HVAC Code Lookup

Rheem Furnace Code 61

Hard lockout

Blower fault, motor cannot run. The blower motor has failed or tripped its internal thermal limit and cannot turn. The furnace will not operate in any mode. It is often displayed alternating with 22 (main limit open) or 10 (one-hour lockout).

Manual wording: “BLOWER FAULT - MOTOR CANNOT RUN ... The blower has failed critically or there is a critical motor fault - such as thermal limit trip that prevents the blower motor from running.”

Documented for: (-)97V, (-)96V

Likely causes, most common first

  1. The motor has tripped on thermal limit because of a restriction or bearing failure
  2. The motor Power Factor Correction (P.F.C.) choke is faulty and needs replacing
  3. The furnace model data is faulty or corrupted
  4. Wiring to the motor and/or P.F.C. has become compromised
  5. The blower wheel has become damaged or is not properly attached to the motor shaft
  6. The motor has failed catastrophically

What you can safely check yourself

  • Check and replace a dirty air filter - a restricted filter is a listed cause of the motor overheating.
  • Make sure the blower door is fully closed and seated.
  • Power cycle once at the furnace switch to see if the motor restarts after cooling.

When to call a technician

A blower motor that will not run is a technician job - motor, PFC choke, wiring and blower wheel all have to be checked.

A Rheem furnace throwing this code repeatedly has a reason — clearing the code without fixing the cause just hides it.

Sources

Other Rheem codes