All free standing pilots are approved by the American Gas Association. There is not enough leakage to create a hazard. Studies show that people will be able to smell gas when the amount is only one fifth of that needed to cause an explosion.
The current standards for gas cooking products took effect in 2012. The standard prohibits standing pilot lights in all gas cooking products whether or not they have an electrical cord.
In the end, keeping the gas fireplace pilot light on or off is a personal preference. The decision boils down to residual heat, gas usage, and the possibility of nesting spiders. Generally, we recommend turning off the gas pilot light during the summer months.
Keeping your pilot lights on when they are not in use can lead to high gas bills and unnecessary carbon monoxide gas in your home.
It will flow gas while not lit. It is typically safe to relight them. What you want to find out is why it went out. Often times they need to be cleaned, or adjust the pilot size with the pilot control valves. The pilot should be slightly taller than your ignition tube, and the burner should light quickly.
All free standing pilots are approved by the American Gas Association. There is not enough leakage to create a hazard. Studies show that people will be able to smell gas when the amount is only one fifth of that needed to cause an explosion.
A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which serves as an ignition source for a more powerful gas burner.
Safety. One of the main concerns about leaving the pilot light on during summer is the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be deadly if inhaled in high concentrations. The pilot light can produce carbon monoxide even when no fire is burning in the fireplace.
Most newer gas ranges and ovens don't have pilot lights. Instead, the gas is ignited by an electric ignition system. In this type of system, an element becomes hot and glows like the filament in a lightbulb when an electric current passes through it.
Is It Dangerous if The Pilot Light Goes Out? The worry here is that when a pilot goes out, the gas valve that supplies the fuel for the pilot flame could still be pumping gas. This can mean a buildup of gas, and when the pilot is relit or relights itself, it could result in a very serious explosion.
Pilot lights can be a source of carbon monoxide because the by-products of combustion are released inside the home rather than vented to the outside. Gas ovens and ranges should be monitored closely and kept in good working order.
How much gas does a pilot light require? Most pilot lights consume around 600 BTUs of gas every hour. If you leave your pilot light on for an entire day, it would roughly consume 14,400 BTU's every day.
Save Energy and Money – Don't Leave Your Pilot Light Always On. As the weather gets warmer, you will be using your gas fireplace less and less. Turning off your gas fireplace seasonally can save you a substantial amount of energy and money.
It's important to note that while pilot lights are less common in contemporary gas ranges, they are not entirely obsolete. When selecting a gas stove or oven, understanding the differences between pilot lights and electronic ignition systems is key.
Gas stoves need some kind of spark or ignition to start the burning processing. You may not have a pilot light but a heated element or a spark to ignition the gas.
The pilot light is a safety feature that ensures that the stove is always lit. It is designed to provide a constant flame in order to keep the stove lit and ready for use.
A fireplace pilot light might consume about 24,000 BTU per day, adding up to about 720,000 BTU a month, or 7.2 therms. If you're paying $1 per therm, then leaving the pilot light on all the time throughout a month might cost you around $7 per month and $84 per year.
Compared to cooking with an electric stove, cooking with gas also produces twice as much harmful particulate matter, which can have health impacts on the heart and lungs. Gas stoves can also release formaldehyde, a human carcinogen, and carbon monoxide, which is odorless and can be toxic in high concentrations.
Professional chefs are often known to use gas ranges at home. Having the luxury of high heat burners, extra large ovens and customizable options give them the flexibility to create large meals and entertain. Many professional chefs also opt for convection ovens that help them cook evenly across multiple racks.
It's common for spiders to build webs in burner tubes and pilot assemblies. The webs can obstruct the gas flow and cause the fireplace to malfunction. Some homeowners prefer to leave the pilot light on year-round to avoid this problem. It's easier to turn the pilot light off than to turn it back on.
Protect Your Fireplace
If your fireplace has glass panels, leaving your pilot light on for long periods of time (such as, say, over the summer) can cause sulfur buildup and permanently damage the glass. Additionally, an active pilot light can create moisture, which may collect inside the pipes and cause corrosion.
There are two basic rules for leaving a fireplace operating during the 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.
Standing pilot lights started to disappear in the 1980s, and now you'll mostly find them used on commercial equipment and not in residential heating systems, such as gas furnaces and stoves.
Gas stoves require both a gas line and an electric outlet. Electricity is required to power the clock and control panel, as well as the electric ignitor (modern gas stoves don't use a pilot light for ignition anymore).
Having the pilot light turn off is not automatically cause for panic. If it goes out, follow your manufacturer's instructions and determine whether relighting it is safe. If relighting is not safe, or if your pilot light keeps going out, call for help from a trained technician.