Why there's no code list here
Codes differ between brands, and can differ between models from the same brand, so a list written for someone else's unit can send you the wrong way. The manual for your own model is the one that counts.
Some of the detail isn't public at all. Mitsubishi Electric NZ says its technical and service manuals need a reseller login, so the deeper fault-finding information sits with the installers and service agents who work on its units.
What to do when a code appears
Write down exactly what you see
The letters and numbers, or which light is blinking and how many times. Samsung NZ says a blinking light on the indoor unit can signal an error, just like a code. Note the time, the mode it was in and the weather too.
Find the model and serial number
Mitsubishi Electric NZ asks owners to find these on the label on the indoor unit. Most brands' manuals and support pages are organised by model number, so you'll need it either way.
Look the code up in your user manual
Lost the paper copy? Most brands put their NZ manuals online. The list below shows where.
Try one power reset
Samsung NZ suggests a power reset as the first step. Turn the heat pump off at the remote, then at its isolating switch or the switchboard, leave it a few minutes and switch it back on.
If the code comes back, stop
Don't keep resetting a fault. Leave the heat pump off, then call the business that installed it or a repair specialist, and give them the code, the model number and what you noticed.
Don't open it up to look
An error code is a reason to call someone, not to take covers off. Behind them are live electrical parts and the sealed refrigerant circuit. Only a registered and licensed electrical worker should work on the wiring, and refrigerant work is for a trained heat pump technician.
Where brands keep their NZ manuals and support
- Mitsubishi Electric: user manuals at mitsubishi-electric.co.nz/manuals.aspx. Technical and service manuals need a reseller login.
- LG: manuals by model number on LG's NZ site, under Product Support, Manuals and Software.
- Samsung: user manuals at samsung.com/nz/support/user-manuals-and-guide. For error codes, Samsung NZ says to note the code and contact Samsung Support.
- Haier: user guides at haier.co.nz/resources, with troubleshooting at support.haier.co.nz.
- Rinnai: downloads at rinnai.co.nz/after-sales/downloads.
- Hitachi: downloads at hitachiaircon.com/nz/resources.
- Gree: warranty service requests are lodged online at warranty.greeac.co.nz.
- Midea: its NZ support page lets you raise a warranty claim online, but listed no manual downloads when it was checked.
- Any other brand: try the brand's own New Zealand site, or ask the business that installed it.
Before you call: the checks brands ask for
MHIAA, the distributor for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, tells owners to read the Troubleshooting and Notice sections of the user's manual, and to check the filters, drains, remote batteries and power before making a warranty claim. It's a sensible list whatever the brand.
Running through it can also save you a call-out for something you could have sorted in five minutes, like a remote with flat batteries. If the filters need it, our heat pump cleaning page covers what an owner can safely do.
Who to call, and what to have ready
Start with the business that installed it, especially inside the warranty period. Hitachi NZ, for example, directs repairs and warranty claims to the business that sold and installed the unit first, then to Temperzone Customer Care.
Have the paperwork handy. Rinnai NZ says a warranty claim may be invalid without the details of the Rinnai NZ accredited installer, and it needs proof of purchase and the installation date. Haier asks owners to record the model and serial numbers and their installer's licensing details, and to have service records ready for the technician.
Out of warranty, a heat pump repair specialist who works on your brand regularly is the right call. Your Consumer Guarantees Act rights don't stop when the warranty does, either: a product must be durable and last a reasonable time.
Leave it off and call someone if
- The same code comes back after one reset.
- A code shows up along with a burning smell, a tripped breaker or water near the wiring.
- The indoor unit's light keeps blinking and the heat pump won't run at all.
- A code appears after a power cut or a storm, and a reset doesn't clear it.
What you can do, and what's for a technician
You can
- Writing down the code, or the blink pattern.
- Finding the model and serial number on the indoor unit's label.
- Looking the code up in your user manual.
- One power reset at the remote and the isolating switch.
- Cleaning the filters and checking the remote's batteries.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Working out what the code points to, using service information owners can't get.
- Replacing sensors, fans, boards or other parts.
- Any electrical repair.
- Refrigerant leaks and repairs.
What we'd do
If it were our heat pump
We'd photograph the code and the indoor unit's label, check the manual, clean the filters and try one reset. If the code came back, we'd leave the unit off and ring the installer first, because within the warranty period some brands want their own people involved. Out of warranty, we'd go to a repair specialist who works on that brand, with the code, the model number and a note of when it happened.