Why will my gas water heater not light?

If you have a natural or propane gas water heater, chances are the pilot has gone out. If the pilot doesn’t relight, if it goes out right after lighting or if it goes out repeatedly, by far the most common cause is a bad thermocouple.

What is the status light on a water heater?

A solid red status light means the water heater is shutting down. Turn the gas control valve OFF and wait 10 minutes before attempting to relight the pilot. The status light will flash more than once every 3 seconds if an error is detected.

What happens to my gas water heater during a power outage?

If your gas water heater uses a continuous gas pilot light, it is likely that your gas water heater will continue to function normally in the event of a power outage.

Why does my water heater pilot light keep going out?

If you cannot hear a subtle gas sound underneath, you may need to call a technician to troubleshoot your water heater. Reassemble the water heater and check back later if the pilot light keeps going out and if you have hot water.

What to do if your hot water heater is not working?

After checking each of these, if you still can’t find the reason why you have no hot water, it might be time to call a professional. If you have a gas heater, check to see if the gas valve is open.

How can I see if there is a flame under my water heater?

Depending on your water heater, you can actually see if there is a flame underneath the tank. Turn the pilot light knob onto “pilot”. Press down on the knob and hold down the ignite button for a minute to turn the flame back on.

Can a pilot light go out on a water heater?

Yes, the pilot light goes out after manually lighting. Unfortunately the water heater is a couple of hours away. Is there a way to check the gas flow at the pilot gas line. For some reason it feels like it is not getting enough fuel when I push in the pilot button to light.

What to do if your gas water heater is not lit?

Gas water heater: If your unit has a pilot light and it isn’t lit, follow the instructions in your user’s manual to relight the pilot using the BBQ lighter. If the unit has an electronic ignition and it won’t fire, the ignition might require replacing.

Why is my water heater light not working?

If you have a very weak pilot that will only light with a grill lighter (not the piezo igniter)then a dirty orifice is the most likely culprit. Poor gas pressure is another possibility but you’d need a gas pressure gauge (reads in inches of water column) or a manometer to check that.

Why is the gas valve on my water heater not opening?

It detects whether your pilot light is lit by generating a small electrical current powered by the heat of the pilot flame. The gas valve won’t open if it doesn’t sense the small electrical current produced by the thermocouple because it assumes the pilot light is off.