Bryant and Payne Furnace Error Codes, by Model Family
Three documents, three different code schemes — check which one is yours before you read a table. This page covers exactly the Bryant and Payne furnace families whose code lists GridComfort can read from a manufacturer document: the Bryant 830SA (Minor Series B&C), the Payne PG96VAT (Series B all sizes; Series C sizes 60080, 60100 and 66120), and the Payne PG96VTAB. The 830SA and the PG96VAT both flash a two-digit code on an amber LED — first digit is the number of short flashes, second digit is the number of long flashes. The PG96VTAB does not: that generation has an on-board three-digit LCD and reports faults as a decimal code such as 10.1, so a two-digit table is the wrong table for it. Code numbering also differs between the two flash-code furnaces — the Payne publishes a code 33, the Bryant document publishes none. Nothing here is carried across from another brand or another model family.
Find your model family first
The model number is on the rating plate inside the furnace cabinet, and on Bryant units it is also decoded on the unit's own label. The first characters are what matter here.
| Model family | What it looks like | How it reports a fault | Table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant 830SA, Minor Series B or C | Model begins 830SA; the troubleshooting guide is titled "830SA (Minor Series B&C)" | Amber LED, two-digit flash code | Bryant 830SA codes |
| Payne PG96VAT | Two-stage 4-way multipoise condensing furnace; Series B all sizes, Series C sizes 60080, 60100, 66120 | Amber LED behind the blower-door indicator, two-digit flash code | Payne PG96VAT codes |
| Payne PG96VTAB | Same PG96 family, later control: three-digit LCD with menu/select and next/option buttons on the board | Three-digit LCD showing ##.# | Payne PG96VTAB codes |
If your Bryant or Payne is not one of these three, this page does not cover it. Bryant and Payne have each sold many furnace generations, the control boards changed with them, and a code number that means one thing on an 830SA can mean something else on a furnace built five years earlier. Rather than publishing a "Bryant furnace codes" list that would be wrong for most Bryant furnaces, GridComfort publishes only what the documents in the Sources section actually cover.
Bryant 830SA (Minor Series B&C) status codes
Every row below is transcribed from the Bryant 830SA (Minor Series B&C) Troubleshooting Guide, document GFULN80-B-01TS, pages 6 and 7, cross-checked against the individual code sections later in the same guide. Nothing is added from another Bryant furnace or another brand.
Before the table, three LED states that are not codes: continuous off means check for 115 V AC at L1 and L2 and 24 V AC at SEC-1 and SEC-2; continuous on means the control has 24 V AC power; rapid flashing means the 115 V AC line-voltage polarity is reversed. A code proper is two digits — short flashes give the first, long flashes give the second.
| Code | What the Bryant document says it means | Reset behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | No previous code | Stored codes are erased automatically after 72 hours |
| 12 | Blower on after power up (115 V AC or 24 V AC) | Blower runs 90 seconds if the unit is powered up during a call for heat, or if R-W opens during a blower on-delay |
| 13 | Limit circuit lockout — a limit, draft safeguard, burner thermal switch or blocked vent switch is open | Control auto-resets after three hours |
| 14 | Ignition lockout | Control auto-resets after three hours; the document routes you to code 34 |
| 21 | Gas heating lockout | Control will not auto-reset |
| 22 | Abnormal flame-proving signal — flame is proved while the gas valve is de-energized | Inducer runs until the fault is cleared |
| 23 | Pressure greater than 0.15-in. w.c. at start-up | — |
| 24 | Secondary voltage fuse is open | — |
| 25 | Invalid model selection or setup error | Four flashes on power-up means the control is defaulting to the model stored in memory |
| 26 | Wiring harness — the yellow jumper in the main plug of the harness is damaged or missing | — |
| 31 | Pressure transducer input does not sense target pressure, or pressure is out of range | — |
| 34 | Ignition proving failure | The control tries ignition four times before lockout 14 |
| 42 | Inducer motor fault — no RPM pulses within 20 seconds of a heat request, inducer outside its valid range, or RPM signal lost for 5 seconds | — |
| 45 | Control circuitry lockout — gas valve relay stuck open, flame sense circuit failure, or software check error | Auto-resets after one hour |
There is no Bryant 830SA code 33. The document's code sequence runs 31 then 34. If you are counting flashes and arriving at 33 on an 830SA, count again — the first digit is short flashes and the second is long flashes, and it is easy to read a 3-and-4 as a 3-and-3.
Recalling stored codes on this furnace, per the same document: disconnect the "R" thermostat lead, reset power, and put setup switch SW1-1 in the ON position. To clear the history, put SW1-1 ON and jumper thermostat terminals R, W/W1 and Y/Y2 together until code 11 flashes. Both of those are inside the cabinet on a live board, which is why they are listed here as what the document says rather than as something to go and do.
Payne PG96VAT status codes
These rows come from the Payne PG96VAT Installation, Start-up, Operating and Service and Maintenance Instructions, catalog number IM-PG96VAT-13, whose troubleshooting guide runs across pages 87 and 88, with the status-code retrieval procedure on pages 75 and 76. This furnace is a two-stage unit, which is why several codes exist in low-heat and high-heat pairs that the Bryant list has no equivalent for.
