Measure the current by using the multimeter device set on millivolts.
Gas water heater thermocouple test.
With the leads apart you will read infinity.
For a basic test attempt to turn on the pilot light again.
Gas appliance thermocouples have a standard design.
Use a small flame source to test a thermocouple with a multimeter.
How to test a thermocouple.
First remove the thermocouple.
If the pilot light doesn t stay lit check the gas water heater thermocouple by keeping the pilot button depressed.
If you re still unsure or don t have a working pilot light test the thermocouple with a multimeter.
Usually a lighter will suffice for the test.
The thermocouple is a vital safety feature for many gas appliances.
The burner typically sits loosely or under clips in the burning chamber and just slides out.
First shut off the gas valve on the water heater and the gas valve on the gas line near the heater.
Secondly turn on the meter and set it to ohms.
Then unfasten the three nuts that hold the thermocouple and the two gas tubes to the valve.
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.
Diy hot water heater repair.
Light the pilot by pressing and holding the pilot light button on the gas control valve.
Once it is removed you will need a multimeter that needs to have the ability to read millivolts and a source of fire.
Touch the two leads together from the meter and you should get a reading close to zero.
Here s how to test a suspected thermocouple in a gas operated water heater.
Multimeter thermocouple test procedure.
Finally now turn the meter to volts.
The water heater thermocouple is a device that monitors temperatures in the water heater to determine whether it needs to heat up or turn off the heat.
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.
A thermocouple is a safety device that helps control the gas supply in gas heated furnaces.
A thermocouple uses the heat from a flame to produce a millivoltage that controls a gas valve.
One probe of the meter should be connected to the copper sheath of the thermocouple and the other to the gas valve.
You can test this yourself using a multimeter but you may need a helper to keep the pilot flame burning while you do it.
For testing a thermocouple you first have to remove it from the furnace water heater or gas appliance where it is installed.
When it stops working the furnace s pilot light also turns off.
