The short answer
On a Goodman or Amana gas furnace in Northern Virginia, 6 red flashes on an older single-stage board or E11 on a newer display means the rollout switch tripped: flame came out of the burner area where it doesn’t belong, and the furnace shut the gas off. It’s a safety code, not a nuisance code. Usually the exhaust has nowhere to go, from a blocked vent, a failed inducer or burners out of line, and it needs a tech to find the cause before anyone resets it.
What the rollout switch does
It’s a small heat sensor mounted near the burners. Normal flame goes straight into the heat exchanger. When it can’t, because the exhaust is backing up or the burners are off, the flame rolls out toward the front of the furnace and heats the switch. The switch opens and the gas valve closes.
Goodman describes the rollout switch on its 90% furnaces as a manual reset control, with a red button. It stays open until a person pushes that button. That’s on purpose: somebody should find out why it tripped first.
Rolled out flame and blocked exhaust are how carbon monoxide gets into a house. If your CO alarm is sounding, get everyone out first, then call.
The $67 Heating Check
We check your furnace, heat pump or boiler before winter. Through December 31. See the offer
The codes, board by board
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| Your furnace shows | Which Goodman board | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 6 red flashes | Older single-stage (GMSS9, GMS8 and the Amana twins) | Rollout limit open |
| E11 | Current display and modulating (GR9S, GR9T, GRVM97 and similar) | Rollout switch open |
| Red 4 | Two-stage GMEC96 (green, amber and red lights) | A limit or the rollout switch is open |
| Red 5 | Two-stage GMEC96 (green, amber and red lights) | A limit or rollout open for 15 minutes, or the board fuse is open |
From Goodman’s service manuals for the GMSS9 single-stage, GMEC96 two-stage, current single-stage, modulating furnaces. Every code for every Goodman board is in our Goodman furnace codes chart.
Two traps. On the GMEC96, 6 red flashes is not rollout: it means the pressure switch opened 5 times in one heating cycle, which is our pressure switch guide. And on a display board, rollout shows as E11, not as flashes.
The other flame code: 5 flashes or EE4
5 red flashes on an older single-stage board, EE4 on a display, or red 1 on a GMEC96 means the board sees flame when there’s no call for heat. Goodman lists a short in the flame sensor wiring, a burner flame that lingers, or a gas valve that’s slow to close. On the older boards the blower and inducer run nonstop until it’s fixed. If you can see the burners lit with the thermostat off, turn off the gas to the furnace at its valve and call. It needs a tech for the same reason rollout does.
What you’ll notice
- The furnace stops heating, the light shows 6 flashes or the display shows E11, and turning the power off and on doesn’t bring it back.
- Scorch marks or brown, discolored metal on the front of the burner area.
- A burning smell. Our burning smell guide sorts the normal kind from this kind.
- Someone pushed the red button, it ran for a day or two, and it tripped again.
What causes it
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| Cause | How you’d know | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| A blocked vent or intake pipe | Snow, leaves, a nest or ice at the pipes outside, often with pressure switch codes too | Clearing it, then a full check before the furnace runs again |
| A failed or weak inducer motor | Loud, slow, or not spinning at all | Priced in writing before any work starts |
| Burners dirty or out of line | Flames lazy, lifting, or reaching sideways | Cleaning and realignment, priced first |
| Wrong gas pressure | Measured at the gas valve against the rating plate. Goodman lists it first on the E11 checks | Set on the visit |
| A cracked heat exchanger | Found with a camera and a combustion test, not by eye | Usually means a new furnace: $4,285 to $14,040. From about $71 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. |
| A failed rollout switch or loose wiring | Rare. Everything else checks out and the switch opens cold | Priced in writing before any work starts |
What you should do
Goodman’s manuals are written for trained technicians and say not to bypass any safety circuit, so the line for a homeowner is the outside of the furnace.
- Look at the pipes outside. Clear snow, leaves or a nest from the openings of the white PVC pipes. Don’t push anything into them.
- Turn the furnace off at its switch if you smell burning or see scorching, and leave it off.
- Leave the red button alone until someone has found out why it tripped. Pushing it doesn’t fix the cause, and a rollout switch that trips is doing its job.
- Keep the CO alarms working, one on every floor and near the bedrooms.
What a tech does on the visit
The tech checks the vent and intake, the inducer, the burners and their alignment, and the gas pressure at the valve, and looks inside the heat exchanger with a camera. A combustion test with a CO analyzer comes before the switch gets reset, and then the tech watches a full cycle. If the heat exchanger is cracked, you see it on the camera, and you get the price for a new furnace in writing before you decide anything. Told that already by someone else? We’ll look again for free.
We fix Goodman and Amana furnaces across Northern Virginia, in Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, Herndon, Chantilly, Fairfax, Arlington and Manassas. Every furnace repair price we charge is on our heating page.
Other Goodman codes, one at a time: pressure switch: 3 flashes or EE2; limit switch: 4 flashes or EE3; lockout and weak flame: 1 flash, EE0, EE6; solid red light, no light or rapid flashing; Goodman heat pump and AC codes.
Get it fixed
Call (703) 997-9757 and we’ll get a tech out to check your Goodman furnace before it runs again. We answer day or night. Rather book online? Pick a time here and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. A repair visit starts with our $99 diagnostic, and you get the price in writing before any work starts. Already have a quote? We’ll give you a free second opinion. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
What does 6 flashes mean on a Goodman furnace?
On the older single-stage boards, the rollout limit is open: flame came out of the burner area and the furnace shut the gas off. On the two-stage GMEC96, 6 red flashes means the pressure switch opened 5 times in one heating cycle instead.
What does E11 mean on a Goodman furnace?
The rollout switch is open on a display board. Goodman’s checks start with the gas pressure, the burner alignment and anything restricting the burners. It needs a tech before it runs again.
Can I reset a Goodman rollout switch myself?
It has a red reset button, but leave it to a tech. It tripped because flame came out where it shouldn’t, and pushing the button doesn’t fix that. If it trips again after a reset, the cause is still there.
Is a tripped rollout switch dangerous?
The switch tripping is the furnace protecting you. The cause can be dangerous: blocked exhaust and rolled out flame are how carbon monoxide gets into a home. Keep CO alarms working near the bedrooms.
What does EE4 mean on a Goodman furnace?
The board sees flame when there’s no call for heat: a short in the flame sensor wiring, a lingering flame, or a gas valve slow to close. On an older single-stage board the same fault is 5 flashes.
