The short answer
Most Bryant furnaces in Northern Virginia have no single reset button. You reset one by cutting its power for 30 seconds at the switch on or near the furnace, then turning it back on. Do it once, and count the code on the light first: some Bryant boards erase it when the power goes off, and the code is what tells you whether a reset is the right move.
Count the code first
Bryant furnaces have one of two kinds of control board. One has only an amber light behind the small window in the lower door: short flashes are the first digit and long flashes are the second, so 14 is 1 short and 4 long, then a pause before it repeats. The other has the same light plus a small display that shows three digits, like 14.1: the first two are the flash code and the third narrows it down. A steady light is normal, no light at all means no power at the board, and rapid flashing means the line voltage polarity is reversed. Both boards in Bryant’s current manuals keep the code through a power cut, but some older furnaces erase it, so count it before you flip the switch.
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How to reset it, step by step
- Set the thermostat to OFF.
- Find the furnace power switch. It looks like a light switch, on the side of the furnace or on the wall nearby. Turn it off and wait 30 seconds.
- Turn it back on.
- Make sure the lower door is on tight. Bryant wires a safety switch to it, and the furnace gets no power with the door off.
- Set the thermostat to HEAT, a few degrees warmer than the room.
- Watch and listen. The inducer starts, the igniter glows, the burners light, and the blower comes on a little after that.
If it lights and runs, keep an eye on it for a day. If the same code comes back, a second reset won’t fix what the first one didn’t.
Lockouts that clear themselves
Codes 13 and 14 are lockouts. 13 means a switch in the limit circuit stayed open more than 3 minutes, and 14 means the furnace failed to light on 4 tries. Either way, the board stops trying for 3 hours, then resets itself and tries again. Cutting the power resets it sooner, but the cause is still there. A 13 usually means airflow: a clogged filter or closed registers, which our Bryant code 33 guide covers. A 14 usually means the flame sensor.
Things that look like a reset, and aren’t
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| Part | What it does | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The door switch | A push button the lower door holds in. It cuts the 115 volts to the furnace when the door comes off. | Put the door back on tight. Never tape or bypass it. |
| The 3-amp fuse | A small fuse on the control board that protects the low-voltage side. When it blows, the light flashes 24. | A technician finds the short, then puts in a new 3-amp fuse, never a bigger one. |
| The rollout switch | A manual-reset switch on the burner box that trips when flame rolls out of the burners. | Don’t just push it back in. Rollout means the flame went where it shouldn’t, and that’s a call. |
Why a rollout trip is a call, not a reset
A rollout switch trips when flame comes out of the burner area instead of going up through the heat exchanger. That happens when the exhaust or the combustion air can’t move the way it should: a blocked vent, a blocked heat exchanger, or not enough air for the burners. Bryant’s manual says to find and correct the cause before the switch is reset. On a Bryant, a tripped rollout shows up as 33. Pushing it back in and walking away is how a small problem turns into carbon monoxide in the house. Never jump or bypass a safety switch to get heat back. Each one is there to stop the furnace from burning gas when something is wrong, and the wrong thing is often exhaust, which carries carbon monoxide. If you smell gas, don’t flip any switches: leave the house and call your gas company or 911 from outside.
Resets that are for installers only
The display board on Bryant’s 916SA has a setup menu that can put the board back to its factory settings. That’s for an installer setting up a new furnace, not a fix for a fault: it wipes the setup for your house, and the furnace won’t run right until someone puts it back.
One code you may see right after a reset: 12, or 12.1 on a display. It means a heat call was on when the power came back, and the blower runs about 90 seconds before the board starts over. That’s normal.
When to call
- The same code comes back after one reset.
- A rollout switch tripped, or you smell exhaust.
- A new 3-amp fuse blows again (code 24).
- Nothing at all: no light, no sound, after you’ve checked the switch and the breaker.
- The furnace keeps starting and stopping.
What it costs to have us look
A repair visit starts with a flat $99 diagnostic, and you get the price of the fix before we touch anything. Our Bryant page has more on the Bryant equipment we work on. Our heating check is $67 per system, through December 31: furnace, heat pump or boiler.
- Every Bryant furnace code and what to do
- Bryant code 31: the pressure switch
- The Bryant flame sensor: codes 34 and 14
- The Bryant Evolution thermostat
- How to reset a Carrier furnace
- Error codes and warning lights by brand
Every code meaning and lockout time here comes from Bryant’s own documents: 915SB installation instructions and 916SA installation instructions.
Call or book
Call (703) 997-9757 and tell us the code you counted, or book online from goswiftpro.com/cookiesoffer and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Most Bryant furnaces don’t have one. The reset is cutting the power for 30 seconds at the furnace switch. The only manual reset buttons are safety switches like the rollout switch, and those are a call when they trip.
How long does a Bryant furnace stay locked out?
3 hours. After a 13 or 14 lockout, the board waits 3 hours, then resets itself and tries again. Cutting the power resets it sooner.
Why does my Bryant furnace keep needing a reset?
Because a reset clears the code, not the cause. If it locks out again, the light is pointing at something real: a dirty flame sensor, a clogged filter, a plugged drain or a blocked vent. Count the code and call.
Is it safe to reset my furnace?
Once, yes, with the code counted first. Not if you smell gas, not if a rollout switch tripped, and not over and over.
How much does it cost to have you look at a Bryant furnace?
A repair visit starts with a flat $99 diagnostic, and you get the price of the fix before any work starts. Our heating check is $67 per system, through December 31.
