There are a variety of reasons why your water heater’s pilot light may have gone out. It could be attributed to a passing draft, or perhaps some work was done recently that required the gas supply to be turned off. Whatever the case, Mason Plumbing & Drain is here to aid you in getting your warm water back up and functioning. This way you can go back to enjoying the comfort of warm water once again.
Now, before we go over the step-by-step process on how to relight your water heater’s pilot light, it’s important to point out that most manufacturers have pilot light relighting instructions on the side of the water heater – quite a handy tidbit, in our opinion! So, in the chance these are available to you, it’s best to refer to the manufacturer’s instructions as they are intended for your specific water heater model. However, if your unit does not have these instructions easily viewable, we recommend that homeowners refer to the general instructions below.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO RELIGHTING YOUR WATER HEATER’S PILOT LIGHT?
- Before continuing on with anything, turn off the gas supply entirely.
- Secondly, if the water heater model you have has a burner cover, you will first need to remove this access panel. (It should be located at the base of the unit.)
- Third of all, it’s crucial that you give the previously built-up gas an appropriate time to dissipate. This is for safety reasons. Five to ten minutes should be efficient.
- Fourth of all, rotate the gas control valve to the “pilot” setting.
- Then continue by pressing the knob (it should also function like a button). Keep holding it down.
- Keep your grip pressing on the knob, and then press the ignition button. Most ignition buttons on water heaters are small black squares right below the knob. When you click this little square button one time, you should see the pilot flame make its appearance. If that doesn’t work, you may try clicking it one more time.
- You should continue pressing on the knob until the indicator light blinks. When you see it blink, you may release your hold on the knob.
- With the pilot light now relit, go ahead and turn the knob to your preferred temperature setting.
- Just make sure you turn the gas supply back on before wrapping up.
- Additionally, remember to return the burner cover back to its original spot, if you had to take one off your water heater.
Voila! You have successfully achieved relighting your water heater’s pilot light!
WHAT ARE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS TO KNOW?
- With your pilot light blazing once again, you should be able to see it burning steadily through the viewing window. But if the pilot flame goes right out upon releasing the knob, this may mean there is a system-related issue at play. If this is the case for you, don’t hesitate to call us.
- Every water heater model differs from the rest. But most of them are set up with a similar structure. So, if you are experiencing trouble with identifying your gas control valve and control, try searching for your exact model online to find out where your controls are.
- Bear in mind that even if a gas water heater has an electronic ignition system, it may still have a pilot light as a backup in case the ignition system fails. If this happens to you, the pilot light could be used to manually ignite the burner if necessary, using a lighter or a match.
If your water heater is still acting up, let your favorite service experts at Mason Plumbing & Drain take care of it for you. We are a trustworthy, local plumbing company that is reliable and offers quality work. So, what are you waiting for? Call us for all your plumbing concerns at (513) 298-6996, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!