82 flashesBradford White · Ultra Low NOx D series gas · Water Heater

Bradford White Ultra Low NOx D series gas error code 82 flashes

Temperature sensor fault

Needs attention soon

Also written as eight-two, 8-2, eight two flashes

Quick answer

On Bradford White Ultra Low NOx D series gas, 82 flashes is a fault. It means temperature sensor fault. A first thing to check: Damage to the temperature sensor wire.

Applies to: Bradford White Ultra Low NOx D series gas; Bradford White Ultra Low NOx residential D series gas codes · Water Heater
Type of code: Fault; Urgency: Needs attention soon
First safe check: Power off at the breaker, then look at the sensor wiring where it runs from the control to the tank for a break, a pinch, or a chafe point.

Checked 2026-09-26

What 82 flashes means on this model

The sensor reporting tank temperature is not giving a reading the control can trust, either because its resistance is out of range or because the wire to it is damaged. The unit stops rather than run on a temperature it cannot measure.

Symptoms you will notice

Eight-two flashes, then a three second pause
No hot water at all
Water temperature swings wildly if the unit does run
Code appears immediately after power is restored
Problem started after work on the tank or the control

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:

Damage to the temperature sensor wire
Temperature sensor resistance out of range
Sensor connection disturbed when the control or the tank was serviced
Failed sensor

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.

Power off at the breaker, then look at the sensor wiring where it runs from the control to the tank for a break, a pinch, or a chafe point.
Confirm the sensor is fully seated in its thermal well or on the tank as the design intends, and that it has not been painted over.
Look for a coating of scale or paint on the outside of the tank at the sensor location.
Note whether the code appears on every power-up or only occasionally, which points at a wiring fault rather than a failed sensor.

Do not do these

×Do not measure sensor resistance with the control connected to the mains.
×Do not clamp the sensor to the tank with paint or tape as a repair. The sensor has to stay in thermal contact with the metal in the way the design intends.
×Do not substitute a thermistor from another model. The resistance curve is specific to the control.

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.

A technician job. The measurement has to be made with the unit isolated and the result compared against the control specification.

What it costs to fix

Parts

Temperature sensor $30 to $90. Gas control $150 to $350 if the sensor is integral.

Labor

One to two hours to replace the sensor or the control.

DIY or technician