You keep quizzing why is my heating pad blinking and not working? Here’s the answer!
No matter what the type of heating pad is, we can tell you one thing – something has gone wrong.
If the single LED light in the heating stretch pad has been blinking actively for a while now, then it definitely has something to do with the health of the stretch pad and its condition.
The reason why the pad is blinking and not working is due to overheating.
Overheating on the other hand is caused by environmental factors, issues with the power supply, faulty third-party connectors, hardware problems, and dust in the controller unit.
Learn more about the overheating occurrence in the heating stretch pad by reading further!
Why Does My Heating Pad Keep Blinking – What Does It Mean?
If the pad has been blinking for too long, it could only mean one thing – overheating!
Overheating is the common blinking cause of all heating devices, including the pad you own.
Regardless of the manufacturer and technology, the LED is installed there with a simple thought in mind – to indicate whenever the one thing that could go wrong, goes wrong.
Here are some causes of overheating on heating pads:
- Environmental Factors of Overheating
- Issues with the Power Supply
- Dusty Controller Pad Hardware
- Unknown Third-Party Connectors
Whatever the source of the problem, we’ll address it in our upcoming guide so keep reading!
Why Is My Heating Pad Blinking On High – Answers & Fix!
After going through the cause of the heating stretch pad’s blinking and functionality issues and finding out what it is, it’s time to address the problem!
We’ll be covering each and every one of the causes we’ve reviewed above and some more to get back to the base functional level.
Let’s jump straight into it!
Solution #1 Unplug the Pad Device!
The quickest way to stop the stretch heating pad from overheating is to Unplug the Device!
If the stretch pad has been working for way too long, no wonder it’ll overheat, go bonkers and start blinking.
As simple as unplugging the device for a couple of minutes, will settle the frustrating blinking and get the heating stretch working again.
Follow these instructions to safely unplug the pad:
- (Optional) Press the Power Button on the pad’s controller (if one exists).
- Unplug the power adapter of the pad (if it feels hot by any chance, wear gloves).
- Wait for 3-5 minutes, while the stretch pad is disconnected from power.
- Carefully plug the heating wad controller adapter back into power.
- Turn on your device.
- Let the heating wad work for a minute or two.
The LED sensors will only go live if there’s an underlying issue with the heating stretch pad. Thus, if the device is no longer overheating, you shouldn’t see the LED going off after plugging the device.
Alert: Not waiting for long enough before plugging the pad back in, will cause it to blink.
Solution #2 Embed Anti-Overheating Measures
Since overheating is what’s causing your pad to blink and turn itself off, overheating measures are required to stop that from happening.
As for now, we’ll try some basic things to attempt to lower the temperatures of the heating wads, otherwise, we’ll go deeper further in the guide.
- Overheating can be caused by both internal and external factors!
Here are some easy anti-overheating measures to apply to the heating wad:
- Place the pad away from heat conductors
- Move the pad to a colder surface
- Reposition the pad into a well-ventilated area
- Do not stand the pad or keep it warm in addition for too long
These steps should be able to at least drop the temperatures of your pad a little bit, to prevent the device from overheating.
However, we mainly target external causes of overheating, since taking apart the controller pad of the stretch pad is a little more advanced method.
Note: If the heating wad has been damaged by water, it could also short-circuit.
Solution #3 Connect the Pad to a Different Outlet
Perhaps, the ominous “overheating” blinking has something to do with the power outlet.
This is one of the “you won’t know unless you try” situations and by the outcome of it, you may get the blinking on the heating stretch pad settled just like this.
It is often when a particular power outlet in your home could go faulty, causing issues with the associated electronic device.
- Simply disconnect the pad from its current source and plug it elsewhere!
It’s completely up to you as to where the new electrical outlet for the pad will be, as long as the source is working well.
This can be proven if the previous device associated with the new pad’s new outlet was fully functional.
Alert: Mind calling a technician about the previous port, if this solution worked!
Solution #4 Remove Third-Party Connectors
Examining the Third-Party Connectors in the heating wad setup could be the answer to “why is my heating pad blinking and not working”.
Using unknown third-party devices in the electricity delivery of the pad could result in the blinking problem you’re having now.
It’s best to get rid of all third-party connectors and plug the pad naked into the electrical outlet to test things out.
Third-Party Connectors that could cause issues are the following:
- Power Cord Extenders
- Power Strips/Divider Devices
- Outlet Plugs and Other Attachments to the Wall Port
In general, those are the connectors you should avoid installing along with the pad. Make sure that you’re free of those, connect the pad, and test it.
Note: The pad could still blink for a few seconds after being connected, but it’ll stop.
Solution #5 Reset the Pad’s Controller
Next up, we’ll be performing a Functionality Reset of the heating stretch pad!
Some advanced types of heating pads have functionality that is adjusted using the buttons on the controller.
If something has gone wrong with the following features, you’ll be able to reset the functionality of the heating wad by pressing the “Reset” button.
Here’s how to perform a Reset on the pad easily:
- Make sure that the pad is plugged in.
- Closely examine the pad’s controller.
- Locate the Reset Button on the controller (either on the sides or bottom part).
- Press and hold the Reset button for 5-10 seconds.
- Let go of the reset button once the LED of the pad blinks unnaturally.
- Wait for the pad to undergo the reset.
Once the reset you’ve triggered on the pad has been finalized, the device will be flushed back to factory defaults. It’ll resume standard functionality as it once was.
Note: Any configurations you’ve made to the pad in regard to functionality, will be erased.
Solution #6 Clean Out the Control Unit
We’ve left this solution for last since this requires some technical work regarding the device.
All heating pads have a controller unit that turns the heating pad on and off.
Too much piled-up dust within that very control unit, could raise the temperatures in addition and cause issues.
What you have to do is get that control unit open and clean out the piled-up dust and debris.
Follow these instructions to clean the control unit of the pad:
- Unplug the pad from the power outlet.
- Grab a screwdriver, appropriate for the screws on your pad’s controller.
- Undo all of the screws on the pad’s controller.
- Take out the bottom or top latch (based on the controller’s type).
- Expose the internal hardware of the heating pod’s controller.
- Use a vacuum cleaner to help you suck out all of the dust from the controller.
- Wait for all of the controller’s internal parts to cool down.
- Re-install the cover of the controller unit.
- Test…
Once you’ve put the control unit’s hardware back together, reconnect the power adapter of the heating stretch pad to the outlet. If the device does have a power button, press it and wait.
Note: The blinking shouldn’t be there if you’ve let the controller fully cool down and cleaned it.
Quick Recap:
Hence, the reason why is my heating pad blinking and not working is directly associated with overheating.
Objects of overheating could be related to third-party connectors, dust in the control unit, power source issues, and hardware problems!
If you’re still failing to get the pad going, it’s time to purchase a replacement!
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.