Gas Hot Water Heater Pilot Light Keeps Going Out

These types of heat appliances utilize pilot lights to light the main burner.

Gas hot water heater pilot light keeps going out.

That s important because gas is always being supplied to the pilot to keep the flame lit. If you have a natural or propane gas water heater chances are the pilot has gone out. This can happen on excessively windy days or nights. The thermocouple s job is to shut a gas safety valve if the pilot light goes out.

If your pilot light re lights easily after going out overnight it s possible it was blown out by a draft. The flame will go out if the tube is clogged with dirt or debris. But if the pilot flame goes out then the gas would still be released. A leak in the output duct of the furnace could cause air to blow into the area.

5 improper air flow or a strong draft blows the pilot out. The water heater pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas burner on your water heater. When the water heater is first lit a valve releases gas into the burner and the pilot light ignites that gas. The pilot tube supplies gas to the pilot light for combustion.

The pilot light is the tiny gas flame that is responsible for providing power to your gas hot water heater. This will cause the thermocouple to turn off the supply of gas and then your water heater won t light. If the pilot keeps going out the burner won t turn on and thus the water won t be heated which makes troubleshooting an important aspect of water heater maintenance. After about 30 seconds heat from the ignited pilot light flame activates a simple electrical switch called a thermocouple which ensures that the gas supply to the pilot stays open and your water heater keeps functioning.

After a while the gas could. Thorough cleaning should do the trick. The pilot going out is a common occurrence for those that have water heaters or older gas furnaces. To avoid your water heater going out bend the thermocouple so it is closer to the pilot light.

If the pilot light on your water heater keeps going out then you can expect no hot water for your household. When the water heater pilot light goes out first try relighting it following the directions on the water heater label. That can turn into a nuisance for both maintaining heat or hot water. This will prevent the pilot light from heating it.

Sometimes your gas water heater won t light due to a dirty pilot tube.