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White Rodgers Thermostat Flame Icon Blinking [Causes + Fixes]

White rodgers flame icon

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Is your White Rodgers thermostat flashing a flame icon? Don’t panic! Our troubleshooting guide has got you covered with easy-to-follow steps and expert advice to fix the issue and keep your home cozy all winter long!

Honeywell Home logo Part of our complete Honeywell Home Thermostat guide — wiring, setup & troubleshooting.

If your White Rodgers thermostat is blinking a flame icon, it’s likely that your auxiliary or emergency heat is activated and providing secondary heating. AUX and Emergency heat usually kick in when your primary heating source  is  unable to heat adequately.

White rodgers flame icon

A flashing icon on a white Rodgers thermostat is often mistaken for a system time delay as it is with Nest and other programmable  thermostat models.

Newer models of White Rodgers thermostat have a separate manual setting for compressor lockout. Compressor lockout is one which acts  more  like a system time off delay when activated

White Rodgers thermostat flame Icons meanings

Type of icon displayMeaning
Flame icon blinkingAux or Emergency heat is energized
Solid flame iconSystem is in heat mode
Both snowflake and flame icon flashingThermostat is in lockout mode
Solid Snowflake iconSystem is set to cool mode

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Flame icon blinking

A flame icon blinking means your secondary stage heating is energized and is heating.

However this blinking symbol  should not be confused with  one that comes up on other thermostat such as Nest and Honeywell. 

On a nest or  honeywell thermostat a flashing flame  icon means that delay mode is active.

Auxiliary or emergency heat will turn on automatically on systems with heat pumps when the outdoor temperatures fall too low for the heat pump to adequately cool your cool.

Emergency heat should not run too long  as it consumes energy way too much.

Solid flame icon

A solid flame icon means that your system has been set to heat mode and  heating is in progress. If you can’t feel heat blowing out of vents, try raising the temperature setting above ambient.

Solid Snowflake icon

A solid snow flame icon on a white rodgers thermostat means the system is set to cooland is cooling

Both snowflake and flame icon flashing

 This  means compressor time delay is active. This should typically last for about 5 mines

What is Compressor Time Delay 

Time delay is a very useful feature on HVAC systems as it protects the compressor from damage. System time delay protects the equipment  from short cycling

When there is power outage or when the system is turned off and on quickly, the compressor wont turn on until at least 5 minutes.

Some newer compressors already have a time delay built in and do not require this feature.

On a white Rodgers thermostat, compressor time delay is indicated by a  flashing the Snowflake and Flame Icons for about five minutes

Read also: Honeywell Thermostat Flame Icon Blinking? [Causes + Fixes]

Why does the flame icon keep flashing on  white Rodgers thermostat?

When you experience a flame icon that keeps flashing on your white Rodgers, that could be because it’s too cold outdoors. Heat pumps are designed to heat  your home by  transferring heat from outside to inside. 

They are mostly efficient when outdoor temperatures are  above 35 F. That means when temperatures drop below that, aux heat will kick in to assist the heat pump in cooling your home.

Read also: White Rodgers Thermostat not Working [Full troubleshooting guide]

For all White-Rodgers and Emerson thermostat guides — including reset instructions, wiring diagrams, and other blinking icon fixes — see the Emerson / White-Rodgers thermostat hub.

About the Author – Andrew Sikana
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Andrew Sikana

Andrew, the original founder and HVAC specialist at Thermostating.com, brings years of hands-on experience to the site. His deep understanding of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems is rooted in countless hours spent setting up and troubleshooting these systems for countless homes and businesses. Andrew's expertise shines through in every article, providing readers with insightful commentary based on his firsthand experience. As the original authority on the site, his contributions continue to shape the content and direction of Thermostating.com.
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