QA

How Do You Know If Your Pilot Light Is Out

How to Tell If the Pilot Light Is Out Locate the front cover panel on your furnace. It should be a little door that’s easily visible. If your pilot light is on, it should be easy to see – your eyes will be drawn to the little flame. If you don’t see a flame, your pilot light is out. If there is a flame, check the color.

How do I get my pilot light back on?

Turn the valve to the “pilot” position. Press and hold the reset button. If the reset button fails, ignite the lighter. Hold down the reset button and bring a grill lighter or long match to the pilot light valve until the pilot ignites.

What happens if the pilot light goes out?

If your pilot light repeatedly goes out, this is a likely culprit. If this flame sensor should fail, gas will continue to flow even after the pilot light has been extinguished, causing a safety hazard, and requiring immediate repair.

How do you know if your pilot light is out on your furnace?

Remove the front cover panel on your furnace. This should expose the pilot, which simply looks like a small single burner, kind of like a candle or if you only had a single flame lit on a gas stove. If there is no flame, then the pilot is out.

Can a pilot light relight itself?

Relighting a pilot light may be possible, depending on the type you have. By design, an automatic pilot light does not need to be lighted or relighted; it turns on and off by itself. If an automatic pilot or igniter is failing to light the burners on your appliance, it typically needs to be replaced.

Do I need to turn gas off if pilot light goes out?

If the pilot light goes out on a storage or instantaneous hot water heater, space heater or a ducted heater, you will not have a gas leak. This is because all modern gas appliances with pilot lights have a fail-safe device that closes off the gas to the appliance in the case when the pilot may go out.

How do you know if you have a bad thermocouple?

If you can’t get the flame to light at all, and you’re sure the gas is on, there’s probably an obstruction in the pilot tube. If the flame lights and goes out when you release the gas control knob after holding it in for the recommended 20 to 30 seconds, that’s the sign of a thermocouple malfunction.

Should the pilot light always be on in a gas furnace?

If you have an older gas furnace, your heating unit relies on a little blue flame known as a pilot light to ensure ignition of the burners. Since the pilot light needs to remain active, your furnace is always consuming some gas.

Why is my furnace running but no heat?

Furnace filters Dirty filters are the most common cause of furnace problems. Dust and dirt restrict airflow—and if the filter gets too clogged, the heat exchanger will overheat and shut off too quickly, and your house won’t warm up. If the blower is running but no heat is coming out, replace the filter.

Can a pilot light going out cause carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is only produced when fuel of any type; oil, gas, wood or coal is burned. And a pilot light out of adjustment can produce carbon monoxide gas. The amount produced by even a badly maladjusted pilot is small because the flame size is also small.

Should I turn my pilot light off?

We recommend that you turn off your gas fireplace pilot light seasonally. Turning off your gas fireplace’s pilot light can save a substantial amount of energy and money. It is important to remember that not all gas fireplaces have “standing” pilot light, or, a pilot light that is “always on”.

How much does it cost to run a natural gas pilot light?

– Reduced energy costs The pilot light burns significantly less fuel than a fire but it can cost $8 to $10 a month if your fireplace is fueled by natural gas. If your fireplace is fueled by propane, it could cost up to $20 a month.

Can I turn my pilot light off?

Turn off the light. Often, turning off the pilot light is as simple as turning a knob to “off.” For other systems, you may have to push a small lever out of the way in order to turn the knob. Whatever you do, don’t force the knob. This could result in costly repairs.

How much does it cost to relight a pilot light?

Most service providers will charge a standard fee per visit that typically covers the cost to relight a gas water heater. This service call price can range from $80 to $100.

Do pilot lights waste gas?

Originally a pilot light was kept permanently alight, but this wastes gas. Now it is more common to light a burner electrically, but gas pilot lights are still used when a high energy ignition source is necessary, as in when lighting a large burner.

Is it OK to leave a gas fireplace on overnight?

Using Your Gas Fireplace at Night DON’T leave the unit on overnight. DO leave the flue open so that excess carbon monoxide is vented. The main concern with a gas-burning appliance is the exhaust of carbon monoxide and leaving the unit on overnight is simply risky.

How much natural gas does a pilot light use in a year?

Just how much gas does a pilot light consume? Most pilot lights will consume about 600 BTU’s of gas/hour. With 24 hours in a day, that’s roughly 14,400/BTU’s each day. Figuring 30 days, a pilot light will use approximately 432,000 BTU each month.

What is the most common problem with water heaters?

Water leaks are perhaps the most common type of water heater issue you’ll face. Any water heater will start to leak eventually, as by nature water will eventually corrode your tank and create microscopic cracks or fractures. However, this isn’t always a sign that your tank is what’s leaking.

What do you do when your boiler pilot light goes out?

If the pilot light has gone out, you’ll need to reset it following your manufacturer’s instructions. Newer boilers will have an ignitor, whereas an older boiler pilot light may require you to light a match for ignition. If you still can’t light your boiler, there could be debris blocking the jet.