Water Heater Pilot Light Will Not Stay Lit

If you have a natural or propane gas water heater chances are the pilot has gone out.

Water heater pilot light will not stay lit. The water heater pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas burner on your water heater. Thankfully a dirty pilot tube is the easiest issue to fix. When troubleshooting the pilot light problems such as when it does not stay lit keep in mind that there are often different causes for this and other conditions. As a result the pilot doesn t get enough fuel to stay lit.

This control is part of the gas valve assembly and normally has a dial that will allow for temperature adjustment and will also have a probe that monitors the water temperature. If your pilot doesn t re light won t stay lit or keeps going out after a short time you most likely have an issue with the hot water heater thermocouple. This can happen with age. Check the flex tube.

If there is no gas or gas pressure is too high or low check with your utility company to see if there is any work on the system. The gas supply to the pilot assembly is controlled by this valve. The pilot light will not remain lit. This can happen with age.

This device is central to the operation and can tell if the pilot light is on or off by an electrical current that is powered by the pilot s heat. The flex tube is how the gas reaches the device and if the continuous flow of gas is interrupted the pilot light won t stay lit. Dirt and debris can collect in the pilot tube causing the flow of gas to be blocked. When a propane heater won t stay lit often what is happening is that the propane heater may sense that the flame is defective in some way triggering the propane heater s safety functions and causing it to shut off.

The problem may be a genuine defect or it could be an issue with the sensor. Most water heaters operate with a thermocouple. Whenever the thermocouple detects an unlit pilot it turns off the gas as a safety precaution. When the water heater pilot light goes out first try relighting it following the directions on the water heater label.

If your gas water heater doesn t stay lit you may have a defective control thermostat. Why a water heater pilot light won t stay 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. This is also a likely cause if the pilot won t ignite at all.