Bradford White Boiler Error Codes: Brute FT 10, 11 and 80

By Ray Bennett · Updated 23 October 2026 · 8 min read · Checked against the maker’s manual

Bradford White Boiler Error Codes: Brute FT 10, 11 and 80

Short answer

The Brute FT boiler shows Er: and a number on its display. Bradford White lists 10 as the flame going out eight times and 11 as ignition failing ten times, both hard locks cleared with the Power button. Most soft locks, such as 80, low water level, clear once the cause is fixed. If it overheats, Bradford White says to turn off the manual gas valve and have it checked by a qualified technician.

Bradford White boiler error codes on the Brute FT, a wall mounted condensing boiler, show on the control display as Er: followed by the code number. Bradford White’s manual sorts its codes into a hard lock, which you clear with the Power button, or a soft lock, which mostly clears itself once the cause has gone.

The two most searched, 10 and 11, are both flame faults. Everything below comes from Bradford White’s installation and operation instructions and user’s manual for the FT Series heating only boiler, model FTHW, with a note on the FTCW combination boiler.

Before you start

What to carry: a torch, a pen, and paper to write the code down. Nothing needs opening.

Gas or electric? Gas. The Brute FT burns natural gas, or propane after a field conversion, and it needs mains power to run. Bradford White says it cannot be operated during a power outage.

Is it a Brute FT? The model is on the boiler’s label. The FTHW is the wall mounted heating only boiler and the FTCW the wall mounted combination boiler. Other Brute models, such as the Brute Elite and Brute LX, have their own manuals.

Renting? Send the code, the model and whether the radiators are cold to whoever arranges repairs.

If it overheats, turn off the manual gas valve.
Overheating or gas that will not shut off: Bradford White says to turn off the manual gas valve to the boiler, and after overheating, fire, flood or damage, to have it checked by a qualified technician before it runs again.

If you smell gas: do not try to light any appliance, do not touch any electrical switch, and do not use any phone in the building. Call your gas supplier from a nearby phone and follow its instructions, or the fire department if you cannot reach the supplier. Bradford White’s entry for code 40, gas leakage detected, says that if you smell gas, stop, follow those instructions and call a qualified service technician or the fuel gas utility.

Been under water? Do not use the boiler if any part has been under water. Bradford White says to call a qualified service technician at once to inspect it and replace any control part that was under water.

Service is for a professional. Bradford White says it must be installed and serviced by a professional service technician, and warns that improper installation or operation could create carbon monoxide in the flue gases. If vent fumes come into the room, it says to open windows and call a qualified service technician for immediate repair.

Hard lock or soft lock

Bradford White’s error code table gives a recovery method beside its codes. A hard lock waits for you: every hard lock in the table tells you to press the Power button to clear the error code. A soft lock mostly goes away by itself, the table says, once the condition behind it is remedied.

Bradford White's two kinds of Brute FT error code. A hard lock, such as 10 or 11, stays until you press the Power button; a soft lock, such as 80 or 85, mostly clears itself when the condition behind it is remedied.

Selected rows from Bradford White’s table for the FTHW:

Code	What Bradford White’s table says	Lock
10	Flame has extinguished 8 (eight) times	Hard
11	Ignition has failed 10 (ten) times	Hard
16	Operating temperature sensor detects water temperature greater than 203°F (95°C)	Hard
20	Condensate: closed is normal, open is fault (condensate drain trap)	Hard
28	Overheat sensor open or short	Soft
33	CH temperature sensor open or short	Soft
37	Abnormal supply frequency	Soft
40	Gas leakage detected for greater than 5 seconds, or three times within 10 minutes	Hard
41	Fan speed too high with flame on	Hard
43	Burner overheat switch open	Hard
44	Air pressure sensor (APS) fault	Hard
76	Poor communication (control display)	Soft
77	Outdoor sensor error	Soft
80	Low water level sensor: low water level detected four (4) consecutive times	Soft
85	Freeze protection: water temperature below 34°F (1°C)	Soft
94	Exhaust sensor detects vent temperature greater than 190°F (88°C)	Soft

The FTCW combination boiler’s manual gives the same meanings for 10 and 11 and adds codes of its own, such as 36 for supply voltage too low and 66 and 68 for its mixing valve.

What you can check

Check 1Free, nothing to open

Write the code down, and whether it is hard or soft

Write down the number after Er: and look it up in the table above. If it is a soft lock, Bradford White’s table says most go away once the condition is remedied, so note whether it clears and comes back.

