Water Heater Pilot Light Thermocouple Replacement

The thermocouple is the brain of your water heater.

Water heater pilot light thermocouple replacement.

If you have a gas water heater with a pilot light that won t stay lit it s probably due to a failed thermocouple. By james carey morris carey. The flame should be blue and steady. Since almost all major brands of atmospherically vented water heaters have switched from a thermocouple to a t.

Rather than trying to unfasten the thermocouple inside the water heater s burning chamber it s easier to remove the whole burner and thermocouple. Reliance water heater pilot assembly 100109295 9003542005 replacement part natural gas compatible with reliance a o. In simple terms it s a short piece of tubing that runs from the gas controller to the pilot. How to light the pilot for a gas hot water heater.

Replacement is an easy diy repair. Smith and state branded tanks 4 6 out of 5 stars 101 68 10 68. Usually the first warning. It s responsible for closing the gas valve when it senses the pilot light is off.

1 cause of pilot lights that won t stay lit is a worn out thermocouple. 104 plumbing plus universal pilot burner for gas appliances multiuse for gas water heater space heater fireplace furnace easy mount heavy duty long lasting pilot assembly for thermocouple 4 4 out of 5 stars 11. The thermocouple is a thermoelectric device that shuts off the gas if the pilot light goes out. Remove the burner assembly and detach the thermocouple.

Once you re done put it back and light your water heater. How to replace a thermopile on a water heater. A thermocouple senses the heat of the pilot and allows gas to flow to the burner. It s easy to replace and a new one costs 5 to 10.

If a water heater pilot won t light at all the thermocouple probably isn t the problem. The thermocouple is triggered by an electric current produced by the pilot light. A thermocouple or flame sensor is a device used to control gas flow in gas water heaters on older style heaters with standing pilot lights the device is typically called a thermocouple while on newer units with electronic ignition the same or virtually the same device is called a flame sensor for our purposes we ll refer to both devices as the thermocouple. Tank type gas water heaters use a pilot light to ignite the gas burner when the water in the tank needs to be heated.