Water Heater Troubleshooting - Pilot Won't Stay Lit | Repair and Replace

No hot water? If the pilot flame in your water heater keeps on going out or won't stay lit, then it could be a problem with the thermocouple or thermal cutoff switch. In this episode of Repair and Replace, Vance shows how to troubleshoot the pilot flame in a water heater with a conventional gas valve. This includes testing the thermocouple voltage with a multimeter and checking the thermal switch for continuity. This can help troubleshoot a water heater that is not heating water.

If your water heater has an electronic gas valve, then the repair will be different:

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00:00 Intro
00:52 How it Works
01:58 What You'll Need
02:20 Thermal Cutoff Switch
03:29 Voltage Testing
05:01 Energy Cutoff Switch
05:33 Airflow Issues
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[AmreSupply]

If your water heater has an electronic gas valve, then the repair will be different:

[davidramey]

Your videos empower people. There’s nothing more noble.
I am grateful for what you’ve done for us all

[jrtree]

Thank you for such thorough information! My TCO Switch simply needed to be reset, but couldn't find that elsewhere! Saved me much time and money! Great contribution to those needing assistance!

[MrTeeJayDee]

I saved a lot of money! This person did a great job explaining the troubleshooting procedure and I was able to find the problem and repair my unit. Very quality person and video! Thank you.

[thexterminator]

I don't know why I am hearing about the tco reset button now after watching multiple how too videos, but that solved everything. Thank you!

[xtrongarage]

Thanks buddy for teaching me how this stuff work. My pilot light won't stay lit now I have a better understanding. Cheers

[jerbear]

best troubleshooting video out here. Not sure why it only has 508 thumbs up and 70K views. Thank you!!!

[luvsangel]

Oh my god you just saved me from a nervous breakdown. I was able to change my thermocouple no problem but the pilot light kept turning off. I was literally pulling my hair out! Thought Id check other videos and see if I missed a step and sure enough I had no idea about resetting the thermal switch. 🤦‍♂

[pomapoma]

The best video to fix your water tank pilot light problem

[jerryliu]

Thank you so much for this detailed instructional video! Its a life saver!!

[josephklostermanjr.]

Great content from this channel always. I’ve learned so much from you!

[TexxxTexaco]

Pushing that button saved me $150.00 tomorrow morning. BIG THANKS!

[marogtkid]

If the TCO is bad, will it continue to trip or does that mean there’s a ventilation issue? The switch has continuity but proceeds to trip once the heater runs and then shuts off the pilot.

[sophia]

It seems like my water heater is experiencing issues with the pilot light going out when the main burner stops. The sudden gust of wind I feel when the main burner goes out might be the cause. Do you think this due to improper venting or a draft around the water heater. I have verified the igniter and thermocouple all good.please help thanks

[belle]

GREAT video!! Everything finally makes sense :)

[tommack]

My pilot wouldn’t stay lit, so I replaced the thermocouple. The pilot will light and the heater will come on, but it shuts off as soon as a wire is touched, like when replacing the outer door. I retested by just touching a wire with my finger too, same result. My thermal cutoff has continuity, but is it going bad or is it a wiring issue?

[madcow]

5:32 I had an airflow issue when I moved into my my house a decade ago. Something like 1/10 times, when the main burner ignited it would blow out the pilot light. It would blow out almost every day. I happened to be watching it when it happened one time. I fashioned a small piece of sheet metal and put it between the pilot light and the outside air. There was nothing between the pilot and the main burner, so the main burner ignites, but the piece of metal stops the turbulence that was blowing out the pilot. It's worked just fine for the last 10 years. This video didn't exist back then so I didn't know about the vent in the middle. I'll check that today.

[Stillerdudevc]

Great video, my issue I seem to be having is my pilot lights and I leave it on for a minute per the lighting instructions, as soon as I set the gas to on the main burner turns on for a second then goes out. Any ideas?

[vaewolfshadowmeremmo]

Thank you so much you saved my bacon with the reset switch i replaced my thermopile and still couldn’t get it to work hit reset and works great probably didn’t need the thermopile but hey it is what it is !

[allenl]

Hi and thanks for the video. I changed the thermocoupler but the pilot light wont stay lit. is it possible its the gas controller ( have a honeywell controller) ?? thanks