This furnace shows its code at an indicator in the blower door. The amber LED is on continuously, rapid flashing, or flashing a two-digit code — first digit short flashes, second digit long flashes. The control stores the last seven codes and keeps them through a power interruption.
| Code | What the Payne document says it means | Reset behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | No previous code | Codes erase after 72 hours, or manually with SW1-1 ON and R, W/W1 and Y/Y2 jumpered |
| 12 | Blower on after power up (115 V or 24 V) — normal operation | Blower runs 90 seconds |
| 13 | Limit circuit lockout — the limit or flame rollout switch open longer than 3 minutes, or 10 successive limit trips during high-heat | Auto-resets after 3 hours; the document points to code 33 |
| 14 | Ignition lockout — failed to ignite gas and prove flame in 4 attempts | Auto-resets after 3 hours; the document points to code 34 |
| 15 | Blower motor lockout — blower failed to reach 250 RPM, or failed to communicate within 30 seconds of turn-on, in two successive heating cycles | Auto-resets after 3 hours |
| 21 | Gas heating lockout | Turn off power and wait 5 minutes to retry |
| 22 | Abnormal flame-proving signal — flame proved while the gas valve is de-energized | Inducer runs until the fault is cleared |
| 23 | Pressure switch did not open | — |
| 24 | Secondary voltage fuse is open | — |
| 25 | Invalid model selection or setup error | Four flashes on power-up means model plug PL4 is missing and the control is using the model in memory |
| 31 | High-heat pressure switch or relay did not close, or reopened | — |
| 32 | Low-heat pressure switch did not close, or reopened | If open longer than 5 minutes the inducer shuts off for 15 minutes before retrying |
| 33 | Limit circuit fault — the limit or a flame rollout switch is open, or the furnace is in high-heat-only mode after 2 successive low-heat limit trips | If open longer than 3 minutes the code becomes lockout 13. The flame rollout switch requires a manual reset |
| 34 | Ignition proving failure | The control repeats the ignition sequence 3 more times before lockout 14 |
| 43 | Low-heat pressure switch open while the high-heat pressure switch is closed | — |
| 45 | Control circuitry lockout — flame circuit failure, gas valve relay stuck open, or software check error | Auto-resets after 1 hour |
Codes 41 and 42 are referenced inside this document but never defined in it, so they are not listed above. The complete list is printed on the service label on the blower door of your own furnace.
Payne PG96VTAB: a decimal code scheme
The PG96VTAB is documented in Payne's Installation, Start-up, Operating and Service and Maintenance Instructions, catalog number IM-PG96VTAB-01 Rev. A, and the control section runs from page 52 to page 60. It is worth reading that section before looking for a code, because this generation does not report faults the way the other two furnaces on this page do.
This generation replaced the flash-code LED with an on-board three-digit LCD and pushbutton navigation. On startup it alternates the Model Program Number (PRG) and the software version (uEr). In normal running it shows an operating mode rather than a fault: iDl idle or standby, Ht2 high heating, Ht1 low heating, CL2 high cooling, CL1 low cooling, Hpd heat pump defrost, Cfn / CF2 / CF3 continuous fan, bLr blower running as the secondary unit of a twinned pair. An active fault appears in the form ##.# — a two-digit code, a decimal point, and a subcode.
| Code | What the Payne document says it means | Where it is stated |
|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 115-V polarity is incorrect. The status LED flashes rapidly and the furnace will not operate | "115-V Wiring" p. 25; "ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS" p. 60; start-up check item 1, p. 55 |
| 24.1 | The 24-V circuit's 3-amp automotive-type fuse is blown and needs replacing — with a 3-amp fuse only | "ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS" p. 60 |
| 32.2 | Shown during the documented pressure-switch check, with the inducer motor leads disconnected, when the low pressure switch is working correctly | "Check Pressure Switch(es)" p. 58 |
Those three are the only PG96VTAB decimal codes this page publishes, and that is a limitation of the document rather than of the furnace. The full decimal list on this model lives on the furnace's own service label (Fig. 59) and in the troubleshooting guide (Fig. 70); both are reproduced inside the PDF as label images with no readable text, and no other Payne document publishes them. Rather than guess that 13.1 is a variant of the older code 13, or copy a list from a repair forum, GridComfort leaves them out. Open the blower door and read the service label on your own unit — it is the authoritative list for your control.
Fault history on this control is read from the display rather than by flashing: press menu/select until FLt appears, then next/option to step through the last seven faults. Faults stay in memory for 72 hours of powered operation, and CLr clears them.
