Daikin Air Conditioning Troubleshooting Guide | Faults Explained

Daikin is one of the leading air conditioning brands in Australia, providing a range of high-quality ducted and split systems across the country. But as with any complicated piece of equipment, things can go wrong, which can leave you scratching your head for answers.

Thankfully, many issues can quickly be identified and fixed. In this Daikin air conditioning troubleshooting guide, you can diagnose the most common problems for your AC unit, and figure out what to do next.

Table of contents

1. Daikin aircon not cold
2. Daikin air conditioning error codes
3. Daikin air conditioner leaking water
4. Daikin AC bad smell
5. Greenlight flashing on Daikin air conditioner
6. Operation stops
7. Daikin AC remote not working and how to reset Daikin AC remote
8. Remote control display is faded
9. Daikin air conditioner not responding to remote control
10. How to reset Daikin air conditioner
11. Why does my Daikin keep turning off?
12. Daikin heat pump troubleshooting
13. Daikin zone controller not working
14. Daikin air conditioner opens and closes
15. Strange Daikin AC noise
16. Why is my air conditioner blowing hot air?
17. How to turn on Daikin air conditioner

Daikin troubleshooting guide

Daikin aircon not cold

If your Daikin air conditioner doesn’t seem to be cooling the room down, there are a few things that you should check:

1. Check that your doors and windows are closed: If your doors and windows are open, the cool air will escape and the AC unit won’t be able to regulate the temperature.
2. Check the settings on your remote: Do you currently have cooling mode running? This is shown as an icicle icon on the remote control. If this is fine, check that the temperature is 24 degrees or lower. If you’ve changed the temperature, wait for at least 10 minutes before re-assessing the problem.
3. Check your air filters: Air filters get clogged quickly, so you should check them once every four weeks at least (especially during summer).

Daikin air conditioning error codes

If your unit is showing an error code, you can identify the issue using Daikin’s error code search.

Daikin air conditioner leaking water

It’s normal for air conditioners to drip water from time to time, but if large amounts of water is leaking from the unit, it can be caused by a couple of things:

1. A blocked air filter
2. A hole or crack in the drain pan

First, try cleaning your air filter. If that doesn’t fix the issue, you’ll need to contact a technician to troubleshoot the problem.

Daikin AC bad smell

If you notice the occasional bad smell coming from the unit after turning it on, it’s likely to be the ozone that is generated by the Streamer air purifying operation. This is perfectly normal, and nothing to worry about.

If your unit is consistently producing a bad smell or smells like it’s burning, turn it off immediately and call an air conditioning technician.

Greenlight flashing on Daikin air conditioner

A green flashing light indicates that the “dust box” needs cleaning, which is the filter. Clean your filter based on the instructions for your unit (they usually just slide out) and the issue should be resolved.

Operation stops

If the unit stops unexpectedly, this may be caused by a voltage overload. Usually, the air conditioner will restart automatically after a few minutes, but if this doesn’t happen, you can try resetting the unit by following the instructions in the “How to reset Daikin air conditioner” section.

Daikin AC remote not working and how to reset daikin AC remote

Your first port of call is to change the batteries. If this doesn’t work, you can try resetting the remote by doing the following:

1. Hold down the on/off button on the remote for two seconds
2. Press the on/off button to turn it on

If this fails, you may need to replace the remote.

Remote control display is faded

This is caused by low batteries. Replace the batteries in your remote to fix this issue.

Daikin air conditioner not responding to remote control

There’s a few things to check here:

1. Change the remote control’s batteries and try again.
2. Reset the remote using the instructions in the “Daikin AC remote not working” section.
3. Reset the system by following the instructions in the “How to reset Daikin air conditioner” section.
4. Check that the air conditioner’s sensor isn’t blocked by anything

How to reset Daikin air conditioner

You can reset your Daikin air conditioner by turning off the switch breaker in your electrical box. Turn this off for a couple of minutes, turn it back on again, and then turn on your air conditioner.

If the unit fails to turn on, you’ll need to contact a professional.

Why does my Daikin keep turning off?

If your Daikin air conditioner keeps turning off and off, it’s called “short cycling.” This can be caused by a number of issues:

• Dirty air filters—you can try cleaning these to see if it fixes the issue.
• Dirty condenser coils—these need to be cleaned by a professional.
• A refrigerant leak—refrigerant can be dangerous when inhaled, so you should call a professional ASAP.

If cleaning the air filters doesn’t do the trick, we recommend calling a technician as soon as possible to reduce the health risk.

Daikin heat pump troubleshooting

Heat pump issues can vary depending on the season. If you’re having issues in summer, you can try to clean the air filter to see if it fixes the problem. The other bigger issues are dirty condenser coils and a potential refrigerant leak, both of which require a technician to fix (especially the refrigerant leak, which can be dangerous).

If you’re having issues in winter, this might be caused by faulty relays, sensors, valves, a damaged outdoor fan, or leaking refrigerant. Again, all of these problems must be addressed by a trained professional as soon as possible.

Daikin zone controller not working

There isn’t much you can do here, unfortunately, aside from contacting a professional to take a look.

Daikin air conditioner opens and closes

If the unit’s louvres open and then close again, there’s a couple of likely culprits:

• You have multiple split systems in different modes—if you have one unit in cooling mode and another in heating mode, the air conditioner may open and close again repeatedly. A multi-split system uses a single refrigeration system, so if you’re running multiple units, they must be in the same mode.
• The filters need to be cleaned—if a green light is flashing at the same time, your filters need to be cleaned.

Strange Daikin AC noise

If the unit is producing an odd noise, turn off the unit and the system’s circuit breaker, then contact a technician.

Why is my air conditioner blowing hot air?

Check out this article on how to fix this issue.

How to turn on Daikin air conditioner

To turn on your Daikin air conditioner, press the on/off button on your remote. If this isn’t working, you can reset the remote by holding the on/off button for two seconds, and then pressing it again afterwards.

If your remote is busted, you can turn the air conditioner on manually by pressing the on/off button on the main unit. If this doesn’t work, you may have a power issue. Check that the circuit breaker is on in your electrical box.

Cover image from Daikin