Goodman furnace 2 red flashes: Pressure switch stuck closed, or an inducer error
Two red flashes means the pressure switch was closed when it should have been open, or the control has found an inducer problem. The switch must sit open at rest.
Applies to: Goodman GMEC96 and Amana AMEC96 two-stage gas furnaces with a three-colour diagnostic LED.
What it means
The pressure switch proves the inducer is actually moving air before gas is released, and it does that by sensing suction. At rest, with the inducer off, it must be open. The control verifies this before every cycle, because a switch stuck closed would prove a draft that does not exist — allowing the furnace to fire into a flue that could be blocked. Goodman pairs this with an inducer error on this control, which is a useful grouping: both mean the draft-proving chain cannot be trusted, though they sit at different points in it.
Most common causes
- Pressure switch contacts stuck or welded closed.
- The sensing hose pinched or kinked so that it traps pressure.
- Water in the sensing hose or the pressure tap holding the switch closed.
- A short in the pressure switch wiring, electrically indistinguishable from closed contacts.
- An inducer fault the control has detected separately.
- The wrong pressure switch fitted at a previous repair — these are rated per model.
- The low and high stage switches swapped during service.
How to diagnose it
- Confirm the colour is red. Two amber flashes is normal second-stage heating and two green is normal cooling.
- Note whether the inducer starts at all, since the control usually stops before that step on this fault.
- Note whether the furnace was serviced recently — a hose or switch disturbed during other work is a common trigger.
- Check the condensate drain for backing up, since water reaching the sensing hose is a frequent cause.
How to fix it
- Clearing a blocked condensate drain is reasonable homeowner work and addresses one of the causes.
- The pressure switch, its hoses, its wiring, and the inducer are technician work.
- Never jumper a pressure switch to get heat. It is the only thing between a blocked flue and a firing burner.
- Replace a failed switch with the exact part for the model, since setpoints are model-specific.
Notes
This code and the three red flash code are opposite halves of the same test — one says the switch is closed when it should be open, the other says it will not open when it should close. Reading the wrong one sends the repair in the wrong direction.
Related
- 3 red flashes — First stage pressure switch stuck open, or an inducer error
- 6 red flashes — Pressure switch cycle lockout
All codes for this manufacturer
Goodman and Amana furnace fault codes — every code, with what differs between models.
Not sure this is your brand?
The same count means something else on other furnaces. What 2 flashes means on every brand puts them side by side.
Models this code appears on
From the manufacturer's per-model database. If your model is not listed, this code may not exist on your board, or it may mean something different — check the model page.
The same fault on other control families
A pressure switch found closed before the inducer starts is one of the most widely shared fault definitions in the industry: York's two red flashes matches this board nearly word for word — the tables share a control ancestry — and the same defeated-interlock logic appears as Carrier code 23, Lennox alert 224, and Rheem's three blinks on RC-series boards. The pressure switch code hub collects forty-seven of these codes across twelve families and explains why the at-rest check exists at all.
What the fix costs
Pressure switch work typically lands at $150–400 per the repair cost guide — welded contacts or a damaged switch are squarely in that band. But this code has a second branch: the control also raises it for inducer problems, and inducer motor replacement runs $300–900, with brand parts availability driving the spread. The diagnostic distinction between a $200 switch visit and a $700 inducer job is exactly why the $75–150 call-out fee (usually credited against the repair) is money well spent rather than resented on this code.
DIY or call a pro?
DIY is limited to one power cycle and a note of the circumstances — did this follow a storm, a windy night, or recent service? A switch that reads closed at rest is diagnosed with a manometer and a meter on a live furnace, which is not homeowner ground. Above all, do not be tempted by the classic bad fix: jumpering the switch to make the furnace run. The at-rest check exists because a switch that cannot prove it is open cannot later prove the flue is actually drafting, and bypassing it removes the furnace's only evidence it is venting combustion gases into the flue rather than the house.
What this looks like
From the outside, this usually shows up as the inducer spins up but the burners never fire — that walkthrough covers what to check in order, and when it stops being a homeowner job.