Rheem R802VA07542117MSA Error Code A116_F: One-hour Lockout: Flame Presence Alarm

What Does Code A116_F Mean?

A116_F is triggered by the same underlying event as code A014_F on this board — flame detected by the sensor while Rheem's IFC has commanded the gas valve closed — but A116_F is specifically the one-hour lockout the control imposes in response. On this two-stage, variable-speed R802VA07542117MSA, the point of that lockout is to guarantee a full hour with no combustion activity before the furnace is allowed to retry, so the one-hour clock cannot start while a flame is still present. The IFC waits for the flame signal to drop to zero, then begins the countdown and reports A116_F for that lockout state, whereas A014_F is the alarm that appears the instant the undesired flame is first detected.

The likely causes are the same as A014_F: a gas valve stuck in the open position that keeps supplying gas after the close command, or a flame-sensing circuit giving a false-positive reading even though no real flame is present. A board-level cause is also possible — codes A225_F (gas valve 1 relay welded shut) and A093_F (internal fault, possibly a welded gas-valve relay) describe a control board that keeps voltage applied to the valve regardless of what the IFC commands, which the furnace can only observe as flame present with the valve supposedly off.

A116_F is distinct from code A127_F, which reports the identical 'flame present, gas valve off' condition through the IFC's UL-compliance-flagged monitoring path rather than through the primary detection-and-lockout logic. It is also the opposite of code A126_F, where the gas valve is confirmed open but no flame is sensed. Even though A116_F is a soft lockout — the furnace will attempt to restart on its own after an hour — the underlying valve or relay issue is a genuine hazard, so the furnace should stay off and the gas supply closed until a technician confirms the valve reliably closes.

What You'll Notice

• The alphanumeric LED blinks out the A116_F fault code digit by digit, with a roughly 3-second pause between digits
• The furnace becomes completely unresponsive to thermostat calls for up to an hour
• Burner flames may appear to keep burning briefly before the lockout, as the board waits for flame to clear
• There may be a smell of gas near the furnace, or heat still coming off the unit after it should be idle
• No new ignition attempt occurs until the one-hour timer, which only starts once flame is confirmed out, has elapsed

Common Causes

How This Is Diagnosed

A technician measures the flame-sense current after the gas-valve command is removed to confirm whether flame is genuinely still present or the reading is a false electrical signal, then inspects the gas valve for mechanical sticking and verifies its actual electrical state against what the IFC commanded. They note when in the cycle the flame actually cleared, since on this board that moment is what starts the one-hour lockout timer.

If the valve closes correctly on the bench, the technician looks upstream at the control-board relay that switches it. A welded gas-valve relay — the condition behind codes A225_F and A093_F — keeps the valve energized no matter what the processor commands, so a recurring A116_F is treated as a control and gas-train inspection rather than a routine sensor cleaning.

When to Call a Professional

This code involves components that are not homeowner-serviceable, so have a licensed HVAC technician diagnose and repair it. Keep in mind:

• The code appears at all, since an undesired flame with the valve commanded off is unsafe to diagnose without proper tools
• The lockout clears and the furnace attempts to restart before a technician has confirmed the gas valve closes reliably
• This same undesired-flame condition has appeared more than once, whether as A116_F, A014_F, or A127_F
• Burner flames or heat continue after the furnace should be idle
• There is any smell of gas near the furnace

✓ Verified against manufacturer service manual — March 2026