Furnace igniter fault codes by manufacturer

Igniter codes and grounding codes overlap on several brands, because the control cannot always tell a failed igniter from a bad ground. The codes below show which brands conflate them.

What the hot surface igniter does

A hot surface igniter is a silicon carbide or silicon nitride element that the control energises for a set warm-up period before opening the gas valve. It glows bright orange at temperature. Silicon carbide igniters are brittle and fail open, often from thermal cycling or from being touched during handling — skin oils create a hot spot.

Why one part produces several different codes

Where a manufacturer reports an igniter circuit fault, the control is reporting that it did not measure the current it expected through the igniter. That is an open igniter most of the time, but a poor chassis ground or reversed line voltage polarity produces the same reading on several brands, which is why Goodman, Trane and York all pair the two causes in a single code.

Every hot surface igniter code on this site

9 codes across 8 control families. The meaning is the manufacturer's, from the document listed at the foot of each code page.

Brand	Code	What it reports
Goodman	8 flashes	Igniter circuit fault, most often caused by poor grounding
Goodman	rapid flashing	Reversed 115 volt polarity, a grounding problem, or an open igniter circuit
Goodman	E7	Igniter fault or improper grounding
Goodman	12 red flashes	Ignitor relay failure
Lennox	Alert code 207	Hot surface igniter sensed open
Lennox	E290	Ignitor circuit fault — failed ignitor or triggering circuit
Trane	9 flashes	Ignitor circuit problem, or low voltage between neutral and 24 volt common
Trane	E6.3	Igniter relay failed, or igniter open
York	12 red flashes	Open hot surface igniter

Before you work on it

Checking line voltage polarity and ground means working inside a live furnace cabinet. If that is not familiar work, it is a technician call.

What the fixes cost

Igniter work is the cheap end of furnace repair, which changes how much diagnosis-by-parts-swap you should tolerate. The ignitor replacement cost guide prices the standard visit at $150–350 installed — against a part that costs $20–60 universal or $40–120 brand OEM — and the after-hours emergency version at $250–500. Igniters also wear out on a clock: three to seven heating seasons is a normal life, so an ignition-failure code on an aging furnace with its original igniter is close to a scheduled event. The caveat this page adds: on the brands above that fold igniter and grounding faults into one code, confirm the ground before paying for an igniter, because a $150 visit that replaces a working part leaves the real fault installed. Where the code names the igniter relay instead — 12 red on the GMEC96 table, E6.3 on Trane's S9V2 — the failed part is the control board, which the board cost guide prices at $400–900: a different conversation entirely.

Do it yourself or call someone?

The igniter is the one furnace part this site's own cost guide treats as a borderline DIY candidate — on many furnaces it is two screws and a plug behind the burner door, replaced with power off at the switch and without ever touching the new element bare-handed. The codes on this page complicate that: when the same flash count can mean a bad ground or reversed polarity, the confirming measurements are live line-voltage work inside the cabinet, and that is where DIY stops. Replace an igniter that a technician, or a meter you are qualified to use, has condemned; do not replace one to find out.

Other parts

Sources

Every code meaning above comes from the manufacturer document behind its code page:

This site is a reference, not a substitute for a licensed HVAC technician. Gas appliances can leak carbon monoxide and cause fire. Anything involving gas lines, the heat exchanger, or the flame sensing circuit should be handled by a licensed professional. Pages are written with AI assistance from the sources listed on each page and checked against them before publishing.