Furnace inducer motor fault codes by brand

The inducer runs first in every heating sequence, so an inducer fault stops the furnace before it ever tries to light. Most inducer codes reach the reader as pressure switch codes.

Some of the faults listed here are gas-safety faults. Those ones involve the gas valve, the burner compartment, or the heat exchanger — the parts whose failure can put combustion products, including carbon monoxide, into the air the house breathes, and each carries this warning on its own page. Do not keep resetting a furnace that reports one of them in order to hold the heat on. Have it looked at by a licensed technician, and make sure there is a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the home, including the level the furnace is on. The conditions that mean stop now.

What the inducer / draft motor does

The inducer is the small blower that pulls combustion air through the burners and heat exchanger and pushes flue gas out of the vent. It starts before ignition, runs through the whole heating cycle, and continues briefly afterwards to purge. Its job is proved indirectly, by the pressure switch it draws against, rather than measured directly.

Why one part produces several different codes

That indirection is why a failing inducer usually shows up as a pressure switch that will not close rather than as an inducer code. A furnace that hums but does not spin, spins slowly, or runs with a bearing noise will produce enough suction to look alive and not enough to close the switch. Codes that name draft or the inducer directly are typically reporting either no inducer feedback at all or a speed the control could not verify.

Every inducer / draft motor code on this site

11 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
Armstrong	11 flashes	Pressure switch stuck closed before the inducer started
Goodman	EC	Inducer motor overcurrent
Goodman	2 red flashes	Pressure switch stuck closed, or an inducer error
Goodman	3 red flashes	First stage pressure switch stuck open, or an inducer error
Goodman	3 double red flashes	Second stage pressure switch stuck open, or an inducer error
Heil	3 flashes	Low pressure switch still open 30 seconds after the inducer started
Lennox	Alert code 228	Inducer calibration issue
Lennox	Alert code 294	Inducer motor overcurrent — Watchguard
Trane	3 flashes	Draft pressure error
Trane	E09	Open inducer limit switch or condensate pressure switch
York	2 red flashes	Pressure switch stuck closed, or an inducer error

Before you work on it

The inducer is the component that keeps flue gas moving out of the house. A furnace that keeps failing to prove draft should not be run repeatedly while the cause is unknown.

What the fixes cost

The inducer occupies a wide $300–900 band in the furnace repair cost guide — wide because brand parts availability, not labor, sets the price. Because most inducer trouble reaches you as a pressure-switch code, the cheaper findings get first claim: a blocked termination or condensate path cleared during a $75–150 diagnostic, or the pressure switch itself at $150–400. The motor earns its replacement when the draft is genuinely weak, and on brands with scarce OEM inducers the quote can land at the top of the band — a legitimate second-quote moment rather than evidence of a bad-faith price.

Do it yourself or call someone?

Listening is safe and genuinely diagnostic: the inducer is the first thing to run in every heating sequence, so you can stand by the furnace at a call for heat and hear whether it starts crisply, labors, or never spins — and report exactly that. The outdoor terminations are also yours to check for ice and obstructions. Beyond ears and eyes it is a technician's job: the inducer is what keeps flue gas moving out of the house, and a furnace repeatedly failing to prove draft should not be reset toward success.

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.