Where a Bryant or Payne code matches a Carrier code
Bryant, Payne and Carrier are related brands, and on the codes below the wording in the Bryant or Payne document matches the wording on the Carrier page for the same number. Where that is true, the longer Carrier explanation is worth reading. Where it is not true, there is no link, and the absence is the point.
| Code | Bryant 830SA | Payne PG96VAT | Payne PG96VTAB | Carrier detail page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Limit circuit lockout | Limit circuit lockout | Not published in the manual | Carrier 13 |
| 14 | Ignition lockout | Ignition lockout | Not published in the manual | Carrier 14 |
| 33 | No code 33 in the Bryant document | Limit circuit fault | Not published in the manual | Carrier 33 |
| 34 | Ignition proving failure | Ignition proving failure | Not published in the manual | Carrier 34 |
The Carrier pages describe the Carrier furnaces they were written against. They are linked here because the meaning of the number is the same in these documents, not because the furnaces are interchangeable — component locations, reset behavior and the rest of the code list all differ.
What a homeowner can actually do
Bryant's own troubleshooting guide draws this line in its safety section, and it is the same line on every furnace on this site: "Untrained personnel can perform basic maintenance functions such as cleaning and replacing air filters. All other operations must be performed by trained service personnel."
- Read the code without opening anything. On the 830SA and the PG96VAT there is an indicator visible at the blower door. Count short flashes, pause, count long flashes. That is your code.
- Check the thermostat and the filter. A dirty filter or a restricted duct system is named directly in the Bryant and Payne text for codes 13 and 33, and replacing a filter is the one job both manufacturers hand to the owner.
- Check that nothing is blocking the vent or the combustion-air intake outside. Restricted vent, excess wind and inadequate combustion air appear in the causes for 13, 31 and 32. Looking at a vent terminal from outside is not service work.
- Note whether the code is a lockout that resets itself. Bryant 13, 14 and Payne 13, 14, 15 auto-reset after three hours; Payne 21 needs a five-minute power-off; Bryant 21 does not auto-reset at all. A furnace that keeps re-locking out after an automatic reset is telling you the underlying fault is still there.
- Stop at the door. Everything past this — the setup switches, the code-recall procedures, the pressure transducer readings, the flame-sensor microamp checks — is done on a live board inside the cabinet, and both documents put it under a trained-service-personnel warning.
When to call a technician
- Any code involving flame proving, the gas valve or a flame rollout switch: Bryant 21, 22, 34, 45; Payne 21, 22, 34, 45. A flame rollout switch is a manual-reset device that trips because combustion left the burner box.
- A limit circuit lockout that returns after the automatic reset and a filter change.
- Any pressure-switch or transducer code (Bryant 23, 31; Payne 23, 31, 32, 43) — diagnosis needs a manometer and the manufacturer's target pressures.
- PG96VTAB code 10.1, which means the incoming 115 V polarity is wrong. That is a wiring fault at the furnace or upstream of it.
- Anything you cannot match to a code in your own furnace's documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What does code 33 mean on a Bryant furnace?
The Bryant 830SA (Minor Series B&C) troubleshooting guide does not publish a code 33 at all — its list runs 31 then 34. On a Payne PG96VAT, code 33 is a limit circuit fault: the limit or a flame rollout switch is open, or the furnace has dropped into high-heat-only mode after two successive low-heat limit trips. If you are reading 33 on an 830SA, count the flashes again; the first digit is short flashes and the second is long flashes.
Are Bryant and Payne error codes the same as Carrier's?
For codes 13, 14, 33 and 34 in the three documents on this page, the printed meanings match the Carrier pages on this site, and each of those rows is linked. That is not a general rule. Code numbering, the presence of a code at all, and the reset behavior all vary by furnace family, and the Bryant document has no 33 while the Payne PG96VTAB uses an entirely different decimal scheme.
Why does my Payne show 10.1 instead of a two-digit code?
Because it is a PG96VTAB. That generation has an on-board three-digit LCD rather than a flash-code LED, and it reports faults as a decimal code in the form ##.#. Code 10.1 on that control means the incoming 115-V polarity is reversed and the furnace will not operate. A two-digit flash-code table is the wrong table for that furnace.
How do I read a two-digit flash code?
On the Bryant 830SA and the Payne PG96VAT the amber LED gives the first digit as short flashes and the second digit as long flashes. Three short flashes then four long flashes is code 34. Continuous on means the control simply has 24-V power, and rapid flashing on either furnace means the 115-V line-voltage polarity is reversed.
How long do stored codes last?
On both flash-code furnaces the control holds the codes for 72 hours and then erases them automatically. The Payne stores the last seven codes and keeps them through a power interruption. On the PG96VTAB the fault history is read from the display under FLt, holds seven faults, and also expires after 72 hours of powered operation.
My furnace locked out and then started again by itself. Is it fixed?
No. Several of these codes auto-reset by design — Bryant 13 and 14 after three hours, Payne 13, 14 and 15 after three hours, Bryant and Payne 45 after one hour. The control retrying is not the fault clearing. A furnace that keeps locking out and retrying is repeating the same failure on a timer, and the code it stored is what a technician needs.
Related pages
The four Carrier code pages this hub links out to: Carrier 13, Carrier 14, Carrier 33 and Carrier 34. The section index for every furnace brand covered here is furnace error codes by brand.