Check 2Free; a service call if it returns

With a hard lock such as 10 or 11, press the Power button once

For every hard lock, Bradford White’s table says to press the Power button to clear the error code; for 40 it first says that if you smell gas, stop and follow the gas steps above. For 41 and 44, its instructions name the Power button of the control display.

If 10 or 11 happens again, the table’s next checks start with the gas pressure, the gas valve wire and the flame detection sensor. For 11 they add the igniter, and for 10 the exhaust and intake terminations, which you can look at from outside as in check 3. Both lists end with contacting technical support. Those are for a qualified technician, so if 10 or 11 comes back, call one rather than clearing it again and again.

Check 3Free, a look outside

With 41 or 44, look for a blocked vent outside

Bradford White’s instructions for codes 41 and 44 are written out step by step:

Turn off the manual gas valve.
Make sure there is no foreign object in the vent passage or the rodent screen.
If you find no problem, turn off the error state by pressing the power button on the control display.
If the error occurs repeatedly, call your service technician or gas supplier.

In winter, look at the terminals on the outside wall. The user’s manual says that if the boiler is sidewall vented, keep the vent terminal clear and do not allow snow to cover it, and clean the intake screen often. Bradford White’s steps stop at the Power button. Before operation, its manual says to check that the manual gas valve to the boiler is open, and to smell all around the boiler for gas, next to the floor too.

CODES 41 AND 44: THE VENT CHECK

inside outside

Er:44

A B C

A Turn off the manual gas valve on the gas pipe to the boiler

B Look at the vent outside nothing in the vent or rodent screen; no snow over the terminal

C Nothing found? Press Power on the control display

D Keeps happening? Call a service technician or the gas supplier

Bradford White's steps for Brute FT codes 41 and 44: turn off the manual gas valve, look for anything in the vent or the rodent screen outside, such as snow over a sidewall terminal, then press the Power button on the control display. If it keeps happening, call a service technician or the gas supplier.

Check 4Free to look; a technician to refill

With 80, read the pressure gauge and look for leaks

Bradford White calls 80 low water level, detected four times in a row. The first remedy in its table is to make sure all valves to the boiler are open and there are no leaks.

The boiler has a CH pressure gauge, and Bradford White’s specification table for the FTHW lists the CH water pressure as a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 psi. Note the reading and look under the boiler and along the pipes for water. Do not top it up yourself: the user’s manual says all draining and filling must only be done by a qualified service person.

Check 5Free to check; a technician if it froze

With 85, keep the boiler room from freezing

Bradford White calls 85 freeze protection: the boiler has detected water below 34°F (1°C). The code goes away when the freezing condition is remedied, and the first remedy is to make sure the boiler is in a mechanical room protected from freezing. Bradford White also says not to shut the boiler off when you leave home for a long time, because it has a freeze protection function.

If the power is out, the boiler cannot run. The user’s manual says that in an extended outage with danger of freezing, the boiler and the other water systems should be drained completely, by a qualified service person.

What each one takes

What you see	What the work involves
A hard lock that clears and stays clear	Nothing more; note the code in case it returns
10 or 11 coming back	A technician for the gas pressure, flame sensor or igniter
41 or 44 with a blocked vent or screen	Clearing the blockage, then the Power button
80 or low pressure on the gauge	A qualified service person to find the leak and refill
85 in a cold room	Warmth in the boiler room; a technician if it does not clear
40, or any smell of gas	The gas supplier’s instructions first, then a technician

Questions people ask

What does error code 10 mean on a Bradford White boiler?

On the Brute FT, Bradford White lists 10 as the flame having extinguished eight times. It is a hard lock: press the Power button to clear it, and call a technician if it happens again.

What does error code 11 mean on a Bradford White boiler?

On the Brute FT, ignition has failed ten times. It is a hard lock cleared with the Power button. If it returns, Bradford White’s next checks are gas pressure, wiring, the flame sensor and the igniter, which are technician work.

How do I reset a Bradford White Brute FT boiler?

For a hard lock, Bradford White’s table says to press the Power button to clear the error code. Most soft locks go away by themselves once the condition behind them is remedied.

Why does my Bradford White boiler show 85?

Bradford White calls 85 freeze protection: the boiler has detected water below 34°F (1°C). Make sure the boiler room is protected from freezing; the code goes away when the freezing condition is remedied.

Do these codes apply to my Bradford White water heater?

No. These are the Brute FT boiler’s codes. Bradford White’s water heaters have their own codes, covered in Bradford White water heater codes.

The other boiler guides: boiler not working, boiler pressure and boiler keeps turning off.

Sources: Bradford White Brute FT wall mounted heating only boiler (FTHW) installation and operation instructions 1483B and user's manual 1484, and the FT combination boiler (FTCW) instructions 1487B