Frigidaire affinity dryers can communicate a fault by displaying an error code or flashing lights. Our focus today, however, is on Frigidaire affinity dryer blinking lights, and we will look at their triggers and troubleshooting.
A Frigidaire affinity dryer blinks lights due to different reasons such as an open door, clogged vent or lint filter, overheated motor, malfunctioning moisture sensor, or a defective thermistor, hi-li thermostat, cycling thermostat, or main control board.
Note, however, that the behavior of the dryer when blinking the lights determines what’s likely to be the cause. Therefore, I’ll discuss the blinking lights in five categories for quick troubleshooting.
So, let’s dive in!
In a hurry? Below is a quick troubleshooting guide for your Frigidaire Affinity dryer when it starts blinking its lights
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Troubleshooting Lights Flashing
| – | Problem | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
| 1. | Cycle Status Lights Blinking | An open door or clogged lint filter | Shut the dryer door firmly and clean the lint filter if it’s filthy |
| 2. | 3 Blinking Lights | Faulty thermistor, hi-li thermostat, or main control board | Replace the thermistor or hi-limit thermostat if any of them lacks continuity, and replace the main control board as a last resort |
| 3. | Blinking Lights No Heat | Clogged vent or lint filter, burnt heating element, or a defective thermistor, hi-limit thermostat, or cycling thermostat | Clean the dryer vent and lint filter and replace a burnt heating element or a defective thermistor, hi-limit thermostat, or cycling thermostat. |
| 4. | Dry Stops Mid-Cycle and Blink Lights | An overheated motor or a malfunctioning thermistor | Clean off lint and dust from the motor and replace the thermistor if it lacks electrical continuity |
| 5. | Dryer Shuts Off and Blinks Light | Overheated motor or malfunctioning moisture sensor | Clean the motor and moisture sensor if they are dirt-clogged, and replace the moisture sensor if it lacks electrical continuity |
Why Is My Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Flashing Lights?
Generally, a Frigidaire affinity dryer flashes lights to communicate a fault or malfunction, and it could be due to any of these reasons:
- Opened door
- Clogged dryer vent
- Clogged lint filter
- Overheated motor
- Malfunctioning moisture sensor
- Defective thermistor
- Defective hi-limit thermostat
- Faulty cycling thermostat
- Defective control board
Overall, it’s essential to examine the behavior of the dryer to determine which of the above issues could be responsible for the blinking. Let’s discuss how a Frigidaire affinity dryer may blink its light and accompanying issues.
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Cycle Status Lights Blinking
A Frigidaire affinity dryer will blink the status light for two main reasons. That includes the following:
- Open door – If the door is not well shut, the dryer sensor will see it as a fault and relay the information to the control board, which will, in turn, direct a blinking light signal on the control panel.
- Clogged lint filter – You can expect the Frigidaire affinity dryer to blink the status light when the lint filter is filthy. Usually, the code ‘Clean Lint’ will accompany the blinking.
Fix
If the door is open, consider closing it firmly and starting the dryer. If the door won’t clasp, check if the door latch is broken and replace it if that’s the case.
Meanwhile, ensure you clean the lint filter if it’s dirty, and if the ‘Clean Lint’ error won’t go and the dryer continues flashing, consider resetting it (by plugging it out of the power for about 5 minutes).
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer 3 Blinking Lights
Frigidaire affinity dryers often blink the cool-down, drying, and extended tumble lights on the right side of the control panel due to one of these reasons:
- Faulty thermistor – The thermistor’s job is to monitor the temperature of the burner (for gas dryers) or the heating element (for electric dryers). If it’s faulty, the dryer may blink three lights on the right side of the control panel.
- Faulty hi-li thermostat – The hi-limit thermostat monitors the dryer’s temperature and turns off the burner when the dryer starts to overheat. If it’s defective, the dryer will blink three lights on the control panel.
- Defective main control board – If the reason the dryer blinks the three lights has nothing to do with the thermistor or the hi-li thermostat, it’s highly likely a dead control board.
Fix
Consider testing the thermistor and the hi-li thermostat with a multimeter. If any of the two lack continuity, replace it. But if both have continuity, which means they are okay, replace the main control board as it’s likely to be faulty.
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Blinking Lights No Heat
If your Frigidaire affinity dryer won’t heat and flashes lights, it’s likely to be a fault, and it could be any of the following:
- Clogged lint filter – The lint filter traps lint from ending up in the dryer vent and obstructing it. Over time, however, the lint filter over-accumulates with lint, and once that happens, the dryer won’t heat and may blink the ‘lint filter’ light to show you that you should clean the lint filter.
