hey guys, the pilot light went out in my water heater. how do i relight it, without blowing myself up? not to fond of cold showers. which i had to take this morning. brrrrrrrr.
2007-09-07 06:04:42 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
thanks to all, but i just found out that idiot didn't pay the freakin bill.
2007-09-07 12:56:24 · update #1
You will have to read the instructions on the heater. They give specific steps for lighting the pilot light, where to hold 'long match' and how long to hold the gas valve in the correct position to heat up the thermocouple. If it won't stay lit then get a repair person to have a look.
2007-09-07 06:19:44 · answer #1 · answered by frozen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Twould be a good idea to have someone who knows something about it to have a look at it. The pilot should not have gone out unless there is some problem, or the gas was turned off. If the are is coroded, it may be time to repair or replace the entire unit. Water heaters are about 2 to 3 hundred dollars, but when the go bad they will not only leave you cold, they can leak unlimited amounts of water into your home and ruin everything in its' path. I have never seen a water heater that did not have instructions on how to light it though. Just be careful, the gas will have a smell, but it should be very faint since the pilot only emits a small amount. Don't worry about an abundance of gas, the valve that controls the amount of gas only works when the pilot is lit. If the pilot went out, no gas should have leaked out, if it did then your valve is junk and you should definitely get a new heater. Good luck.
2007-09-07 15:41:42 · answer #2 · answered by Daniel K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Should be instructions on the heater. Usually, if you have a manual non-electric pilot light, open or remove the plate to get access to the pilot flame area, turn the gas valve on the heater back to the pilot position, light a long match or piece of rolled up paper, hold the lit match over the pilot flame area by the thermo-couple tube and push down on the gas valve to light the pilot---pilot should light...hold the gas valve down for a minute until the thermo-couple by the pilot heats up, then release the gas valve and turn to the on position--pilot should stay lit....if not, repeat. With an automatic sparker-type pilot, you don't need a match, just turn the gas valve on the heater back to the pilot setting, push down and press the ignitor button until you see the pilot light through the little window of the heater, hold the gas valve down for a minute and then turn to the on position. If you smell a strong odor of gas, DO NOT CONTINUE---open the doors and call a heating guy from outside the house or at a neighbors. Might just want to call them anyway---gas is not something to play with if you're unfamiliar with it.
2007-09-07 13:21:51 · answer #3 · answered by paul h 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would call a tech. out to the home from the gas company on a heater with a continuous pilot like this gas continues to leak from the blown out pilot, natural gas is heavier then air so it doesn't ventilate well esspecially in basements so it accumulates, left for long enough this can be extremely dangerous, so as soon as possible would be good.
2007-09-07 14:20:41 · answer #4 · answered by silencetheevil8 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just turn it too the light pilot mode. Push it and hold it. Light it and continue to hold the button for a minute until the thermocouple is warm enough to keep the pilot tube open on it's own.
2007-09-07 14:17:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
open the trap door on the bottom front, you will probably have to move it side to side or up and down to get it to open.then there is a silver door inside ..take that oof also.turn the red dial to piolet and push the red button down and hold it down and light it at the end of the thermol couple
http://www.meltemgas.com/byk_ur/thermocoup.jpg all you will see inside is what is on the far right in the picture .once the piolet lights then you have to hold it down for one minet otherwise it will keep going out.
2007-09-07 13:48:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
somewhere at the bottom of the water heater is a red button there should be directions next to the button on how to light it.
2007-09-07 19:45:54 · answer #7 · answered by Spanky 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now that is funny right there. I don't care who you are. Not your cold shower, but the reason it went out.
2007-09-07 22:24:35 · answer #8 · answered by John himself 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are not comfortable lighting it yourself the gas company may send someone to light it for you. It is a free service where I live.
Bert
2007-09-07 13:17:12 · answer #9 · answered by Bert C 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If its not to old it should have an electronic lighter on it, look for the button that would light it.
2007-09-07 13:13:56 · answer #10 · answered by billy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