Your unit's pilot light is always burning when the unit is on. If the pilot light goes out, the gas will stop flowing and your unit will shut off.
The thermocouple's job is to shut a gas safety valve if the pilot light goes out. That's important because gas is always being supplied to the pilot to keep the flame lit. But if the pilot flame goes out, then the gas would still be released. After a while, the gas could collect in your home and become a health hazard.
The pilot light on most water heaters can be found at the base of the unit just under the gas control valve. Open the access door or panel to the burner chamber and take a look inside. You should be able to see the pilot light tube. If there's a steady blue flame, your pilot light is operational.
The pilot light, however, is an actual old-fashioned flame inside your furnace. This flame is supplied by your gas line and should always be lit.
A basic water heater will run three to five hours a day to keep its tank heated 24/7. That's going to cost you.
Instead of a constant flame, an intermittent pilot only lights when the unit needs to burn gas. Whenever the unit needs to start heating, the pilot automatically turns on and then shuts off again as soon as the heating cycle is complete.
Cycling occurs when the demand load on the heater is less than the minimum firing rate of the water heater. In other words, if the BTUH required to bring the water temperature up to the set point is less than the minimum BTUH that the water heater can operate at, the heater will keep turning on and off.
A pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas emanating from the gas valve and the main burner. The pilot light is commonly seen in water heaters, fireplaces, and older or low-cost furnaces. Your unit's pilot light is always burning when the unit is on.
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.
However, it's important to understand the risks of turning off your pilot light. Gas leaks and explosions are just two of the dangers that can occur when your pilot light is turned off unexpectedly. Instead, it's always best to leave the pilot light on when you're not home.
Because of its heavy workload, it is important to keep an eye (or ear) on how the water heater is functioning. While it is not uncommon for a water heater to make noise, sounds such as humming, knocking, screeching, or tapping should be addressed to rule out the need for repairs or replacement parts.
Generally, it's best to keep your water tank full and heated throughout the year. You can turn off your water heater when it is done safely, but only do this when you have a problem or if the tank won't be heated anytime soon. Turning off your water heater to save on energy bills is not usually recommended.
In a power outage, anything that runs exclusively off electricity will not work. Gas powered water heaters however, will continue work and heat your water, because the gas is not connected to your electric system.
In the average home, the water heater will run for about three hours each day. Total run time can range from one to two hours for new tankless water heaters to five or more hours for older tank style water heaters.
If you are going to do maintenance on your water heater such as flushing your water heater, you should turn off your pilot heater to prevent heating an empty tank or if you are leaving for vacation or leaving the house vacant for a long time, it may be beneficial to turn of the pilot light to save energy cost and to ...
The pilot tube often becomes clogged with debris, and this will prevent gas from flowing to the pilot light. If there is no gas, the pilot obviously won't ignite. If you suspect that the pilot tube is clogged, you can use a needle or thin piece of wire to try to clean it out and remove any debris.
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.
Note that it is totally normal on automatic pilots (pilots that do NOT stay lit all the time) to smell a little natural gas when the are first turned on. A little gas will escape as the pilot and burners light on your heat or appliance.
The Cost of Relighting the Pilot Light
Additionally, a pilot light can blow out over time. A plumber can help reignite the pilot light. They will charge you an hourly fee of $40 to $150. This is usually a fairly brief project, and may just take an hour.
No Hot Water - Gas Water Heater - Remove the inner and outer burner access covers and check to see if the pilot light is lit. * Caution: Most modern water heaters no longer use standing pilots. They use electronic ignition to ignite the gas. Do not attempt to manually light an electronic ignition system.
How Long Will It Take to Get Hot Water Again? The average gas heater takes between thirty and forty minutes to heat a full tank of water. The exact time depends on the capacity. For comparison's sake: An electric heater takes at least an hour, usually up to 80 minutes, to warm up.
Is your gas water heater not hot enough? If you find yourself in this situation, there are usually three common culprits: a broken dip tube, a buildup of sediment in your tank or a malfunctioning heating system.
If your gas water heater keeps turning off, the problem most likely lies with the thermocouple. This vital component detects when the pilot light is lit and then allows gas to flow to the burner. A faulty thermocouple will shut off gas to the burner as well as the pilot.
If you have a faulty thermocouple is the most common reason that your pilot light is malfunctioning. Over time your water heater will collect dirt, dust and other kinds of debris. Build up on your thermocouple can cause a malfunction. This is and easy fix, simply let it cool down and brush off the dirt or debris.