Why does my pilot light keeps going out on my gas water heater?

If the pilot light goes out, the thermocouple senses the drop in temperature and signals for the gas valve to close. If you have a faulty thermocouple is the most common reason that your pilot light is malfunctioning. Over time your water heater will collect dirt, dust and other kinds of debris.

Why is my pilot light not staying lit?

The primary reason a pilot light won’t stay lit is simply equipment malfunction. If you’ve checked everything else and the light continually goes out, this is probably the cause. In this case, you may need to replace your pilot light. A pilot light can also keep going out because of a problem with the thermocouple.

Why does your pilot light go out?

However, if the light goes out frequently there could be other issues. Some of the possible serious reasons for pilot lights to go out include loose or broken gas valves, thermocouples or heat exchangers, faulty venting, low gas pressure, or high winds.

How do pilot lights work?

Pilot lights serve a fairly straightforward purpose in gas furnaces; they ignite the gas that’s flowing through the furnace in order to create heat. When the furnace is turned on, gas flows from a valve into the burner, where it is lit. A small amount of gas is also fed from a valve into the pilot light, which is how it keeps burning all the time.

The primary reason a pilot light won’t stay lit is simply equipment malfunction. If you’ve checked everything else and the light continually goes out, this is probably the cause. In this case, you may need to replace your pilot light. A pilot light can also keep going out because of a problem with the thermocouple .

However, if the light goes out frequently there could be other issues. Some of the possible serious reasons for pilot lights to go out include loose or broken gas valves, thermocouples or heat exchangers, faulty venting, low gas pressure, or high winds.

Pilot lights serve a fairly straightforward purpose in gas furnaces; they ignite the gas that’s flowing through the furnace in order to create heat. When the furnace is turned on, gas flows from a valve into the burner, where it is lit. A small amount of gas is also fed from a valve into the pilot light, which is how it keeps burning all the time.