30
I have had similar problems in the past when running out, what I found is I had to hold the pilot for several minutes to get the lines full of propane again. I found it easiest to light the stove top or try until it would burn then I went to the furnace and water heater it still took a few minutes as the pilot is a very small draw but once the lines had ...
13
My understanding of pilot lights is that they heat a thermocouple, which is a mass of metal that detects heat. The electronics behind that thermocouple will shut off the gas to the pilot if the thermocouple gets cold so that if something blows out the pilot you don't have a gas leak in your home. The side effect is that you have to heat up that mass of metal ...
5
With pilot switches, you can get any combination you want, simply by wiring it differently.
Top: the pilot is on when the switch/light is on.
Middle: The pilot is on always.
Bottom: The pilot is on when the switch/light is off. However, this works by leaking power through the bulb. So it only works if the bulb is not burned out, and is able to ...
4
Yes, either the thermocouple is going bad, it's not getting heated, or something is wrong with the controller. The most likely of those is that the thermocouple needs to be replaced. The button you press to light the pilot bypasses the thermocouple. When you release the button, the thermocouple ensures that unburned gas doesn't get released by shutting off ...
3
According to online documentation, this model uses a glow bar. For an oven (not a stove top) one should NOT have to press any button to get anything to ignite - the thermostat and circuitry will take care of that for you, provided everything is intact and working.
If it were my oven, I'd open the door, remove the lower metal cover from within the oven (...
3
If there were a way to spark the pilot light automatically, you would not even have the pilot light at all (you would just use THAT thing to spark the flame only when needed). This is how my stove works: I have no pilot light, but I have "spark plugs" at the burners (they make a loud clicking noise when the gas knob is in the Start position).
So, by ...
3
I finally found some time yesterday to take a closer look at the furnace.
Gas Pressure
I started by measuring the incoming gas pressure using a gas pressure gauge. I found it to be 6 WC (inch water column), which is well within the acceptable range specified on the furnace.
Dirty Gap
Next I took a closer look at the spark gap itself, and watched closely ...
2
To be clear for future searchers: the nut is critical, it provides half of the electrical connection.
A thermocouple requires two wires to function: electricity is generated at the junction of two different metals and two wires are needed for current to flow. While some thermocouples have two wires, the original poster is talking about a model with one ...
2
Blow into the gas pilot to unclog it.
Its definitely not a spider that crawled into it but possibly grease build up. You may want to consider fitting a gas oil filter for your system.
2
Check the valve in the bottom 2 pictures that is connected to the pipe that comes up through the floor. That is the manual gas valve that may need to be turned if it is turned off. First, turn the knob marked off, low and high to OFF. Then, in the bottom 2 pictures, that RED knob or button that slants to the left and slightly downward will need to be pushed ...
2
I reinstalled the pilot and cleaned out the burner and related assemblies and the pilot was only going out in the morning.
The issue turned out to be because we are still on a low-pressure gas system, which is susceptible to condensation and water seeping into the natural gas service pipes. The guys from my gas distributor pumped all the water out of the ...
2
It helps to have an understanding of how the gas control works. The gas control valve operates a solenoid-operated valve that delivers gas to the burners when your thermostat calls for heat.
The pilot flame should always be burning, and heating the thermocouple bulb that is situated adjacent to the pilot flame. The thermocouple feeds a signal via a thin ...
1
This is an Empire style wall furnace. It does not need electricity. You'll be glad for that later.
The twisty valve is designed to completely shut off gas flow if it doesn't feel heat from the pilot light. This is a safety feature designed to keep your apartment from filling with gas and exploding. You will find this kind of safety feature on many ...
1
I realize this is an old question, but it's hot once again and the question may come up for someone else.. so I thought I'd venture an answer. I don't work as a heating/cooling professional, I'm just a homeowner.
Your plumber may be right, and from my experience, it is uncommon that he'd know that (unless, like you said, he was trying to get the home ...
1
There are detailed instructions on the water heater, text and diagrams, but the following is my recollections.
If the gas tap at the end of the house supply piping is turned off, the knobs on the heater will be in the operating positions.
Turn the main control on the tank off and then turn it to a position that will be labeled "Pilot". (Maybe just turn it ...
1
The following is a sequence of operation for that style of Bryant/Payne/Carrier
furnace that
uses the three wire bimetal safety switch:
The thermostat calls for heat.
24 volts goes to the HOLD coil in the gas valve and to the 3-wire pilot switch.
The 3-wire pilot switch sends 24 volts out through the “cold” contact to the spark module that then produces the ...
1
These 3-wire assemblies are crap. They sometimes act as you've described, other times they spark and never ignite the pilot. You can try taking the assembly out and cleaning it up, or just replace it.
1
You should properly repair the problem. You are dealing with gas, there is some risk in that. You're also burning your time messing with it so often.
1
Standard gas log sets are fairly simple. If the gas fireplace shuts off after a few minutes, it's pretty much always going to be a pilot head issue, or a valve issue. Take note that it’s the pilot head, not the thermocouple. The whole assembly is usually replaced, and they usually come at the same price. New models usually come with improved designs.
It is ...
1
Check to make sure the wiring for the flame sensor is properly connected, and the wire is not damaged. If that all seems good. Replace the flame sensor. If the pilot is not proving, it's almost certainly because the flame sensor is not detecting it.
Flame sensors do go bad, but are typically a cheap replacement. However, it looks like the sensor in your ...
1
The problem ended up being my gas supply. I was sure the thermocouple was installed properly and the whole assembly was cleaned properly as well. The other thing being that the pilot would always go out in the morning and would be fine during the day was another reason.
I called my gas distributor and they sent out some guys to pump the water and ...
1
This is a tough one without being there to see it.... The only thing that I can come up with is that you have a 2 stage or modulating gas valve and that when you have your thermostat set at a constant temperature your furnace is only operating on the 1st stage gas flow, but when you bump the setpoint on your thermostat up to a higher setting then the 2nd ...
1
If the gas main to the fireplace is on it should provide gas even if the thermocouple is bad.
It is possible moisture in the line has plugged the small orifice or spiders have built a nest in that area.
These are the things I usually find. The pilot is a very small flow I usually can’t hear them.
Have you tried lighting with a match or lighter?
1
Do you have a multi-meter? If so, test the voltage output from the thermocouple when heated by the pilot. Set your multi-meter to DC and the lowest voltage it can measure - the output should be at least few hundred millivolts. You can consult your furnace documentation for the minimum voltage needed. You can perform this with it held in the correct place ...
1
Thermal switches (depending on models) can be really tricky. If yours is really causing the problem I would suggest replacing it. However, before replacing the switch, ensure you have proper airflow into the combustion area. (Not much stacked around unit, any insulation properly installed, etc.) This really sounds like more of an air flow issue.
1
Blowing on a gas pilot or burner to get it to light generally means that gas pressure is too high or the air/fuel mixture is too rich. Most pilots don't have an air mixer because the fuel flow is so low that one is not needed, so that leaves high pressure as the problem.
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