Disgruntled Pilot Light

What makes a pilot light not want to stay on? It's on our water heater. I relit it yesterday and it went out after a few hours.

Any help is much appreciated!

More than likely the thermal couple is faulty.
bj

Thanks guys for the quick replies. I googled thermocouple so I knew for sure what I was looking at. It's screwed to a bracket by the burner and connected to the control box...right? That's what I'm replacing?

Thanks again!

turn the gas off and be careful!



john

I got bit real bad after I discovered that a thermocouple will stay hot enough to keep the valve open even after the pilot has been out for awhile. I ended up with 2nd dgree burns on my hand. The HWH was leaking water into the burner. I found this out when I relit it and heard the sizzling. I shut it down turned it back on and then made the mistake of going at it with a match. Besides the flames that came out, scalding hot water shot of of the burner as well.

Greg,
The position of the thermocouple in the flame is key as well. The hottest part of the flame is actualy at the very tip where you sometimes can't even see the flame. It's not in the middle where some will place the thermocouple tip.

Petes right about the position also there can be soot deposits built up from flame impingment with the flame too close to the thermo coupling

tullfooter wrote: Another thought is down draft. You've had some serious winds where you are. If the stack doesn't have a rain/wind cap, wind can blow down the stack and blow out the pilot light. Sounds far fetched, but it happens. My buddy had this happen 5+ times until he had a cap installed. His wife would call me to light the her pilot each time.

You should have a draft diverter on the top of the HWH. Most are built into the tank itself but check.

My parents got a new gas hot water heater a few years ago and had a problem with the pilot light going out during the summer. The new one was closer to the ground than then old one and since it is in the attic and gets really hot up there during the summer, we live in Louisiana, the flame would use up all the oxygen in the small space underneath the hot water heater and go out.

Jtonor1 wrote: My parents got a new gas hot water heater a few years ago and had a problem with the pilot light going out during the summer. The new one was closer to the ground than then old one and since it is in the attic and gets really hot up there during the summer, we live in Louisiana, the flame would use up all the oxygen in the small space underneath the hot water heater and go out.

This happens when there is not enough "make-up air" in the room. In this application they are better off with a direct-vent gas heater or they need to install a fan to blow more fresh air into the room.

bhectus wrote: Jtonor1 wrote: My parents got a new gas hot water heater a few years ago and had a problem with the pilot light going out during the summer. The new one was closer to the ground than then old one and since it is in the attic and gets really hot up there during the summer, we live in Louisiana, the flame would use up all the oxygen in the small space underneath the hot water heater and go out. This happens when there is not enough "make-up air" in the room. In this application they are better off with a direct-vent gas heater or they need to install a fan to blow more fresh air into the room.

Or better yet, get some ventilation in that attic. Without any, there will be even bigger problems than just keeping a pilot light lit. Have you ever seen mushrooms growing on roof rafters??? The complete roof framing was nothing but rot!!! Some of the rafters came down in two pieces when they did the R&R.