Gas Water Heater Pilot Light Out Dangerous

However this is much less of a scare in modern days.

Gas water heater pilot light out dangerous.

A button is pushed to temporarily supply gas to the pilot light. Tank type gas water heaters use a pilot light to ignite the gas burner when the water in the tank needs to be heated. Some of the possible serious reasons for pilot lights to go out include loose or broken gas valves thermocouples or heat exchangers faulty venting low gas pressure or high winds. If this pilot light ever goes out.

If you notice problems with your pilot light call a professional. Some of the most common reasons that water heater pilot lights go out include. Gas heater pilot light troubleshooting. When the pilot light goes out it does not leak carbon monoxide gas.

Your heater should easily hit the 10 year mark without any major issues. Relight the pilot light. If it senses that the pilot light has gone out the thermocouple shuts off the gas supply to the flame in order to prevent safety issues with your water heater. It s a small blue flame that burns petroleum gas to produce heat.

Gas heaters whether they warm up air or water in a home rely on a pilot light to trigger the flame of the actual heater. Usually the first warning that your pilot light has gone out is the cold. If your pilot light is out you might be worried about carbon monoxide poisoning. Can a pilot light outage be dangerous.

What is the pilot light. Reopen the shutoff valve. The pilot light is the heart of your water heater. Turn the control valve to on.

Very few manufacturers are capable of producing such high quality water heaters. 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. They are used on many gas appliances such as water heaters clothes dryers central heating systems fireplaces and stoves. However if the light goes out frequently there could be other issues.

So let s focus on gas pilot lights and some important safety tips. Your thermocouple is responsible for sensing when your pilot light is lit. You must have the pilot lit and the burner on to test for leaks so that gas is flowing through the large tube. As many know a pilot light is a small flame that is kept alight constantly in order to serve as an ignition source for a gas burner.

When the gas burner comes on use a 50 50 dish soap water mix to test the screw joints for air bubbles that indicate leaks. Once the thermocouple is hot the button may be released and the pilot light will stay on. The pilot light is lit with a match or long lighter. Test for gas leaks.

While you may not be able to get carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a pilot light shutoff you can get natural gas sickness which is similar.