Obstructed Thermocouple. Test for Gas Leaks. The first thing you should do when faced with fireplaces that won’t stay lit is to make sure your pilot light is lit. We use cookies to improve and personalise your browsing experience, to perform analytics and research, and to provide social media features. 8 Reasons Why Your Water Heater Pilot Light Won’t Stay Lit 1. Gas fireplace won’t stay lit, but the pilot light does The pilot light in your gas furnace supplies heat to your home. I own a Vulcan 6 burner. Relight the pilot light. When I do get the pilot flame to stay on and turn the oven on immediately when it reaches temp it shuts off. If the pilot light won’t stay lit and the thermocouple is okay, then the thermostatic control valve may be defective. If it is directly in the flame and it won’t stay lit then the thermocouple is probably defective and needs to be replaced. If the gas fireplace shuts off after a few minutes, it's pretty much always going to be a pilot head issue, or a valve issue. A pilot light is connected to a gas line, which keeps it continuously aflame. The pilot is a nice blue and shoots out in three directions. Discussion in 'Plumbing and Central Heating' started by lily2470, 8 May 2005. lily2470. Replacement of this part should be performed by a trained gas technician. If the pilot light will not stay lit, it needs to be fixed ASAP to supply heat to your home and for safety reasons.There are numerous things that may make the pilot light on your furnace to not stay lit. When the pilot light won’t stay lit, the gas may still escape from the pipe. Bad Thermocouple. The gas regulator wants at least 250 mV DC to keep the pilot lit and 400 for the main burners. If it isn't there and the probe that is in the pilot's flame is clean, the pilot generator needs replacing. Sometimes your water heater pilot light won’t stay lit no matter what you do. My pilot light wont stay lit. If you want to troubleshoot the problem, first you need to understand the workings of a furnace ignition system. 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. Take note that it’s the pilot head, not the thermocouple. If the pilot light in the Heat & Glo will not stay on, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem, so you can then correct the issue and keep the pilot light lit. Make sure that you are holding the safety on for at least a full minute. When a gas water heater pilot won’t stay lit, the water heater can’t heat the water inside the tank. Pilot lights have a safety valve, which should cut the gas when the light goes out. Turn the pilot dial (Dial on the top) to the pilot … Turn the thermostat dial (Dial on the front) back to zero. To troubleshoot a Napoleon gas fireplace that will not stay lit, check the drip loop, the pilot light, the thermocouple and the gas valve to ensure all components are clean and working before replacing. 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. Here are some common problems that can lead to a pilot light not staying lit. You can quickly know if the pilot light is on or off with the help of an electrical current, powered by the pilot’s heat. If after a full minute, the flame goes out when you let go of the safety, the pilot may be dirty. Now the pilot won't stay let again this is very upsetting. The instructions do not say what to do if this happ. Turn the control valve to “on”. I replaced the thermocoupler and the gas valve with a new valve (ITT General Controls B67RA56) and nothing different, it still won't stay lit. The most common reason the furnace pilot light won’t stay lit. See below a … MY GAS FURNACE WON’T STAY LIT! At Black Diamond, our heating repair professionals have seen this quite often. For more information about life expectancy, read this article entitled how long do water heaters last? In the modern furnace, that is in the form of a pilot light. The easiest way to tackle this home project is to abrade the rod with fine-grit sandpaper lightly. Hi. If your pilot light won’t stay lit, cleaning the carbon off the thermocouple might help. Furnace Pilot Light Keeps Going Out. If this still doesn’t solve your problem, you may want to consult a professional. I follow the instructions as described on the panel. Pilot lights can be found on furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, ranges, ovens and other appliances. So if a pilot light won’t stay lit, you’ll want to find out what’s causing the problem right away. Pilot Light won't stay lit. The thermocouple is a small metal probe which is placed in the direct line of the pilot flame. I also have a wall switch that I normally don't turn on until after the pilot stays lit on its own but I tried turning it on while trying to light the pilot but it did help any. Once you have identified the problem you need to ensure that the issues have been fixed by a professional technician. The idea of this device is “Flame Failure” warning ie:safety device. First, let’s discuss how the pilot light works before getting into