Is your warm shower time being interrupted by icy cold water streams? Maybe your faucet water isn’t getting warm enough to properly clean your dishes. If so, the chances that your water heater’s pilot light may be extinguished is highly likely. Now here you are with a water heater’s pilot light needing to be relit. If you have never done this before, don’t worry! Though relighting a gas water heater can seem overwhelming, it’s a relatively simple process that can save you both time and money if you do it yourself. Luckily, you don’t have to hire a service professional to do this! With the correct tools and the right instructions, we believe any homeowner can relight their gas water heater and get it back up and running again!
Here’s a step-by-step instructional to light your way, provided by yours truly – Five Star Cincinnati Plumbing:
WHAT TOOLS ARE REQUIRED TO RELIGHT A WATER HEATER’S PILOT LIGHT?
- Flashlight
- Lighter (long-reaching lighters or matches are advised)
WHAT STEPS ARE REQUIRED TO RELIGHT YOUR WATER HEATER’S PILOT LIGHT?
Step One: Find the pilot light area. Keep in mind that the pilot light opening is generally positioned near the base of the water heater. In addition, most models have a burner cover which is a metal panel-like covering or access door. So, if your model does have a burner cover, carefully take it off and place it gently to the side, out of the way, while you are working.
Step Two: We cannot stress enough the importance of working with precaution. So, before continuing to the steps listed below, make sure that you have completely turned off the gas supply. This is very important because it decreases the chances of potential risks involving gas. Do this by pinpointing where the gas valve is, then turn it to the “off” position. Furthermore, it’s also in your best interests to wait for at least five minutes to pass by before proceeding to the steps below after you have turned the gas off. This is recommended so that the gas that has built-up has sufficient time to disperse. If you don’t wait for a minimum of five minutes for the gas to dissipate, you risk potentially causing detrimental harm to your home, you, and your family.
Step Three: Our third step is to clean the vicinity around the pilot light. If your pilot light keeps getting snuffed out for no reason, it could be because the surrounding area of the pilot burner has dirt or buildup. If this is the case with yours, it’s safe to use a small brush or toothbrush to gently clean around the pilot burner.
Step Four: After the gas has dissipated, you can move on to relight the pilot light.
- On the pilot light assembly, turn the knob on the pilot light assembly to “pilot.” This temporarily lets the gas flow to the pilot, so it can be relit.
- Now turn and press the “reset” button down (keep holding it down), while simultaneously igniting the lighter and bringing it cautiously toward the pilot light burner. Proceed with caution.
- The pilot flame should spark and ignite when you are close enough. At this point, when you see the pilot flame ignite, you can let go of the “reset” switch.
- It would also be a good idea to take a minute to observe that the flame remains burning steadily with no issues.
Step Five: Once you have confirmed that the pilot flame is glowing steadily once again, remember to turn the gas valve back to the on position.
Step Six: If your water heater did require you to take off the burner cover, make sure it gets returned back to its original position.
Still having problems with your water heater’s pilot light? We can tackle this problem for you! We’d be more than happy to ease the load. If you have any other questions or concerns, call Five Star Cincinnati Plumbing today at (513) 204-9944, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!
