How do I know if my furnace pilot light is on?
If your furnace has a round knob on the gas valve with the words OFF/ON/PILOT, you have what’s known as a standing pilot ignition.
Is a pilot light a flame?
A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which serves as an ignition source for a more powerful gas burner. Originally a pilot light was kept permanently alight, but this wastes gas.
Does the pilot flame stay on?
A pilot light means heat, and it also means fuel usage. That flame doesn’t stay ignited by magic – it needs gas. Which means as long as that light is on, you’re using your fuel supply to maintain it. If natural gas is your fuel, it might cost anywhere from $7 to $10 a month.
What should a pilot light flame look like?
Inspecting a Gas Furnace Pilot Light Flame A natural gas flame should be a bright blue color with a small amount of yellow at the very tip. A propane flame will have more of a bluish-green flame with a tinge of yellow at the tip. The flame should strong enough to cover about 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip.
What color should the pilot light flame be?
blue
The color of the pilot light should be blue because that means that only natural gas—without any other condensates—is reaching the pilot light through the gas main. The principal chemical compound found in natural gas is methane, and methane burns blue.
Does gas stop when pilot light goes out?
If the flame blows out, the gas won’t stop coming in the pilot light tube and will continue to escape without igniting. As it continues to collect in your room, lighting it could set off an explosion. While pilot tubes come with a cut-off valve to solve this problem, this doesn’t mean they can’t be faulty.
Do you have a blue or yellow pilot light flame?
A pilot light should be a crisp blue colour. As you may remember from your high school chemistry classes and your experiments with Bunsen Burners, a blue flame is the most energy efficient, as it uses a small amount of gas to produce a lot of heat. Is your light orange or yellow? It could be dangerous.
How can you tell if a gas furnace pilot light is out?
You should be able to see the flame of the pilot light. If the pilot light is out, attempt to relight it. If the pilot light does not light or does not stay lit, then replace the thermocouple. If the pilot light is burning, examine its color.
How does a pilot light on a gas fireplace work?
You may already know how pilot lights work, but if not, here is a simple explanation: The pilot light on many gas-powered appliances, i.e., gas fireplace, water heater, gas stove or oven, burns with a constant small flame. That flame is ready at a moment’s notice to fire up your appliance making it instantly ready for use.
Why does my pilot light keep going out?
Often when your pilot light continually goes out, it is due to the thermocouple. The thermocouple is a device that shuts off the gas when the pilot light flame goes out. A few things can go wrong with the thermocouple:
What do you need to know about pilot light?
The pilot light flame needs to completely envelop the top of the thermocouple rod so it knows the flame is on. If the thermocouple isn’t lined up correctly, it won’t read the flame, and will shut the valve for the gas. I’m not touching it. Help me!
You should be able to see the flame of the pilot light. If the pilot light is out, attempt to relight it. If the pilot light does not light or does not stay lit, then replace the thermocouple. If the pilot light is burning, examine its color.
Why is my pilot light flame yellow instead of blue?
This is the natural color of a flame that is receiving an adequate amount of oxygen. When the amount of oxygen to a pilot light is restricted, it becomes a “lazy” flame and burns yellow instead of blue.
Is it dangerous if the pilot light goes out on the water?
This is how natural gas smells, and once you notice it, you must turn off the gas to the heater. Before taking such a dangerous matter into your own hands, try contacting the gas company, and wait for their instructions.