the top 10 reasons why the pilot light goes out. Make sure to follow the directions on your water heater label. The initial flame of the pilot heats the thermocouple, which will signal the valve to stay open and keep the pilot lit and the propane heater functioning. A thermocouple is a safety device and is a component of the ignition system. Then, when you watch your furnace you can find where the problem is happening. Ive followed all the intructions to relight boiler and it still wont stay lit. Check the flex tube: Check along the tube to straighten it, so there’s no obstruction to the flow of gas. This can happen with age. Instead of feeding a fire, though, it goes into your home. Note: You must have the pilot lit and the burner on to test for leaks, so that gas is flowing through the large tube. An operational pilot light in your furnace means safety from the possibility of a gas leak. Updated: Apr 23. I suspected the thermocouple and replaced it, but this didn't fix the problem. Step 1 Verify the pilot flame is touching the thermocouple. It is most likely related to the thermocouple. How the Gas Pilot Light Functions and 10 Reasons Why the Pilot Light Goes Out or Won’t Stay Lit! This usually happens when the tube is kinked at one or many points. The most frustrating thing is that there are times when the water heater pilot light won’t stay lit and therefore it could need you to troubleshoot the problem and fix it. The pilot is typically located inside fireplaces on one side close to the wall. If you follow these simple steps and still have issues maybe its a bit more than just the pilot light. When I hold in the pilot button to light it, it does light but when you release it the flame goes out. If the gas fireplace pilot light will not stay lit, troubleshooting common problems can … This started occurring after I did some gas plumbing and had to relight the pilot. Light the pilot and hold. 80% of the time the thermocouple causes the pilot light to not stay lit, because it's not directly in the flame when it is being lit. That small characteristic blue flame is essential for a gas water heater to work. There are many components that make the pilot light work, and when they don’t function properly, your furnace won’t stay lit. Most water heaters need a thermocouple. Its purpose is to not allow the gas valve to open if the pilot light isn’t lit. 2. You might be amazed to find out that the most straightforward fix for this is to light your pilot. Last edited: Dec 10, 2014 A furnace thermocouple is a safety feature that regulates gas flow to your system based on whether the pilot light is on. If the thermocouple is too far from the flame, this can cause the pilot to go out and shut down the propane heater; you can fix this easily by moving the thermocouple closer to the flame. The cooktop is fine, but the oven pilot will not stay lit. A Broken or Damaged Thermocouple – In this instance there is something wrong with the equipment and a technician would be required to replace or repair the thermocouple in order for your pilot light to stay lit again. The pilot won't stay lit on my furnace, when I release the button it just goes out. My Boiler’s Pilot Light Won’t Stay Lit! 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. Do This When The Gas Fireplace Pilot Light Won’t Stay 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. 1. I have a Gas Wall Heater and the pilot won't stay lit. Reopen the shutoff valve. Joined: 8 May 2005 Messages: 3 Thanks Received: 0 Location: Wiltshire Country: Came back from 2 week holiday to find pilot light on my Stelrad Ideal WLx Boiler had gone out. If your pilot light won't stay lit, this can be for a few different reasons: the thermocouple, the gas pressure or the light itself. I've used this furnace for over 15 years without replacing the thermocouple. If you have made several attempts to light your pilot and it does not light or stay lit, you may not be holding the safety in long enough. If the pilot light on your gas fireplace won’t stay lit, a very likely culprit is a component called a thermocouple. Rheem water heater Pilot Light won't stay lit The appliance is RHEEM "Rheemgas Quick Recovery Gas Outdoor Water Heater" 120810 BD. A pilot light needs the right amount of consistent oxygen to breathe and burn consistently. Water Heater Pilot Light Keeps Going Out? While other parts of the country are preparing for warmer weather in the coming weeks—and prepping your air conditioner for summer now is a great idea—we are still dealing with chillier temps in our area, especially at night. I've had this unit since I bought my house 12 years ago and would have been installed way before that. It just that the pilot won't stay lit long enough so that I can turn the knob to ON. Standard gas log sets are fairly simple. The pilot light is flanked on both sides by a piece of the lighting system. The gas supply to the pilot assembly is controlled by this valve. 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