Water Heater Pilot Light Thermocouple

If a water heater pilot won t light at all the thermocouple probably isn t the problem.

Water heater pilot light thermocouple.

Yesterday i replaced the thermocouple with a universal thermocouple and cleaned out the dust and soot from the burner area. The pilot in my gas water heater aquamax 205 has been going out sporadically over the last 2 weeks. In furnaces and water heaters and in some ranges and dryers the pilot light is accompanied by a safety device called a thermocouple a heat sensor that turns the gas off if the pilot flame is extinguished. It s responsible for closing the gas valve when it senses the pilot light is off.

The thermocouple is the brain of your water heater. 1 cause of pilot lights that won t stay lit is a worn out thermocouple. It s easy to replace and a new one costs 5 to 10. Usually the first warning.

Once the thermocouple detects that the pilot light isn t lit it turns the gas off as a safety measure. The thermocouple is triggered by an electric current produced by the pilot light. A faulty thermocouple or one that is simply dirty may consistently prevent the gas valve from opening or the pilot from staying lit. This voltage is used by the hot water heater thermostat to hold open a gas valve.

In newer appliances ignition may be achieved by a sparking device or a glow bar instead of a pilot light. Rather than trying to unfasten the thermocouple inside the water heater s burning chamber it s easier to remove the whole burner and thermocouple. If the pilot light blows out the voltage stops and the gas valve is automatically closed. How to light the pilot for a gas hot water heater.

Traditional gas hot water heaters maintain a pilot light 24x7. If the pilot light goes out the thermocouple acts as a safety device by preventing the gas valve from opening and potentially filling the area surrounding the water heater with natural gas. This equipment is the core reason why your water heater functions it also knows if the pilot light is on or off through an electric current that draws power from the pilot s heat. Tank type gas water heaters use a pilot light to ignite the gas burner when the water in the tank needs to be heated.

A bad thermocouple will shut off gas to both the pilot and the. This pilot light heats a thermocouple which generates a small voltage up to 30 millivolts. A thermocouple senses the heat of the pilot and allows gas to flow to the burner. Remove the burner assembly and detach the thermocouple.

The procedure for lighting a standing pilot always includes lighting the flame then manually holding in the gas valve to keep the flame burning and give the thermocouple time to heat up. After installation i also did the detergent test to make sure the gas connections are secure and not leaking. Once you re done put it back and light your water heater.