Dirty Thermocouple Water Heater

If you can light your pilot light but it keeps going out the first item to check is the thermocouple.

Dirty thermocouple water heater.

Gas water heaters which use a pilot to light the burner will also have a thermocouple or thermopile to monitor the pilot a thermopile is essentially multiple thermocouples connected in a series making the. This buildup can lead to the thermocouple not properly detecting heat or loss thereof. Its job is to keep the furnace pilot lit. To clean the thermocouple in a water heater is an important maintenance procedure.

How to replace thermocouple on a gas water heater. A gas water heater in boise baton rouge buffalo or boston uses a thermocouple that includes a probe attached to a copper tube that screws into a port on the gas valve. Inside the burner compartment of your gas water heater right in front of the pilot light is a small metal cylinder called a thermocouple. If you have a gas water heater a dirty thermocouple could be to blame.

When a faulty thermocouple gives improper readings it can shut off the gas supply to the furnace even when the pilot light is working. Before you replace a broken hot water heater check to make sure the thermocouple still works. It s a simple inexpensive repair that could save you a bundle. Even though this procedure is very simple it is still difficult to do without any precautionary measures.

What is a thermocouple and why does my water heater need one. If the thermocouple is working you should be able to measure 30 to 40 millivolts of voltage at the connection end of the tube when the pilot flame is on. If you don t it will eventually prevent the water from heating up. When the water heater is first lit a valve releases gas into the burner and the pilot light ignites that gas.

How do i install a new thermocouple. A thermocouple is basically a safety device on the heater. Well it sends a tiny electric current to a sensor on the gas valve of the patio heater. Hence hot water supply will cease today we ll show you how to clean the thermocouple on your water heater to avoid this inconvenience.

Over the years your water heater s pilot tube can become dirty and clogged resulting in your pilot light s inability to stay lit. In this episode of repair and replace vance shows how to replace the thermocouple in a gas water heater. After about 30 seconds heat from the ignited pilot light flame activates a simple electrical switch called a. How does this happen.

And how to clean pilot tube on a patio heater so let s get going with the details how to clean a thermocouple on a patio heater.