Why does my water heater pilot light keep going out?

Make sure to follow the directions on your water heater label. If your pilot doesn’t re-light, won’t stay lit or keeps going out after a short time, you most likely have an issue with the hot water heater thermocouple. This can happen with age.

What to do when your pilot light won’t stay lit?

Keep holding the gas knob or button down for a minute or so to ensure the pilot light gets plenty of gas flow. Slowly let go to make sure the pilot light stays lit. ONLY if you see that the pilot light is staying lit, turn the gas knob back to the On position. 2. Pilot Tube

Why does my gas water heater not heat my water?

Their annual energy costs are lower, they don’t stop working in a power outage, and they quickly heat water to the perfect temperature. But all of this relies on one thing that sometimes goes wrong: The pilot light. When a gas water heater pilot won’t stay lit, the water heater can’t heat the water inside the tank.

What should the reading be on a pilot light on a water heater?

The sensor at the end should lightly touch the flame when the pilot’s lit. In the event it has become bent away from the flame, gently bend it back. A thermocouple which shows no signs of damage and is clean should be tested with a multimeter. The reading should be above 20MV.

Why is my pilot light not staying lit?

The primary reason a pilot light won’t stay lit is simply equipment malfunction. If you’ve checked everything else and the light continually goes out, this is probably the cause. In this case, you may need to replace your pilot light. A pilot light can also keep going out because of a problem with the thermocouple .

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.

How do you troubleshoot a gas hot water heater?

If troubleshooting a gas water heater, make sure that the gas is on, then relight the pilot flame with a BBQ lighter at the base of the water heater. If troubleshooting an electric heater, make sure the heater is receiving electricity, then reset the thermostat by pressing down the red reset button on top of the thermostat.

How do pilot lights work?

Pilot lights serve a fairly straightforward purpose in gas furnaces; they ignite the gas that’s flowing through the furnace in order to create heat. When the furnace is turned on, gas flows from a valve into the burner, where it is lit. A small amount of gas is also fed from a valve into the pilot light, which is how it keeps burning all the time.

How does the pilot light work on a gas heater?

Once there is a need for heating (or call from a thermostat), a gas control valve releases the gas into the main burner, and the pilot light ignites the gas.

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.

What should I do if my gas water heater keeps shutting off?

If it is dirty, turn off the gas to allow the thermocouple to cool. You can then clean the thermocouple by gently sanding it with fine sandpaper. The thermocouple won’t work unless it is positioned to be in the pilot flame.

How does a pilot light go out on a water heater?

Some of the most common reasons that water heater pilot lights go out include: A faulty thermocouple. Your thermocouple is responsible for sensing when your pilot light is lit. If it senses that the pilot light has gone out, the thermocouple shuts off the gas supply to the flame in order…

How do I check the pilot light on my water heater?

Open the door/cover over the pilot light access. This will be located under the gas valve; some water heaters just have an open gap instead where you can see the pilot light burner. Use a flashlight or a headlamp to find the burner inside. Two small gas tubes will lead to it.

How do you light the water heater pilot?

Turn the gas knob to “Pilot,” press and hold it down. This will start the flow of gas so you can light the flame. Some water heaters have a separate button for pilot mode, usually a red one, which you’ll press and hold.

Why water heater pilot does not stay on?

When it will not stay lit it is a sign of a defective ‘thermocouple’. The thermocouple senses heat from the pilot light and sends a signal back to the gas valve. When they fail the gas valve will not open. See the discussion on ‘gas water heater thermocouples ‘ for more information.

How do you relight a pilot light on a water heater?

Relight the pilot light. Turn the control valve to “on”. When the gas burner comes on, use a 50/50 dish soap/water mix to test the screw joints for air bubbles that indicate leaks. Note: When relit, the water heater pilot light flame should wrap around the thermocouple bulb.

What to do if your pilot light wont work?

First, locate the thermocouple to clean it using a piece of sandpaper. Always remember to shut off the gas before you start cleaning and to make sure that your thermocouple is cool. If you’re thermocouple still doesn’t work after cleaning, the issue may be that it’s bent.

What does a yellow pilot light mean on a gas heater?

A typical and healthy pilot should burn with a bright blue luminosity, not a yellow or red. A yellow flame means that there is no sufficient air flow, that the gas combustion is not complete or the pilot tube is dirty. A flickering or wavering flame is an indication of the draft.

