If your Bryant furnace has quit and there's an amber LED blinking behind the blower door, the control board is telling you exactly why it stopped. The useful thing up front: Bryant, Carrier, and Payne are the same parent company and share the same control boards, so the status codes are identical across all three brands. A Carrier code chart is a Bryant code chart — everything on our Carrier code pages applies to your Bryant furnace.
Reading the code: Bryant boards flash a 2-digit code on the amber status LED — short flashes count the tens, long flashes count the ones. Three short then three long is a 33; one short plus three long is a 13. Watch through the sight glass and count a full cycle twice before acting on it. Status-code meanings vary by control-board generation, so always confirm against the diagnostic label inside your unit — printed inside the blower compartment door or on the control board itself.
Bryant furnace error codes
| Code | Meaning | Typical cause |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Limit circuit fault (a soft, single trip) | Restricted airflow: a dirty filter, blocked or closed vents, a dirty blower wheel, or undersized/crushed ducts |
| 13 | Limit circuit lockout (limit or rollout open more than ~3 minutes) | The escalation of an ignored 33 — sustained overheating, or a rollout switch tripped by a blocked flue or cracked heat exchanger |
| 31 | Pressure switch did not close | Blocked intake or exhaust vent, a clogged condensate trap or drain, a weak inducer motor, or a pinched pressure-switch hose |
| 34 | Ignition proving fault (flame not sensed) | A dirty or corroded flame sensor is the most common by far; also a weak igniter, low gas pressure, or poor burner ground |
| 14 | Ignition lockout after roughly 4 failed attempts | Where a repeated 34 ends up — the board gives up and locks out with no heat |
| 41 / 42 | Blower motor / inducer motor fault (RPM out of range) | A failing or seized motor, a bad motor module or capacitor, or a wiring/connector fault |
| 23 | Pressure switch stuck closed | Contacts welded closed, or a switch reading pressure when the inducer is off |
| 22 | Abnormal flame signal (flame sensed with the gas valve off) | A leaking or slow-closing gas valve, or a flame-sense circuit misreading — treat as a safety fault |
| 24 | Secondary low-voltage fuse open | A short in the thermostat wiring, a shorted accessory, or a pinched low-voltage conductor |
| 45 | Control circuitry lockout | An internal board fault, a failed relay or flame-sense circuit on the board itself |
A flag on "4 flashes": people search for Bryant furnace 4 flashes expecting a single universal answer, and there isn't one. Carrier and Bryant status codes are not standardized across board generations — a plain four-flash pattern means different things on different boards, and on most modern Bryant boards a 2-digit code is being flashed rather than a single count. Verify the pattern on your unit against its own diagnostic label before you buy a part. Where a code chart online and the label on your furnace disagree, the label on your equipment wins.
How the codes group together
Most Bryant codes fall into four families, and the family tells you what kind of problem you have:
- Airflow and heat (33, 13). The furnace is overheating because air isn't carrying the heat away. 33 is the warning; 13 is the lockout. The most DIY-fixable family — a dirty filter is the single most common cause in the whole chart.
- Venting and pressure (31, 23). The inducer and pressure switch prove the flue is clear before the gas valve opens. 31 means it never proved; 23 means it proved when it shouldn't have. On a condensing (90%+) furnace, a clogged condensate trap is a very common 31.
- Ignition and flame (34, 14, 22). The furnace tried to light and couldn't sense flame. 34 is a single failure, 14 is the lockout after about four tries, 22 is flame detected with the valve closed — the only one here that's a safety issue rather than a service item.
- Motors and electrical (41, 42, 24, 45). The blower or inducer is out of RPM range, a low-voltage fuse blew from a short, or the board itself locked out.
The escalation pairs matter: 33 becomes 13, and 34 becomes 14. Fix the cause early and you avoid the lockout and the no-heat call.
The usual fix
Our tech reads the flash code, confirms it against the label on your furnace, then proves the cause rather than swapping the part the code points at. On a 33 or 13: check the filter, blower wheel, and duct/register airflow, measure the temperature rise, and test the limit and rollout switches. On a 31: check the intake and exhaust terminations, clear the condensate trap and drain, and test the inducer and its pressure-switch hose. On a 34 or 14: clean or replace the flame sensor, test the hot-surface igniter and burner ground, and verify gas pressure. On 41/42 we test the motor and its module; on 24 we find the low-voltage short before replacing the fuse. When a part has genuinely failed we replace it and confirm a full heat cycle without re-tripping.
