I have an A.O.Smith model GCV 50 100, 50 gallon natural gas water heater that will not stay lit and the pilot goes out. Hey all I just had a good win with my water heater I thought I’d share. Very frustrating! Below are some reasons why your burner won’t stay lit. I've had this unit since I bought my house 12 years ago and would have been installed way before that. If this is the problem, then unkinking the tube will occasionally resolve the issue. A pilot light in a hot water tank is what allows your water tank to heat up. Turn the thermostat dial (Dial on the front) back to zero. It has a hot-surface ignitor (rather than a pilot light). The water heater pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas burner on your water heater. I think your ways are pretty easy to do and I am gonna try them. It is almost like when it turns on it is blowing out the pilot light. Try cleaning the vent underneath the water heater. my pilot light won't stay lit. Very frustrating! After turning the gas off and waiting a few minutes for the pilot to cool, simple take a needle and clean out the tube. Email. I did a search and landed here where the advice was to replace the thermocuple and go from there. This tubing connects to the gas controller and will ensure a steady stream of gas. Without it, the water heater won’t be able to maintain internal temperatures, allowing the water to cool off. Suggestions? Yesterday everything was fine. What … DoItYourself.com®, founded in 1995, is the leading independent Print. 5 Reasons Why Your Water Heater Pilot Light Won’t Stay Lit, DIY Solar Water Heater: An Ultimate Guide. The procedure for lighting a standing pilot always includes lighting the flame, then manually holding in the gas valve to keep the flame … In newer appliances, ignition may be achieved by a sparking device or a glow bar instead of a pilot light. It may be that the pilot light is not on. If you have followed the lighting instructions correctly, the gas valve should allow the pilot light to continue to have gas. Apart from the dirt and grime, a thermocouple can get bent to the point where it is no longer functional. The sensor at the end should lightly touch the flame when the pilot’s lit. In few cases it has been seen that cool air comes out of the vent even when the heat is on. It’s not the supply… the thing heats up with no issues. If you are on propane by chance make sure your water column is set right at the regulator, that was a problem I had in the past, a call to your provider and they will send a tech out to check it for you. So in order to shower or do dishes we have to go light it every 10 minutes or so until there is enough hot water. How Do I Test My Thermostat To Make Sure It Really Works? Examine the thermocouple. What do I do? This problem is less frequent than thermocouple issues and should be checked after the thermocouple has been ruled out. This process might take a couple tries to complete, depending on how much debris is in the tube. As a result, the pilot doesn’t get enough fuel to stay lit. From cold, I light the pilot turn the gas knob on and it fires for just over 3 minutes, then goes out. A bent, dirty, or damaged thermocouple could be the reason your water heater pilot won’t stay lit. Unfortunately, there are a variety of reasons why pilot lights go out, all of which are dependent on a number of factors. Make sure to follow the directions on your water heater label. Home Forums > Water Heater Forum & Blog > Water Heater Forum, Tanks > "State" Gas Water Heater- Pilot won't stay lit - replaced thermocouple Discussion in ' Water Heater Forum, Tanks ' started by jeremytl , Aug 20, 2012 . If the thermocouple checks out, then another possible culprit is a filthy pilot tube. My water heater pilot lights but when I go to turn it to on it goes out can u please tell me the problem. This is a good rule of thumb for relighting the pilot in general, not just for diagnostics purposes. Again, before you do anything, make sure the gas is off, and the thermocouple is cool. The pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas burner. To ensure our content is always up-to-date ... Gas water heater pilot won't light I opened up and pulled the gas heating/combustion unit out of the bottom of... Read More. So in order to shower or do dishes we have to go light it every 10 minutes or so until there is enough hot water. We have replaced the thermo couple. This device is designed to pick up an electrical signal from the pilot light’s heat to determine whether or not the pilot is on. If I turn the unit "ON", the burner will light and fully heat the water tank. They get dirty with dust and wont allow the air to supply the gas flame. NO one addresses this. I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button. 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