Water Heater Pilot Light Thermocouple

The thermocouple is triggered by an electric current produced by the pilot light.

Water heater pilot light thermocouple. It s easy to replace and a new one costs 5 to 10. It s responsible for closing the gas valve when it senses the pilot light is off. Yesterday i replaced the thermocouple with a universal thermocouple and cleaned out the dust and soot from the burner area. Tank type gas water heaters use a pilot light to ignite the gas burner when the water in the tank needs to be heated.

1 cause of pilot lights that won t stay lit is a worn out thermocouple. The procedure for lighting a standing pilot always includes lighting the flame then manually holding in the gas valve to keep the flame burning and give the thermocouple time to heat up. If your hot water heater suddenly stops working chances are a bad thermocouple has shut off the gas to the pilot light. How to light the pilot for a gas hot water heater.

A faulty thermocouple or one that is simply dirty may consistently prevent the gas valve from opening or the pilot from staying lit. After installation i also did the detergent test to make sure the gas connections are secure and not leaking. A thermocouple senses the heat of the pilot and allows gas to flow to the burner. Once you re done put it back and light your water heater.

This voltage is used by the hot water heater thermostat to hold open a gas valve. Rather than trying to unfasten the thermocouple inside the water heater s burning chamber it s easier to remove the whole burner and thermocouple. This pilot light heats a thermocouple which generates a small voltage up to 30 millivolts. The flame should be blue and steady.

This equipment is the core reason why your water heater functions it also knows if the pilot light is on or off through an electric current that draws power from the pilot s heat. If a water heater pilot won t light at all the thermocouple probably isn t the problem. Replacement is an easy diy repair. If the pilot light goes out the thermocouple acts as a safety device by preventing the gas valve from opening and potentially filling the area surrounding the water heater with natural gas.

In newer appliances ignition may be achieved by a sparking device or a glow bar instead of a pilot light. The thermocouple is the brain of your water heater. In furnaces and water heaters and in some ranges and dryers the pilot light is accompanied by a safety device called a thermocouple a heat sensor that turns the gas off if the pilot flame is extinguished. If the pilot light blows out the voltage stops and the gas valve is automatically closed.

Once the thermocouple detects that the pilot light isn t lit it turns the gas off as a safety measure. The pilot in my gas water heater aquamax 205 has been going out sporadically over the last 2 weeks. Usually the first warning.