Safe checks first
- Read the display first. Any letters/numbers showing? That code is the diagnosis - look it up in the error-code library. Remember several displays are status, not faults (DF defrost, CL self-clean, AP pairing, FP room-freeze protection).
- Count the flashes. Display-less or timer-LED units flash in repeating groups (e.g., a timer lamp flashing in sets). Count a full cycle - that count maps to a code table in your model's service manual, linked from its page in our database.
- Power cycle once. Breaker off five minutes. A transient (voltage dip, communication hiccup) clears and stays cleared. A real fault re-blinks - now you know it's persistent, which is exactly what the technician needs to hear.
- Note what it was doing. Blinking that starts during heavy heating (defrost-related), at startup (communication), or after a storm (voltage) narrows the table meaningfully.
Beyond the safe checks (technician scope)
Persistent codes map to sensors, boards, fan drives, or refrigerant protections - all meter-and-manual diagnosis. Bring the technician the code or flash count and when it happens; it can halve the visit.