Water Heaters - Pilot light could not be lit up
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Pilot light could not be lit up
lucsy
06-03-08, 04:47 PM
Hi,
My water heater was working fine. It was deliberately turned off recently. Currently, the problem is I cannot light up the pilot light anymore.
In the past I had a similar but different problem. At that time, the pilot could be lit but it did not remain lit due to a faulty thermocouple. I fixed that by replacing the thermocouple.
Can someone offer any advices?
Thank you in advance,
lucsy
My water heater was working fine. It was deliberately turned off recently. Currently, the problem is I cannot light up the pilot light anymore.
In the past I had a similar but different problem. At that time, the pilot could be lit but it did not remain lit due to a faulty thermocouple. I fixed that by replacing the thermocouple.
Can someone offer any advices?
Thank you in advance,
lucsy
594tough
06-03-08, 06:05 PM
In a similar situation just last weekend, I could not relight my own pilot. I disassembled the pilot burner. In the connection where the 1/4" aluminum tube connects to the pilot burner nozzle, is an orifice with a VERY small hole in it. I blew that out, and it worked right away. Some little spec of something got in there while I had the gas lines disconnected, or was dislodged just from me banging on the water heater with a 24" wrench@!
lucsy
06-04-08, 12:40 AM
Hi 594tough,
Your story gave me an idea. I will try to check the small section of the gas line connecting to the pilot light for any obstruction.
Thank you for your response.
lucsy
Your story gave me an idea. I will try to check the small section of the gas line connecting to the pilot light for any obstruction.
Thank you for your response.
lucsy
lucsy
06-04-08, 04:39 PM
Hi 594tough,
Thanks to your help, I fixed the problem. That hole was tiny and was plugged.
Would you like to know how it was plugged? ... No ... I did not bang on the water heater with a hammer or anything like that. ... Ok, here goes my confession. It was rather bizzarre. Hopefully, I will not make this mistake again. Usually people use a long match stick to light up the pilot. I did not have such sticks. I thought I was clever. I used a long candle to do the task. Guess what! The candle wax was the culprit. Somehow, it plugged up the tiny hole preventing gas from passing through! I could not figure it out the cause of the problem. :wall: Your story reminded me to open up the gas line and inspected it. So, :thumbup: to you.
lucsy
Thanks to your help, I fixed the problem. That hole was tiny and was plugged.
Would you like to know how it was plugged? ... No ... I did not bang on the water heater with a hammer or anything like that. ... Ok, here goes my confession. It was rather bizzarre. Hopefully, I will not make this mistake again. Usually people use a long match stick to light up the pilot. I did not have such sticks. I thought I was clever. I used a long candle to do the task. Guess what! The candle wax was the culprit. Somehow, it plugged up the tiny hole preventing gas from passing through! I could not figure it out the cause of the problem. :wall: Your story reminded me to open up the gas line and inspected it. So, :thumbup: to you.
lucsy
plumbingods
06-04-08, 05:31 PM
You know, I have lit a lot of pilots but never thought to use a candle. Now I thank you for showing me why.
A good item to use is those long lighters we use for lighting our grills. everyone should have one in the cellar or junk draw.
A good item to use is those long lighters we use for lighting our grills. everyone should have one in the cellar or junk draw.