A burnt out water heater pilot light ultimately leads to one problem: cold water. A lack of hot water may affect how your clothes or dishes are being washed, and it can lead to some surprisingly uncomfortable baths and showers. Worst of all, if your hot water heater has a broken flame sensor, gas may be accidentally released into your home. Learning how to check and light your own water heater is a useful skill to have for your comfort and safety.

Why Did My Pilot Light Go Out?

There are a handful of reasons why your hot water heater’s pilot light is no longer lit, some more serious, and some not as serious as others. Reasons your pilot light might have gone out may include:

• natural change in gas pressure
• a draft
• faulty thermocouple, temperature cutoff switch or gas control
• dirty pilot orifice
• bad flame detector
• fluctuating natural gas availability in the area

If a draft or a natural change in gas pressure causes your water heater’s pilot light to go out, relighting the pilot should solve the problem. Or, it could be as simple as cleaning your water heater’s burner assembly. However, if the faulty pilot light is caused by something more serious such as a broken thermocouple or a bad flame detector, you will need a professional to come out and help you assess and rectify the situation.

Lighting the Pilot Light

While the reason your water heater pilot light went out might not be obvious, you can attempt to rule out less complex causes by relighting your pilot light and seeing if it sustains the new flame. REMEMBER: it is important to check for any gas leaks before relighting a gas water heater. If you see or smell gas near the water heater or you’re not sure, do NOT relight your pilot light and instead contact a plumbing or HVAC professional for help. All water heaters are different, so it’s important that you follow the instructions for your given make and model. These can usually be found on the front of the hot water tank. If you can’t find the instructions for your given unit, follow this troubleshooting step-by-step guide to learn how to relight most gas hot water heaters:

1. Remove the bottom cover at the base of the water heater tank so you can see the pilot light through its sight glass.
2. Find the gas control valve or the shut-off valve on the water heater. Generally, this will be clearly labeled and located on the front, lower part of the tank. Make note of your home’s current water temperature so you can return to the desired temperature when the process is complete. Turn the gas valve control knob to the “Off” position to stop the flow of gas, and wait five minutes for any remaining gas supply to clear out.
3. After five minutes, turn the control knob to the “Pilot,” position. Then, press and hold the knob down to start the gas flow. Some water heaters have a separate igniter button for “Pilot” mode. If that’s the case, press and hold the ignitor. While holding the gas down, light the pilot. Your water heater will either have a red or black igniting button for this purpose, or, you may need to light the pilot manually with a long lighter.
4. When the flame ignites, continue to hold the gas knob or button down for one full minute. After a minute, release the knob or button slowly, ensuring that the pilot flame stays lit.
5. Turn the gas knob to the “On” position, and listen for the distinct noise of the main burner igniting. Replace the cover that you removed in step 1.

* Watch this video from Pros DIY for a quick, visual demonstration. If your water starts to warm up and the pilot light continues to stay lit for a while, then you should be all set. If the pilot light goes out again anytime soon, it may be time to call a professional to inspect your unit and determine what the pilot light failure cause may be. We hope this tutorial helps! Remember, if at any point you are confused during this process or you don’t know how to proceed, do not hesitate to call a licensed plumber for help.