What does a pilot light do

A pilot light is a small flame that is kept lit in certain gas-fired appliances like your furnace, water heater, and gas fireplace. When you turn on your appliance, gas is released to the main burner and the pilot light ignites that gas to turn on your appliance and provide heat.

What happens when the pilot light goes out?

Can a Pilot Light Outage Be Dangerous? The worry here is that when a pilot goes out, the gas valve that supplies the fuel for the pilot flame could still be pumping gas. This can mean a buildup of gas, and when the pilot is relit or relights itself, it could result in a very serious explosion.

Do pilot lights waste gas?

How much gas does a pilot light require? Most pilot lights consume around 600 BTUs of gas every hour. If you leave your pilot light on for an entire day, it would roughly consume 14,400 BTU’s every day. … This means that you will be using BTU’s equivalent to 4.3 therms of gas.

Should a pilot light always be on?

Generally speaking, it is safe to leave your continuous pilot light on at all times, assuming it stays lit (more on this in a moment). While it does cost more to keep your pilot light on in between uses, it can actually have some benefits to your system.

Is it safe to relight a pilot light?

But first, some words of caution: –Don’t relight the pilot light if there is a strong gas odor. Close the main gas shut-off valve for your house or for the appliance with the leak and call the gas company immediately. Get everyone out of the house until the problem is corrected by gas company technicians.

Do I need to turn gas off if pilot light goes out?

If the pilot light goes out, you can relight it after the gas is shut off using a match or the unit’s electronic ignitor if it has one, following the proper safety precautions. If your gas is shut off, turn the gas shutoff valves on all gas appliances to the “off” position until the gas service is restored.

Should I turn off the pilot light on my gas fireplace in the summer?

Your Utility Bill Perhaps the most important reason to turn off gas fireplace pilot light in summer is because of the money and energy you will be saving. If you leave the pilot light on during the summer it is simply sitting there burning gas, which is wasting gas and contributing to an exorbitant energy bill.

Should the pilot light always be on water heater?

The thermocouple’s job is to shut a gas safety valve if the pilot light goes out. That’s important because gas is always being supplied to the pilot to keep the flame lit. But if the pilot flame goes out, then the gas would still be released. After a while, the gas could collect in your home and become a health hazard.

Can a pilot light start a fire?

When the appliance is turned on, a valve releases more gas, which is ignited by the pilot light. … If this leak continues, its concentration may reach a point where a spark – such as that from a cigarette lighter, static electricity, or even the pilot light itself as it is re-lit – will cause a fire or even an explosion.

Can a pilot light cause carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is only produced when fuel of any type; oil, gas, wood or coal is burned. … And a pilot light out of adjustment can produce carbon monoxide gas. The amount produced by even a badly maladjusted pilot is small because the flame size is also small.

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Is my pilot light too high?

Next to the “Pilot” indicator on the furnace’s control switch, there is a small screw located near the pilot light-thermocouple assembly. … If it extends well above the thermocouple, it’s too strong. If the flame covers the top of the thermocouple and burns steadily with a yellow tip, that’s just about right.

How much fuel does a pilot light burn?

Just how much gas does a pilot light consume? Most pilot lights will consume about 600 BTU’s of gas/hour. With 24 hours in a day, that’s roughly 14,400/BTU’s each day. Figuring 30 days, a pilot light will use approximately 432,000 BTU each month.

Is it OK to run gas fireplace all day?

You can run a vented gas fireplace all day with little concern for anything other than gas usage.

Why does it smell like gas when the pilot light goes out?

Why does my stove smell like gas? A faint propane smell may not be cause for alarm. It’s normal for a propane odor to linger when lighting a stove, or if the pilot light in a gas fireplace, hot water heater or other appliance goes out.

How much does it cost to relight a pilot light?

Most service providers will charge a standard fee per visit that typically covers the cost to relight a gas water heater. This service call price can range from $80 to $100.

Does a pilot light give off heat?

Although the flame from a pilot light is small, it’s still heat. Depending on where you live, you might not want any extra heat being generated inside your home during the blazing summer months. A pilot light means heat, and it also means fuel usage.

How much does it cost to keep pilot light on fireplace?

The average fuel consumption of your standing Pilot light is: Natural gas is $0.60 a day = $219 a year. Liquid Propane is $1.80 a day = $657 a year. Sophisticated fireplace manufactures like Travis Industries have developed Intermittent pilot light systems.

How much does it cost to keep the pilot light on a gas fireplace?

Running a pilot light for 1 hour costs about 1 cent (0.62 cent/hour for natural gas and 1.64 cent/hour for propane). Monthly costs of running a pilot light range from $4.49/month (natural gas) to $11.34/month (propane).

When should pilot light be turned off?

A little heat is produced when your pilot light is on so turning it off in summer can help reduce the heat inside your home. The less heat there is, the less you have to use your air conditioner needs to cool down the house. You can get savings and conserve energy if you turn off your pilot light.

What should a pilot light look like on a gas fireplace?

A healthy pilot flame will be much like a blue “blow torch” flame. It will shoot sideways and be directly on your thermocouple and thermopile sensors. An unhealthy yellow pilot flame is more like a “candle”. It will shoot straight up in the air and will not engulf your sensors.

How do I turn off the pilot light on my fireplace?

Turning off your pilot light is a simple process that will save you both energy and money. All you have to do is open the front of your fireplace, turn the Pilot knob to “off,” and then turn your gas shutoff valve to the “off” position as well.

How big should a pilot light be on a gas fireplace?

A pilot flame should be blue with a yellow tip and strong enough to cover 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip. If the flame is too strong and adjusted wrong, it will be noisy and cause improper furnace operation.

Why did my pilot light go out water heater?

Your thermocouple senses when your pilot light is burning. … If it senses that your water heater pilot light keeps going out, the thermocouple will shift off the gas supply to the heater. Over time, thermocouples can malfunction, accumulate dust buildup, or the device can get bent away from the pilot light’s flame.

Why does the pilot light on a water heater?

Some of the most common reasons that water heater pilot lights go out include: A faulty thermocouple. … Over time, thermocouples can begin to malfunction and shut off the gas supply to the pilot light even if it’s burning properly. A bent or dirty thermocouple.

Why does my hot water pilot keep going out?

The most common reason that your pilot light on your water heater keeps going out is a damaged, bent or dirty thermocouple.

Do pilot lights make noise?

If there is a roaring sound that occurs when the pilot light is on, it is usually because the flame needs to be adjusted. A grinding or shrieking noise is usually caused by a fan or blower.

What color should a pilot light be?

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.

Do pilot lights smell?

Note that it is totally normal on automatic pilots (pilots that do NOT stay lit all the time) to smell a little natural gas when the are first turned on. A little gas will escape as the pilot and burners light on your heat or appliance.

Should a pilot light be orange?

The flames from traditional pilot lights should burn a bright blue color. If your pilot light’s flame is orange or yellow, it is burning inefficiently due to a lack of oxygen. The thermocouple should sense when this happens because the heat from the flame will not be as hot as it should be.

Why is my pilot light yellow?

A yellow flame is caused by lack of oxygen and incomplete combustion. If the pilot light is a weak yellow flame it will not get hot enough to heat the thermocouple to the temperature needed to enable the gas valve to open. This is often caused by a dirty pilot tube tip.

How do I make my pilot light bigger?

1. Locate the access plate on the front of your furnace, and unscrew the screws that are connecting the access plate to your furnace. …
2. Observe the flame. …
3. Turn that screw counter-clockwise, and the flame should grow.