Hey everyone! I recently had my gas turned off while some work was done, and afterward, I managed to light the pilot on my water heater without any issues. It worked well at first, but later that night, I noticed there was no hot water. When I checked, the pilot light had gone out and now I can't get it to light again. I know gas is flowing into the house because I can hear and smell it when I bleed the line at the valve. The only other gas appliance I have is the furnace, but that's been off for about a month. Any ideas on what might be going wrong? Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
It's important to follow the relighting process correctly. You need to press that button to allow gas to flow while you ignite the pilot light. Keep holding it down for about 30-60 seconds for the thermocouple to heat up. If it’s damaged, replacing it is a pretty simple job you'd want to tackle.
It sounds like the thermocouple might be the issue. They're fairly easy to replace if you're comfortable working on it. Sometimes just cleaning it can help, but if it's bad, you’ll need a new one.
I tried that the first time. I waited for the light to blink indicating it's ready, but now I can't even get the pilot light to start at all. It lit once, but I can't see it igniting anymore.
Make sure to check the thermocouple, there should be a small plunger by the pilot light that needs to be held down for a bit to ensure the gas flows properly. If that doesn't work, you might consider calling your gas company; they usually come out to help for free!
I did that the first time! I was able to see the blue flame and everything, but it just went out after a while, and now I’m not seeing anything light up, even when I press down.