- Clogged vent – If lint manages to escape the lint filter and ends up in the vent, the dryer won’t heat up. Instead, it will blink its light to indicate that you should check the vent.
- Burnt heating element – The heating element heats the air inside the dryer to enable the dryer to dry clothes. It, however, can burn out, and when it does, the dryer doesn’t heat up. Instead, it starts to flash some light on the control panel.
- Defective thermistor – With the thermistor’s job being to monitor the temperature around the burner and heating element, you can expect the dryer not to heat up and even flash its light when the thermistor fails.
- Defective hi-limit thermostat – Since a faulty hi-li thermostat fails to protect the dryer from overheating, you can expect the dryer not to heat up at some point. When that happens, the dryer may flash lights on the control panel.
- Faulty cycling thermostat – The cycling thermostat’s job is to cycle heat around the dryer and regulate the dryer temperature. If it fails, the dryer won’t heat up and may flash lights on the control panel to alert you.
Fix
Clean the lint filter and the vent if any of them is lint-obstructed. Then, test the heating element, thermistor, hi-li thermostat, and cycling thermostat with a multimeter and replace any of the four that lack electrical continuity.
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Stops Mid Cycle Blinking Lights
It’s not normal for a Frigidaire affinity dryer to stop mid-cycle and flash its light. Once that happens, it’s likely to be a result of one of these issues:
- Overheated motor – The motor will likely overheat due to excess dust or lint buildup. In such a case, the dryer may flash its light to alert you.
- Malfunctioning thermistor – If the issue is not an obstructed or overheating motor, it’s likely to be a defective thermistor. In such a case, the thermistor cannot monitor the temperature around your affinity dryer.
Fix
Inspect the motor for dust or lint buildup and brush it clean with a dryer cleaning brush. If everything is okay with the motor, test the thermistor with a multimeter and replace it if electrical continuity is absent.
Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Shuts Off Blinking Lights
A Frigidaire affinity dryer doesn’t just shut off and blink light unless it’s trying to alert you about something. In most cases, it’s one of these issues:
- Overheated motor – Normally, the motor’s job is to spin and run the dryer. If it doesn’t run, the dryer will stop operating, and in most cases, it’ll flash its lights to alert you. The dryer motor will likely overheat due to excess lint or dust buildup.
- Malfunctioning moisture sensor – The dryer may also flash its light and shut off if the moisture sensor fails. This sensor senses the amount of moisture in the clothes, enabling the dryer to dry it properly.
Fix
Check if there’s excess dust or lint around the motor and clean it. Inspect and clean the moisture sensor for dirt if the motor is okay. If the moisture sensor isn’t filthy, test it with a multimeter and replace it if the electrical continuity check fails.
People Also Ask
1. Why Is My Frigidaire Dryer Lights Blinking?
Your Frigidaire dryer blinks its lights due to a clogged vent or lint filter, an unlatched door, a burnt heating element, or an overheating motor. If none, it’s likely a defective component such as the thermistor, thermostat, or control board.
2. How Do I Reset My Frigidaire Affinity Dryer?
You can reset your Frigidaire affinity dryer by plugging it out of the dryer for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can turn off your house circuit breaker for 5 minutes to reset the dryer’s power.
3. Why Does My Frigidaire Affinity Dryer Not Start?
Your Frigidaire affinity dryer won’t start for different reasons. One of them could be the lack of power, and if that’s so, it could be an outage, a loose or defective power cord, a tripped power breaker, or a burnt fuse. It could also be a setting issue where you use the wrong setting. Sometimes, however, the dryer won’t start because the door won’t shut or due to a failed component such as the timer, motor, or electronic control board.
4. Why Does My Frigidaire Dryer Keep Stopping?
Your Frigidaire dryer keeps stopping because the motor is overheating or the moisture sensor is defective. In the first case, the dryer can’t run entirely if the motor doesn’t run smoothly, and that could be because the motor is faulty or just lint or dust-obstructed.
In the second case, the moisture sensor could stop the dryer from running continually if it’s filthy or defective. But in the latter case, a replacement may be in order.
Concluding Thought
Now you know what to check when dealing with the Frigidaire affinity dryer blinking lights. There are many issues to check, such as an unlatched door, an overheating motor, an obstructed lint filter or dryer vent, or a defective moisture sensor, hi-limit thermostat, cycling thermostat, or main control board.
What’s, however, important is that you don’t just concentrate on the flashing light but also whatever else which accompanies the blinking. That’ll make it easy to find and troubleshoot the underlying issue.