Gas Water Heater Burner Lights Then Goes Out

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

Gas water heater burner lights then goes out.

A dirty pilot light for gas heaters can also be the culprit for a water heater not remaining on. A complete blockage often prevents the burner from lighting at all. But if this valve or its inner elements are damaged it can t deliver enough gas to your water heater causing it to shut on and off. There could a fault in the gas valve s main burner solenoid causing it to draw excessive power and starving the pilot flame solenoid.

First cut off the gas supply switch off your heater and wait for the thermocouple to cool off. In english that means a gas valve is slowed to continue to release gas for up to 30 seconds after the pilot fails. Gas valve are allowed 30seconds to fall out. When the water heater is first lit a valve releases gas into the burner and the pilot light ignites that gas.

The thermocouple will conclude that the pilot light is off and thus close the valve and cut off the gas supply. You ll have to manually bend or straighten the thermocouple back to position. Clean those tiny vents. If your burner lights for a short time but then goes out you may have a blockage in the gas valve.

A partial blockage however may allow the burner to light but will not provide enough fuel to keep it lit. Burner lights and heats then goes out and takes pilot with it. But when the thermostat on the tank calls for the burner to fire up it fails because it is starved for air. Similar to how if there is insufficient flow of gas to the pilot it won t stay lit a pilot tip that.

Enough air still gets through to keep the pilot light lit. The first fix to try when the water heater burner goes out is simple. Pull aside the filter fabric insert brush clean. Gas from this valve lights your pilot light and eventually lights the gas burners that heat your water.

One black dial off push to pilot on w hot a notch marking b c d very hot temperature.