DIY vs. calling a pro
Safe to try yourself first (free):
- Turn the furnace off and change a dirty air filter, wait 20–30 minutes, and restart. This clears a large share of 33 calls on its own.
- Open blocked supply and return vents and make sure furniture or rugs aren't choking the return.
- Check the outside intake and exhaust terminations for a bird nest, leaves, or a blocked screen — a very common 31.
- Power-cycle at the furnace switch or breaker to clear a soft code after fixing the airflow or venting.
Call a pro when:
- The code comes right back after a filter change and open vents.
- You have a 13 or 14 lockout and no heat.
- You see 22 (flame with the valve off), 24, 41/42, 45, or a 23.
- You smell gas, smell a hot or burning odor, or the furnace short-cycles hard.
Gas valve, flame-sense, rollout, and blower work involves line voltage and a gas-fired heat exchanger. A furnace that keeps overheating or repeatedly tripping a rollout can crack the heat exchanger, a carbon-monoxide risk — persistent 33s and any 13 or 22 deserve a technician's eyes. Line-voltage electrical repairs, and any refrigerant or compressor work on a paired AC or heat pump, are licensed-tech only (EPA 608 certified for refrigerant handling).
What it costs in the Bay Area
Plenty of Bryant codes cost nothing to clear because the cause is a filter or a blocked vent. When a part has failed, in our pricing a flame sensor runs about $90–$250, a hot-surface igniter $120–$350, a control board $200–$600, and a blower motor $400–$700, depending on the model. We charge a diagnostic fee that's credited toward the repair when you approve the work, with a firm, upfront price before anything starts.
Book Bryant furnace service
Triton services Bryant, Carrier, and Payne furnaces — plus every major brand — across the SF Bay Area & Peninsula, with same-week and often same-day appointments. If your Bryant is flashing 33, locked out on 13 or 14, or showing a code you can't pin down, we'll count it correctly, verify it on the unit, and get your heat back.
Call (888) 993-5699 or book online for same-day furnace service.
Related pages
- HVAC Repair in the SF Bay Area — our full heating & cooling hub
- Carrier Furnace Code 33 (Limit Circuit Fault) — the same code on the same board
- Carrier Furnace Code 31 (Pressure Switch) — the venting code in depth
- Carrier Furnace Code 13 (Limit Lockout) — where an ignored 33 ends up
- Carrier / Bryant HVAC Repair — brand service hub
- Furnace Repair in San Mateo — same-day service in your city
Frequently asked questions
How do I read the error code on my Bryant furnace? Watch the amber status LED behind the blower door. Bryant boards flash a two-digit code where short flashes count the tens and long flashes count the ones, so three short plus three long is a 33 and one short plus three long is a 13. Count a full cycle twice before acting on it, and confirm the code against the diagnostic label printed inside the blower compartment, since meanings vary by control-board generation.
Are Bryant and Carrier furnace codes the same? Yes. Bryant, Carrier, and Payne are the same parent company and share the same control boards, so the status codes are identical across all three brands. A Carrier code chart reads correctly on a Bryant furnace. The only caveat is board generation, not brand, so still confirm against the label inside your specific unit.
What does code 33 mean on a Bryant furnace? Code 33 is a limit circuit fault, meaning the high-temperature limit switch tripped because the furnace overheated. It is almost always restricted airflow from a dirty filter, blocked or closed vents, a dirty blower wheel, or undersized ducts. It is a soft single trip and a warning. If it is ignored it escalates into a 13 limit circuit lockout and no heat.
What does code 31 mean on a Bryant furnace? Code 31 means the pressure switch did not close, so the board never confirmed the inducer was pulling combustion gases safely and refused to open the gas valve. The usual causes are a blocked intake or exhaust vent termination, a clogged condensate trap or drain on a condensing furnace, a weak inducer motor, or a pinched pressure-switch hose.
What does 4 flashes mean on a Bryant furnace? There is no single universal answer, and that is the important part. Carrier and Bryant status codes are not standardized across board generations, so a plain four-flash pattern means different things on different boards, and most modern Bryant boards are flashing a two-digit code rather than a single count. Verify the pattern against the diagnostic label on your own furnace before buying a part.
How much does Bryant furnace repair cost in the Bay Area? Many codes cost nothing to clear because the cause is a filter or a blocked vent. When a part has failed, a flame sensor runs about 90 to 250 dollars, a hot-surface igniter 120 to 350 dollars, a control board 200 to 600 dollars, and a blower motor 400 to 700 dollars in our pricing, depending on the model. We credit the diagnostic fee toward the repair and quote a firm price before any work.