Experiencing the pilot light of your water heater going out immediately after adjusting the temperature control dial can be both frustrating and concerning.
A reliable and consistent hot water supply is essential for daily activities, from bathing and cooking to cleaning dishes and doing laundry.
However, this problem can leave you wondering about the underlying causes and potential solutions.
The thermocouple likely needs to be replaced if you are able to light the pilot light, but it goes out when you release the knob.
About The Thermocouple
When damaged, the thermocouple loses its ability to regulate gas flow if it detects that the pilot light has gone out.
In addition to being bent out of position, thermocouples may malfunction, damage, or coat in dirt or carbon deposits.
All of these scenarios will result in the thermocouple being unable to accurately detect the pilot light, resulting in the heating not taking place.
Repairing this problem is more complex than fixing the first two, but it is usually inexpensive to replace the unit – less than $20 in some cases.
In this case, the piece looks like a copper tube and joins the control panel and the burner assembly behind the access panel. Turning off the water heater’s gas before disassembling anything is a good idea.
Using an adjustable wrench, detach the thermocouple tube, pilot light tube, and gas supply tube from the control panel; removing the burner assembly should be effortless.
Hint: Whenever you purchase a replacement thermocouple, make sure to take the damaged one along with you. These types and sizes vary widely.
Using the instructions above, replace the damaged thermocouple, reattach the tubes, and relight the pilot light.
More Troubleshooting Tips
From above the flame, look at the flue pipe, the flue pipe and the chimney for any blockages or flow restrictions like dirt, rust, soot, or even a bird getting into a flue pipe or chimney.
Unless you eliminate the burned gases, your flame will fade slowly as oxygen is depleted. Also, there is the possibility of having a bad heater control.
In any case, I would check the flu first. It is probably not the thermocouple that is faulty since thermocouples will still produce voltage after the flame has gone out.
Since I cannot access the bottom portion of the vent, and no visible issue can be seen on my water heater, diagnosing it is difficult.
You must remove the burner assembly for my American Water Heater to access the vent hole.
As I checked with my hand, I felt quite a bit of water inside. I removed about 1.5 gallons of water from the bottom with a shop vacuum and replaced the assembly. After a short period of time, operations returned to normal.
Filthy Pilot Light Opening Can Make the Pilot Light Keep Going Out
The mouth of the pilot will have trouble holding a flame if it has gunk and dirt in it.
In the event there is a flame, it will be weak and it will be easily extinguished. It is easy to lose the light of your pilot light by having a dirty pilot orifice.
Kink in the Flex Tube
The gas controller receives fuel from flex tubes. When gas is kinked or twisted in the tubing, it will not flow and will cause problems with pilot lights.
Other Troubleshooting Tips: What to Do When Your Pilot Light Goes Out
You might want to first sniff out a bigger problem: Are you smelling gas? If that happens, leave your house and call the gas company! In any case, keep reading to discover how you can correct the problem yourself.
Note: If your water heater has an enclosed burner chamber, you may have difficulty fixing it yourself; only a professional plumber should be able to open it.
When You See Your Pilot Light Out, You Can Usually Relight It
Snuffing out a pilot light in a vent pipe on a windy day or even in an open window only takes a little breeze.
It is typical for most water heaters to have instructions for relighting permanently attached to the side.
The access cover at the bottom of the water heater must be removed to relight the pilot. It is essential to have the control knob and the water temperature knob set to “Pilot.”.
When you depress the control knob, light the pilot light with a long match or wand lighter. For a full minute after the pilot ignites, hold the knob down to allow the line to bleed out any air.
When a water heater is equipped with an automatic igniter, the process of relighting is almost the same. When the pilot is ignited, you must push the striker knob repeatedly while depressing the control knob.
In some cases, relighting the pilot light may be all you need to do to restart your water heater. Follow one of the steps listed below depending on what happens after the pilot ignites:
Option 1:
It is necessary to clean the pilot orifice if the pilot light flickers and goes out soon after you relight it. Despite the simple solution, a dirty orifice hinders gas flow.
The first step is to turn off the gas to the water heater (look for a valve on the gas line connecting it to the heater). Using the left-hand twist, remove the pilot orifice fitting, which is located under the access cover.
After that, unscrew the orifice itself from the fitting. Using a cotton swab dampened in rubbing alcohol, clean all surfaces after disassembling the fitting.
Immediately after reassembling and reattaching the fitting, relight the pilot light.
Option 2:
It’s good to go as long as the flame remains lit! To enjoy a warm shower again, replace the cover plate, turn the control knob to “On,” and select the desired temperature on the water temperature knob.
Final Words
Starting a chilly morning with a cold shower can be extremely annoying. A pilot light that keeps going out might have just occurred to you.
Customers who install water heaters and discover they don’t last for several months are disappointed.
Can you expect your water heater to die on you? Absolutely not! There should be no major issues with your heater after the 10-year mark.
It is a good idea to check if your water heater is still covered by warranty if you are experiencing trouble. In that case, return the item to the supplier or manufacturer for repair or replacement.
Remember that if your pilot light keeps going out regardless of all your attempts, you should call in the big guns (technicians).
