unit themselves, and that’s right: the panels hide high voltage that stays live after the unit stops.
When to stop and call
- The breaker, fuse or GFCI keeps tripping.
- You smell something burning.
- Water is dripping from the indoor unit.
And call if the blinking comes back after the breaker reset, or the code is a U, E, H or L code.
What a tech does on the visit
The tech reads the code, checks the voltage and the wiring between the units, the sensors and the refrigerant pressures, and gives you the price in writing before any work starts. Most blinking light calls come down to airflow, power or a sensor. If an older system needs a compressor or a board, a new one-zone system is $7,000 to $10,000. From about $117 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit.
We fix Daikin systems across Northern Virginia, in Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, Herndon, Chantilly, Fairfax, Arlington and Manassas, ducted and ductless.
More Daikin: Daikin mini split error codes; Daikin One thermostat alerts; the Daikin One Touch thermostat; Daikin mini split troubleshooting. Daikin owns Goodman and Amana, so their furnace codes are in our Goodman furnace codes chart, and other brands are in our error codes and warning lights guide.
Get it fixed
Call (703) 997-9757 and we’ll get a tech out to look at your Daikin mini split. We answer day or night. Rather book online? Pick a time here and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. A repair visit starts with our $99 diagnostic, and you get the price in writing before any work starts. Already have a quote? We’ll give you a free second opinion. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Why is my Daikin mini split blinking green?
It stopped itself to protect something: a safety device tripped, a sensor read wrong, or it lost contact with the outdoor unit. Reset it at the breaker, and if it blinks again, read the code on the remote.
How do I reset a Daikin mini split with a blinking light?
Turn the breaker off, wait about a minute, turn it back on and restart from the remote. Give it about 3 minutes to start.
Is it normal for my Daikin to stop heating in winter?
For a few minutes, yes. That’s defrost, and you may see steam outside. A unit that stays off, or an outdoor unit buried in ice, needs a look.
Why does my Daikin blink once when I press the remote?
That’s normal. One quick flash means it got the signal.
