what causes water heater pilot to go out
If you're not a technician yourself, and then I can imagine that at that moment, zilch is more abrasive than contesting with a pilot light that won't stay lit.
Asides from preventing the furnace from functioning correctly, it can also deny y'all the condolement of a steamy morning time shower. There are numerous reasons why your pilot light trips off over and over. We'll try to affect all the possible reasons why your heater is in such a situation.
Read till the finish of the blog, then yous can be informed of the reasons for the faults so yous tin can prevent them in the future. After discussing the causes, we will recommend some possible solutions that y'all tin utilise to set the problem.
Why Does Your Heater's Pilot Light Go on Going Off?
These are the most common reasons why your heater'southward airplane pilot light won't stay lit:
ane. Obstructed Thermocouple
Most recently manufactured water heaters function with the help of a thermocouple.
This equipment is the core reason why your water heater functions, it also knows if the pilot lite is on or off through an electric current that draws power from the pilot'due south heat.
Once the thermocouple detects that the pilot calorie-free isn't lit, it turns the gas off equally a safety measure out.
An unlit pilot tin can also stalk from a dirty thermocouple as the dirt may be obstructing the current signal, which would also lead to a gas outage.
Make clean your thermocouple: Yes, y'all can clean your thermocouple, but before you do this, confirm that the gas valve is off as you won't want to gamble letting it leak. The thermocouple can hands exist located and cleaned.
2. Bent Thermocouple
Asides from being dirty and grimy, the thermocouple can also go aptitude or bent to the point where it starts to lose the heat signal from the electric electric current.
In nigh cases, the thermocouple may have curved also far away from the pilot, which is problematic equally it won't be able to detect the oestrus signal.
Straighten your thermocouple: Normally, the flame is supposed to slightly touch the thermocouple so it tin annals the estrus. If you lot noticed that the thermocouple is bent, yous could prepare the problem by bending it back towards the pilot. Don't forget to wait for it to cool downwardly offset.
3. Damaged Thermocouple
Another reason why your pilot may be unlit may exist as a result of a broken thermocouple. If you cheque the thermocouple and it isn't dirty, grimy, or curved, it may accept been damaged.
To ostend your suspicions, remove the thermocouple and exam it with a multimeter.
Before removing the thermocouple, ensure the gas is turned off, and the thermocouple is cool. If the voltage it supplies is below xx MV, then information technology is damaged.
Damaged Thermocouple Solutions: Dealing with a broken thermocouple is somewhat techy, and as such, yous may require the expertise of a technician if yous're not ane. Thermocouples tin can be repaired if information technology is only slightly damaged. If it is besides desperately damaged, you lot may accept to replace it.
iv. Dirty Pilot Tube
Bold you lot accept checked the thermocouple and information technology's intact, another possibility why your water heater may be malfunctioning may be equally a result of a dirty pilot tube.
In instance you're wondering how this stops your tankless gas water heater from working, your airplane pilot tube may exist high-strung or totally blocked by dirt, and the gas will be unable to flow as it should.
Clean the pilot tube: In this case, your pilot tube needs thorough cleaning to function properly. After taking the necessary precautions, clean the pilot tube with a modest needle. Watch out for big objects as they might exist the biggest culprits. When y'all're done, test the heater on and see if the airplane pilot lite stays lit. If information technology doesn't, remove the tube and clean it again.
5. Flex Tube Defects
This also some other possible reason why your pilot's light won't come on. The flex tube is how the gas reaches the device, and if the continuous period of gas is interrupted, the pilot light won't stay lit. This unremarkably happens when the tube is kinked at one or many points.
Check the flex tube: Check along the tube to straighten it, then there'south no obstacle to the menstruation of gas. However, if this doesn't solve the event, you may demand to change the tube entirely. Before y'all resort to changing the tubes, ensure that you've conducted all other checks because flex tube problems are generally less frequent.
vi. Main Command Valve
A faulty main control can be the reason why the pilot light won't stay on.
This is some other issue that occurs less oft, and then you lot must eliminate other possibilities before assuming the error is from the main control.
If you lot're unsure, use your multimeter to bank check the controls.
Replace the command valve: Most times, if the control valve gets faulty, a technician will be able to repair it. Nonetheless, if you desire your h2o heater to last, and if yous wish to avert future expenses, then y'all should consider changing the master command valve entirely.
seven. Faulty Electric Organization
This issue is mostly attributed to electric h2o heaters.
This issue oft stems from the bad wiring of the internal devices. A wrongly wired electrical water heater tends to blow upward the fuse and shorten the circuits, which are the major bug an electric h2o heater experiences.
A faulty electrical system is often detected past a breaker shutdown, which causes the involuntary shutdown of the water heater.
How to set up: If y'all suspect that there is a error with the electrical wiring, call an expert to bank check the wiring. Practise not attempt to gear up it yourself if yous don't take adequate feel.
8. A faulty burner
If your water heater's burner is defective, then this is likely to affect ignition, which may cause the airplane pilot's light to go off.
How to fix: In almost cases, it is advisable to alter the burner entirely, but commencement you tin conduct some preliminary checks. 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 so back to meet if the burner ignites. If it doesn't, you should supplant information technology.
How to Re-Ignite the Pilot Low-cal
Every h2o heater comes with some instructions. Before you proceed with this step, you should exercise farthermost caution as you volition be dealing with gas. Switch your thermostat to heat style and get it upwardly to well-nigh fourscore degrees to keep it going. Wait for the pilot valve on your furnace and effort to locate the on/off knob, turn the knob to "off."
The pilot light should be close to the gas burner tube, watch it closely. Ignite the flame with a long friction match while switching the knob to "pilot," concord it in the position for 35 seconds. One time the pilot comes on, turn the knob dorsum to "on."
If the above procedure proves futile, repeat the process, and elongate the waiting time to 60 seconds. This is to make certain that the thermocouple gets hot enough to indicate the pilot low-cal to come on. This is otherwise known as bound-starting the thermocouple. If you repeat the procedure 5 times, and the issue is the same, then other issues might exist the cause.
Take reward of your warranty
In nigh cases, most water heaters tend to come with a 1 or two-year warranty. If your pilot light malfunctions during this period, you lot can always get back to where you lot bought it and become it fixed. This is uncommonly beneficial because, in well-nigh cases, they may replace any damaged equipment or replace the h2o heater entirely.
Hire a technician
If your water heater has exceeded the warranty menstruum and y'all've made all necessary checks and adjustments as suggested hither, this may be your just motion. While most homeowners might consider this a last resort, you should empathise that almost people are not DIY-inclined.
Likewise, dealing with gas and electricity is quite delicate, which is why you should be quite careful. Hiring a technician might incur extra expenses, but it might besides exist keeping you lot safety, which should exist a top priority.
On the plus side, hiring a technician or a handyman ensures that you don't impairment anything else, which will also cost more to fix. A technician likewise has the trend to detect any futurity problem and rendering some communication or tips to avert it.
Final thoughts
There are many things that could go wrong and cause your pilot light not to stay lit. The usual suspects, yet, are the thermocouple, pilot tube, flex tube, and main command valve. The suggestions in this blog should help yous fix these issues or at least help you understand the cause of the trouble.
If nothing works, you should hire a trained technician to fix the pilot calorie-free. Have you dealt with an unlit pilot situation before? We will honey to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Source: https://www.sunrisespecialty.com/water-heater-pilot-light-keeps-going-out
0 Response to "what causes water heater pilot to go out"
Post a Comment