Rinnai Wall Heater Error Codes: 11, 14, 16 and 99

By Ray Bennett · Updated 2 October 2026 · 6 min read · Checked against the maker’s manual

Rinnai Wall Heater Error Codes: 11, 14, 16 and 99

Short answer

On a Rinnai EnergySaver direct vent wall heater, 11 means it did not light: check the gas is on and the vent outside is clear, and it tries again by itself after an hour. 14 is an overheat, often a blocked filter, 16 is the room above 104 degrees and 99 is a blocked flue. Codes in the 30s, 50s, 60s and 70s are parts for a technician.

A Rinnai EnergySaver is a gas wall heater that takes its combustion air from outside and sends its exhaust back outside through its own vent pipe. When it stops, it flashes a two digit code on its control panel. Four of those codes have checks you can do yourself.

Everything on this page comes from Rinnai’s own manuals for the EX17DT, EX22DT and EX38C, and from its troubleshooting manual for direct vent heaters. Rinnai calls these heaters direct vent furnaces, and the two manuals agree on almost every number.

Before you start

What to carry: a torch, and a vacuum or a soft dry cloth for the filter. Fifteen minutes.

Gas or electric? Gas, natural gas or propane. The heater also plugs into a grounded outlet to run its fans and control board.

A dim 11 is normal for that code. Rinnai says code 11 is the one code that flashes dimly.

Turn it off with its button. Rinnai says not to turn the heater off by unplugging it. The fan keeps running until the heater has cooled.

Where you stop. If you smell gas. Rinnai says do not try to light any appliance, do not touch any electric switch or use a phone in the building, and call your gas supplier from a neighbor’s phone.

14 that keeps coming back. An overheat can break the fusible link, a one use safety part. Rinnai says a qualified service agency must replace it, and must find out why the heater overheated.

The four codes with owner checks

Rinnai's four codes with an owner check. Everything from 30 to 81 is a sensor or a part, and that is a service call.

Check 1Free, fifteen minutes

Work the owner checks

11: no ignition. Rinnai’s first checks are that the gas is turned on and that the vent terminal outside is not blocked. Look for ice, debris or insects in it: why a gas heater will not light.

11 and the one hour wait. If the heater fails to light, Rinnai says it tries again after one hour, and 11 shows during that hour. A good ignition clears it.

14: overheat. Rinnai’s remedy is to clean the filter. On the EX17DT and EX22DT, a blocked filter first makes the filter light flash red with five beeps, repeated every five minutes, and then the heater stops on 14.

16: room overheat. The room is above 104°F. Rinnai’s troubleshooting manual says it trips when the room reads that hot for more than 10 minutes. Lower the room temperature.

99: flue block. Rinnai says to check around the flue terminal outside and remove whatever is blocking it.

Then restart it once. Rinnai says you may be able to clear a code by turning the heater off and on again. If it stays or comes back, book a service call.

Cleaning the filter

Check 2Free, ten minutes

Clean it the way Rinnai says

Off and cool first. Rinnai says to clean the filter with the heater off and cool.

Dust or grease. Clean it with a soft dry cloth or a vacuum. If it is greasy, wash it in warm soapy water, rinse it and let it dry completely.

Never run it without. Rinnai says not to use the heater without the filters in place.

How often. Rinnai says to clean the filters often in the heating season, and more often in a room with a lot of lint from carpets or bedding: how often a heater filter needs attention.

Every code in Rinnai’s list

Code	What Rinnai calls it	Who fixes it
11	No ignition	Owner first: gas on, vent clear
12	Flame failure	Technician
14	Overheat	Owner first: the filter
16	Room overheat, above 104°F	Owner first: lower the room
30, 33	Overheat temperature sensor disconnected	Technician
31, 32	Room temperature sensor disconnected or shorted	Technician
34, 35	Overheat temperature sensor shorted	Technician
40, 49	Pressure sensor tube or pressure sensor	Technician
53	Abnormal spark	Technician
61, 62	Combustion fan or convection fan	Technician
70	ON/OFF switch or set back switch	Technician
71, 81	Solenoid valve	Technician
72	Flame rod	Technician
73	Communication error	Owner first: off and on again
99	Flue block	Owner first: the terminal outside

Code 40 is only in the EX17DT and EX22DT list, and 81 only in the EX38C list. Code 12 comes from Rinnai’s troubleshooting manual and is in neither.

Reading the fault history

Check 3Free, two minutes

See the last faults

The buttons. With the heater plugged in but turned off, press ECONOMY with the temperature UP and DOWN buttons together for 2.5 seconds, then let go.

What you see. Rinnai says the most recent fault shows first, then up to 10 more. If you miss them, wait until the light goes off and do it again.

How it reads. A count shows beside each code: 1 with 53 is the newest fault, an abnormal spark, and 2 with 14 is the one before it. On the RHFE-263 and RHFE-1004, the display shows 01 and then the code, then 02 and the next one.

What is missing. Rinnai says code 11 is not stored in the fault history.

Heaters with lamps instead of numbers

EnergySavers with a row of lamps show a fault by lighting some of them. Rinnai's troubleshooting manual gives the matching number for each pattern.

EnergySavers that have a row of temperature lamps instead of a number display show a fault by lighting some of those lamps, marked LO, 60 to 80 and HI. Rinnai’s troubleshooting manual matches each pattern to a number.

Lamps lit	Same as code	Meaning
60	11	Missed ignition
LO	12	Flame failure
68	14	Overheat safety device
HI	16	Over temperature cut off
72 and 76	31	Room temperature sensor disconnected
76 and 80	32	Room temperature sensor shorted
64, 68 and 72	33	High limit sensor disconnected
68, 72 and 76	34	High limit sensor shorted
LO, 60 and 64	53	Abnormal spark
60, 64 and 68	61	Combustion fan speed
64 and 68	70	ON/OFF switch
LO and 60	71	Solenoid valve
80	72	Flame rod

When it needs a technician

Check 4A service call and a part

Know when to stop

11 again and again. With the gas on and the vent clear, Rinnai’s troubleshooting steps move to grounding, gas pressure, the gas type setting and the igniter. That is a technician’s job.

12 or 72. Rinnai’s steps for a flame fault include the flame rod: its wire, how tight it sits, and carbon or white build up on it. The manual is written for qualified service people: what a flame sensor does.

Power cuts. Rinnai says that if the power fails while the heater is on, it starts again by itself when the power returns: when heat does not come back after an outage.

Once a year. Rinnai says the heater must be inspected every year by a trained professional, and the flue checked for blockage or damage.

Questions people ask

What does code 11 mean on a Rinnai wall heater?

No ignition. Check the gas is on and the vent terminal outside is clear. The heater tries again by itself after an hour.

Why does my Rinnai heater show 14?

An overheat. Clean the filter first. If 14 comes back, the fusible link may have broken, and that is a service call.

How do I reset a Rinnai wall heater?

Turn it off and on again with its ON/OFF button. Rinnai says not to unplug it to turn it off. If the code stays or returns, book a service call.

Why is code 11 dim?

Rinnai says 11 is the one code that flashes dimly. It is still a real code: the heater did not light.

What does 99 mean on a Rinnai heater?

A flue block. Check the vent terminal outside for ice, debris or insects, and clear it.

How do I see old codes on my Rinnai?

With the heater off, hold ECONOMY with UP and DOWN for 2.5 seconds. The newest fault shows first, then up to 10 more.

Sources: Rinnai installation and operation manuals for the EX17DT and EX22DT and for the EX38C (RHFE-1005FTA) direct vent wall furnaces, and Rinnai's Direct Vent Heaters Troubleshooting Manual