Reasons Your Water Heater Pilot Light Won’t Stay Lit

Not many people want to step into the shower only to get startled by a blast of ice-cold water. If there’s no warm water, you’d want to address it as soon as possible. However, if your gas water heater depends on a pilot light to operate and if it won’t stay lit, you might be wondering why.

The experts at A.M. Plumbing & Rooter are always ready to provide water heater repair in Temecula, CA, when this problem happens in your home. Find out the reasons why the pilot light on your unit won’t come on, so you can take steps to prevent it in the future:

Faulty Thermocouple

A broken thermocouple can cause the pilot light of your hot water heater to go out. It manages the gas flow into the unit. It opens the valve when the pilot light is on, letting gas inside the water heater, then closes the valve when the light goes out. However, the thermocouple wears out over time until it can no longer detect the flame. You can count on our team to replace it to get your water heater running again.

Dirt or Blocked Thermocouple

The thermocouple can also get blocked by dirt, impairing its ability to detect the pilot light in your traditional or tankless water heater. If you light up the pilot light and the thermocouple is gunked up, it will only shut off the gas. In turn, the pilot light will go out. Cleaning the thermocouple can fix the problem, but it’s best to have an expert do the job because this component is too fragile.

Bent Thermocouple

The pilot light on your water heater won’t stay lit if the thermocouple is bent too far away. If this is the case, try to carefully bend it back. If this doesn’t solve the issue, get in touch with us for water heater services.

Bent Flex Tube

Your water heater installation relies on the flex tube for gas supply. However, the flex tube may get kinked or damaged over time, impeding fuel flow. This results in the pilot light not staying lit.

Malfunctioning Automatic Igniter

Automatic igniters create a spark that ignites the gas and lights up the pilot flame. They deteriorate with age until they no longer emit a spark. This issue is easy to recognize—if there is no spark, use a match or stick lighter to light up the pilot.

If the pilot light on your water heater won’t stay lit, contact A.M. Plumbing & Rooter, and we’ll address the problem immediately. Schedule an appointment today.