York Aircon Blinking Light: What It Means and What to Do
York's published lamp table covers the P Series ductless family, where the indoor running, cooling or heating lamp and the outdoor lamps count out a fault code. Singapore's YHFF R32 high-wall units carry an FC filter reminder rather than a service blink table. Match your model to the right table.
By Team Snowflake | Updated 15 Sept 2026
What each York lamp does
P Series indoor units name the reporting lamp in the fault table: running, cooling or heating. The outdoor unit has its own set of lamps visible through the panel. Lamp colours and positions vary by model, so confirm yours before counting.
| Lamp | Where | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Running lamp | Indoor panel | E-series faults and some H-series rows |
| Cooling lamp | Indoor panel | F-series sensor faults |
| Heating lamp | Indoor panel | H-series compressor and defrost rows |
| Red lamp | Outdoor unit | Outdoor protection and sensor faults |
| Yellow lamp | Outdoor unit | Outdoor faults and protections |
| Green lamp | Outdoor unit | Communication state; unlit when the link fails |
| Display (YHFF R32) | Indoor panel | FC filter reminder; no service blink table |
- Lamp
- Running lamp
- Where
- Indoor panel
- What it counts
- E-series faults and some H-series rows
- Lamp
- Cooling lamp
- Where
- Indoor panel
- What it counts
- F-series sensor faults
- Lamp
- Heating lamp
- Where
- Indoor panel
- What it counts
- H-series compressor and defrost rows
- Lamp
- Red lamp
- Where
- Outdoor unit
- What it counts
- Outdoor protection and sensor faults
- Lamp
- Yellow lamp
- Where
- Outdoor unit
- What it counts
- Outdoor faults and protections
- Lamp
- Green lamp
- Where
- Outdoor unit
- What it counts
- Communication state; unlit when the link fails
- Lamp
- Display (YHFF R32)
- Where
- Indoor panel
- What it counts
- FC filter reminder; no service blink table
Normal York lamp states and protective stops
H1 is defrosting and Fo is gathering refrigerant, both normal operating states. FC is a filter reminder, not a fault.
Protective stops are different. E2 is anti-freezing protection and H3 is compressor overload protection. The unit stopped to protect the compressor rather than to report a failed part.
A protective pause can follow power restoration while the system settles. Watch the lamps during that window, because the count still records the fault.
York blink patterns and the codes behind them
Read the indoor lamp first, then use the outdoor lamp to confirm. The table lists the common P Series rows. The York error code list holds a page for each fault code above, and the P Series technical guide carries the full lamp table.
| Indoor lamp | Outdoor lamp | Code and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Running 2 blinks | Yellow 3 blinks | E2 anti-freezing protection |
| Running 3 blinks | Red 9 blinks | E3 refrigerant block or low pressure |
| Running 4 blinks | Yellow 7 blinks | E4 compressor exhaust high temperature |
| Running 6 blinks | Green off | E6 indoor-outdoor communication failure |
| Cooling 1 blink | None | F1 indoor ambient sensor open or short |
| Cooling 2 blinks | None | F2 indoor tube sensor open or short |
| Cooling 3 blinks | Red 6 blinks | F3 outdoor ambient sensor open or short |
| Heating 1 blink | Yellow 2 blinks | H1 defrosting, a normal state |
| Running 11 blinks | None | H6 no feedback from the indoor fan motor |
| Running 23 blinks | Red 14 blinks | L3 outdoor DC fan motor malfunction |
| Display | None | FC filter reminder, maintenance only |
- Indoor lamp
- Running 2 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Yellow 3 blinks
- Code and meaning
- E2 anti-freezing protection
- Indoor lamp
- Running 3 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Red 9 blinks
- Code and meaning
- E3 refrigerant block or low pressure
- Indoor lamp
- Running 4 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Yellow 7 blinks
- Code and meaning
- E4 compressor exhaust high temperature
- Indoor lamp
- Running 6 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Green off
- Code and meaning
- E6 indoor-outdoor communication failure
- Indoor lamp
- Cooling 1 blink
- Outdoor lamp
- None
- Code and meaning
- F1 indoor ambient sensor open or short
- Indoor lamp
- Cooling 2 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- None
- Code and meaning
- F2 indoor tube sensor open or short
- Indoor lamp
- Cooling 3 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Red 6 blinks
- Code and meaning
- F3 outdoor ambient sensor open or short
- Indoor lamp
- Heating 1 blink
- Outdoor lamp
- Yellow 2 blinks
- Code and meaning
- H1 defrosting, a normal state
- Indoor lamp
- Running 11 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- None
- Code and meaning
- H6 no feedback from the indoor fan motor
- Indoor lamp
- Running 23 blinks
- Outdoor lamp
- Red 14 blinks
- Code and meaning
- L3 outdoor DC fan motor malfunction
- Indoor lamp
- Display
- Outdoor lamp
- None
- Code and meaning
- FC filter reminder, maintenance only
How to read a York fault code from the blink count
Watch the lamp named in the table and count the blinks in one full repeat, then confirm over a second repeat. Counting a single burst is the usual source of a wrong code. On a multi-head system, read each indoor lamp separately.
The P Series table covers the ductless models in its own guide. For a Singapore YHFF R32 high-wall unit, the official manual documents the FC filter reminder only, so confirm the model sticker and use York support beyond that.
The outdoor lamp confirms the indoor reading in most rows. A green outdoor lamp that stays off usually means the communication link has failed.
York systems with more than one indoor unit
On a multi-split or Mini VRF system, alarms can appear on the outdoor board or wired controller as numeric codes instead of lamp counts. Check each indoor unit in turn as well.
If every unit stops together, the likely source is the outdoor plant or the line that links the heads. If one unit shows a fault while the others run, the fault sits at that unit.
Send the number of affected units first. It decides whether the visit covers one head or the shared outdoor plant.
Common questions
Which York table applies to my unit?
What does FC mean on a York high-wall display?
Does every blink on a York unit mean a fault?
How many blinks before naming a York code?
Sources
- York Singapore residential equipment
York (Johnson Controls) · Checked
Singapore YHFF R32 high-wall range and its FC filter reminder row.
- York P Series 9K-12K 115V Technical Guide
York (Johnson Controls) · Checked
P Series 9K-12K indoor and outdoor lamp blink table.
Describe your situation
Tell us what’s going on. Symptoms, setup, photos, anything we should know. We’ll assess and come back with the right next step.