Why is the water heater pilot light keeps going out?

There are several things that can cause your gas water heater pilot light to keep going out. One of the most common is your thermocouple. If you are unfamiliar with what this device does, the thermocouple is a device in your hot water heater that uses an electrical current to determine whether the pilot light is on or not.

Can a thermocouple be replaced on a pilot light?

This fix isn’t difficult and, in most cases, a thermocouple can be replaced at a nominal cost and quickly — in less than an hour by a handy homeowner. However, your thermocouple may not necessarily be broken. If it’s dirty, then the electric current from the pilot may be disrupted and leads to a gas outage.

How do you change relief valve on Rheem water heater?

Flip open the relief valve to take any remaining pressure off the tank. Using a wrench, loosen the old valve by turning left/counter-clockwise. Wrap pipe tape clockwise around the new valve’s threads, and install it, tightening by hand until snug.

What kind of pilot light does gas water heater use?

Note that most of the older and economy gas water heaters are equipped with the pilot, while newer, advanced models utilize piezoelectric sparks or a hot surface igniter which is more durable and reliable.

Why does my water heater not turn on?

But the main burner won’t turn on because the electronics in the Gas Control Valve don’t acknowledge the pilot is lit. There are two likely faults: Circuit Board in the Gas Control Valve is defective. To test for case 1, use a multimeter to measure the Thermopile output. It should be at least 350mV. Here are instructions on how to do that:

Why does my water heater pilot light but not the burner?

If I understand correctly, your pilot flame is lighting correctly. But the main burner won’t turn on because the electronics in the Gas Control Valve don’t acknowledge the pilot is lit. There are two likely faults: Circuit Board in the Gas Control Valve is defective. To test for case 1, use a multimeter to measure the Thermopile output.

Why is my ge hot water heater not working?

Perhaps you’re here because when you turned on the shower this morning all you got was a blast of cold water. Not a good start to the day. Luckily, hot water heaters are fairly simple and don’t have a lot of moving parts.

What happens if the pilot light doesn’t stay lit?

If the pilot light won’t stay lit and the thermocouple is okay, then the thermostatic control valve may be defective. Replacement of this part should be performed by a trained gas technician. Need Help Finding Your Model Number? If your gas water heater doesn’t stay lit, you may have a defective thermocouple.

What to do if your water heater won’t stay lit?

Thermostatic Control or Gas Valve If your gas water heater doesn’t stay lit, you may have a defective control thermostat. This control is part of the gas valve assembly and normally has a dial that will allow for temperature adjustment and will also have a probe that monitors the water temperature.

What to do if your pilot light won’t stay lit?

If the pilot light won’t stay lit and the thermocouple is okay, then the thermostatic control valve may be defective. Replacement of this part should be performed by a trained gas technician.

How to turn on the blinking light on your water heater?

The basic method is: 1 Turn the knob to “Pilot Light” 2 Push in the knob and hold it in 3 Push the “Pilot Light” button next to the knob 4 Release the Knob

Why does my Propane water heater keep turning off?

The most common cause of this is the control board itself. The flame sense portion goes out and it won’t recognize the flame and then turns the gas valve off. Taking the board out for testing is easy and they just unplug.

What to do if your gas water heater is not lit?

Gas water heater: If your unit has a pilot light and it isn’t lit, follow the instructions in your user’s manual to relight the pilot using the BBQ lighter. If the unit has an electronic ignition and it won’t fire, the ignition might require replacing.

Why does my water heater flame keep going out?

The flame will go out if the tube is clogged with dirt or debris. Sometimes, the tube might be partially clogged and supplying very little gas for combustion- No wonder your pilot light keeps going out. The Solution: Thorough cleaning should do the trick.

Why is the pilot light on my water heater not working?

After cleaning, make sure you check on the thermocouple’s position. Also, check if it’s slightly bent. The thermocouple needs to be near the pilot light for it to receive heat and open the gas valve. If it’s too far away, heat will not be received and, therefore, an electric current will not be produced.

What to do if your hot water burner won’t ignite?

Turn on your hot water tap and wait for about 4 -5 minutes for the burner to ignite. If this fails, try switching to a lower temperature and then back to see if the burner ignites. If it doesn’t, you should replace it. Every water heater comes with some instructions.