I have a comfor glow space heater by Desa Corp. I know the thermocouple is bad. I can light the pilot manually & it will stay on most of the time & the termostat senses when to light the main burner. Lately the pilot has been going out. Should i clean out the pilot light w/compressed air?
2006-12-16 02:13:27 · 5 answers · asked by tomdashiell@sbcglobal.net 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I think changing the thermocouple will solve your problem with the pilot light going out.
2006-12-16 02:21:30 · answer #1 · answered by deg4853 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thermocouple is a safety device connected to the gas valve that senses when the pilot light goes out. In normal operation, when the pilot goes out, the thermocouple causes the gas to the pilot to be shut off. A malfunctioning thermocouple will cause the pilot to go out when it should stay on. I think you should check to see if the nut on the thermocouple is loose. If the nut is tight, then you had better replace the thermocouple. You can get them at most hardware stores, including Home Depot and Lowe's. Take the old one with you.
2006-12-16 02:34:29 · answer #2 · answered by Tech Dude 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the thermocouple is bad, you can get a replacement at a hardware store. We usually have to replace ours every year or so. we live on a dirt road and the high dust causes buildup on the thermocouple and it eats through causing the thermocouple to not register the heat, thereby turning off the pilot light. It does this as a safety measure, if you blow out the pilot light, the thermocouple will sense it and turn the gas off to the pilot so you don't have gas fumes.
if you do get a dust build up on the thermocouple, a bright orange amber buildup on the end of it, after you have replaced it, simply every day or so, turn off the pilot and blow it off with canned air. and then relight the pilot. This had greatly increased the life span of our thermocouples.
2006-12-16 02:25:32 · answer #3 · answered by sandrarosette 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I am not a specialist in this but I would say cleaning out the pilot light jet would be a good place to start. It would seem to me that you would have to clean it from the inside out, otherwise the stuff blocking the opening is still in there. Better call a professional to be safe.
2006-12-16 02:18:47 · answer #4 · answered by Karnak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you know the thermocouple is bad why not start there they are inexpensive, and it helps keep your pilot lit.
2006-12-16 02:21:00 · answer #5 · answered by pipemaster 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