What to do when your pilot light does not stay lit?
When your pilot light will not stay lit for more than a few moments, turn the pilot light ON and be sure it is aimed at the thermocouple. If the pilot light is not aimed correctly, simply bend the thermocouple to line it up with the pilot tube.
Why is the pilot light on my gas fireplace not working?
If your pilot light ignites but won’t stay lit, then the problem is most likely related to your thermocouple, a metal sensor (about the size and shape of a sharpened pencil) that heats up by direct contact with the pilot light’s flame, telling your gas valve that the pilot light is lit so it’s safe to open the valve to let gas flow.
What happens when the pilot light goes out on a hot water heater?
When the pilot light goes out for any reason, the thermocouple closes the burner’s gas supply valve to prevent gas escaping and filling your house. When your pilot will not light or does not remain lit, you might be able to save the price of a service call by taking a few minutes to troubleshoot the problem.
Why is the pilot light on my Rudd furnace not working?
If your older furnace utilizes a pilot light that won’t stay lit, the thermocouple may be loose or faulty, the pilot orifice may be clogged, the pilot’s flame may be set too low, or the safety cutoff valve may be defective. The thermocouple is a copper rod that the pilot flame heats-up.
Why isn’t the pilot light staying lit?
The flex tube is how the gas reaches the device, and if the continuous flow of gas is interrupted, the pilot light won’t stay lit. This usually happens when the tube is kinked at one or many points. Check the flex tube: Check along the tube to straighten it, so there’s no obstruction to the flow of gas.
Why does your pilot light not light all the time?
Common Reasons Your Furnace Pilot Won’t Light. There are several possible reasons why your gas furnace pilot won’t light: an ongoing draft, a faulty thermocouple, an accumulation of dirt, or an inefficient supply. Ongoing Draft. Over the years, your pilot light may blow out periodically due to a strong draft during storm activity, or during times when there is a high wind.
Why is my furnace pilot not staying lit?
The most common reason the furnace pilot light won’t stay lit. Bad Thermocouple. A furnace thermocouple is a safety feature that regulates gas flow to your system based on whether the pilot light is on. In simple terms, the thermocouple checks to see if your pilot light flame is lit and turns off the gas flow if it senses that your pilot light is off, so you don’t have gas building up in your home.
Why you should turn off your gas fireplace pilot light?
Pilot OFF: No gas is being wasted so you are conserving energy and saving money! No heat is being generated by the pilot so the glass door on your fireplace will not be warm to the touch. With the pilot off, there are still trace amounts of gas molecules in the burner and pilot tubes of your fireplace.
What to do if pilot light on gas heater is not working?
Turn the thermostat to its lowest setting. Turn the gas knob to the OFF setting and wait 5 minutes to clear out any gas. If you smell gas, don’t continue to light the gas heater and call a professional heater repair person. Locate the the pilot so you will know where to put the fire when it is time to light the gas heater.
Can a thermocouple be bent away from the pilot light?
When it’s bent to a certain extent away from the pilot light, it’s no longer functional because it won’t be able to detect the heat. To fix this is also simple: bend the thermocouple back into its original position. Make sure to bend the thermocouple back so it’s close enough to the pilot flame so it lightly touches the thermocouple.
What does a pilot light on a water heater look like?
A pilot light is a small flame present to ignite the gas burner on your water heater. A functioning pilot light should appear blue in color, which can help you determine whether or not your pilot light is working.
What happens if the pilot light is not lit?
Once the thermocouple detects that the pilot light isn’t lit, it turns the gas off as a safety measure. An unlit pilot can also stem from a dirty thermocouple as the dirt may be obstructing the current signal, which would also lead to a gas outage.
Where is the pilot light on a gas heater?
The pilot light should be close to the gas burner tube, watch it closely. Ignite the flame with a long match while switching the knob to “pilot,” hold it in the position for 35 seconds. Once the pilot comes on, turn the knob back to “on.”
What should I do if my water heater pilot light won’t come on?
Ignite the flame with a long match while switching the knob to “pilot,” hold it in the position for 35 seconds. Once the pilot comes on, turn the knob back to “on.” If the above procedure proves futile, repeat the process, and elongate the waiting time to 60 seconds.
