Goodman, Amana APG13 error code 9 flashes
Heat pump or loss of charge switch open, cooling only
Goodman is the platform name, and your unit may not say it
Amana APG13 is the same board with a different badge, so this page covers all of them. The fault, the checks and the parts are identical, which is why there is one page rather than one per brand.
Quick answer
On Goodman APG13 (2000s), 9 flashes is a fault. It means heat pump or loss of charge switch open, cooling only. A first thing to check: Low refrigerant charge from a small leak.
- Applies to
- Goodman APG13
- Goodman and Amana APG13, GPG13, APG15 combined furnace and AC flash codes · Furnace · 2000s
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Clean the outdoor coil and confirm the fan runs at speed.
What 9 flashes means on this model
On a heat pump running cooling only, this is the outdoor unit reporting that the high pressure switch, the loss of charge switch, or the heat pump mode switch is open. It means the unit has decided it is unsafe to run the compressor, so cooling stops. A low refrigerant charge is a frequent underlying cause.
Symptoms you will notice
- Cooling runs briefly then stops
- Outdoor fan runs but the compressor cuts out
- House warms up quickly once cooling stops
Common causes
The code tells you what the control detected, not which part failed. These are the causes we see most often, roughly in order of likelihood:
- Low refrigerant charge from a small leak
- Failed high pressure switch
- Failed loss of charge switch
- Dirty or restricted outdoor coil
- Failed outdoor fan motor
- Failed outdoor control board
What you can safely check
These are homeowner-level checks. None of them need you to open a live electrical compartment or work on gas.
- Clean the outdoor coil and confirm the fan runs at speed.
- Note whether the fan keeps running after the compressor stops, which is a clue about which switch opened.
Do not do these
- ×Do not add refrigerant without finding the leak. Adding it without a repair means the fault comes back.
- ×Do not bypass the pressure or charge switch.
When to call a technician
Book a technician, do not keep resetting it
This fault will not clear on its own. Every power cycle gives the control one more failed attempt, and repeated attempts are what turn a cheap part replacement into a seized or contaminated system.
- This is a fuel-burning appliance, so treat anything involving a burner, gas valve or flue as technician work. If you smell gas at any point, leave the property and call the gas utility from outside rather than continuing to diagnose.
- If the appliance has stopped mid-cycle, is making a noise you have not heard before, or smells burnt, stop reading here and call. Those are symptoms of something the fault code does not describe well enough.
Coil cleaning is fine. Anything involving refrigerant or the sealed system is licensed work.
What it costs to fix
Parts
High pressure switch $50 to $150. Loss of charge switch $50 to $150. Fan motor $250 to $500. Charge $150 to $400 including labour.
Labor
Two to four hours.
DIY or technician
Coil cleaning is fine. Anything involving refrigerant or the sealed system is licensed work.
Typical US part and labor ranges, 2026. They vary by region, model and contractor, so treat them as a planning figure, not a quote.
Scope of this code
- Code table
- Goodman and Amana APG13, GPG13, APG15 combined furnace and AC flash codes
- Models in scope
- Goodman APG13, 2000s
- Checked
- Confirm on your own unit
- Find the model number on the data plate, then check this code in the service manual for that model. Manufacturers revise code tables between model years, and a revised board can renumber a fault.