How To Clean A Water Heater Pilot Light

If you lot recollect you need a new thermocouple, have y'all considered that mayhap you demand to make clean the one you have? Your water heater may not be heating upwardly properly simply because the thermocouple is corroded and compromised. A thermocouple is a sensor for the pilot calorie-free, which allows the water heater to manage the temperature. Here we cover how to clean a thermocouple on a water heater. This is a job simple plenty for novice DIYers to tackle.

where the thermocouple connects to water heater

What do you need?

Adjustable wrench
Emery cloth sandpaper
Lint-complimentary textile

Water Heater Thermocouple Cleaning in five Steps

Shut the gas inlet valve - condom get-go! Cut the fuel supply to the water heater. This is always the offset pace when working on a water heater. If it'southward electrical, cutting the power. In this case, it'due south gas, and you need to turn off the gas valve.
Remove the burner assembly - take a motion picture before doing anything so you lot can remember how information technology's supposed to look when information technology'due south done. Using the wrench, y'all will need to disconnect the burner associates from the control center. It's continued in three places (thermocouple, main supply tube, and airplane pilot supply tube). Once those are disconnected, you should be able to slide the entire associates out from its compartment.
Make clean the thermocouple - using the emery cloth sandpaper, sand the ends of the thermocouple and and then requite it a finishing touch with the lint-free material. Hopefully, you can get to the ends of the thermocouple without having to detach it from the assembly, only you may accept to do that. If you do, accept intendance that you put it back together exactly how it was. Take a picture!

(Optional) Clean burner - while you have information technology out, now is an first-class opportunity to scrape any debris off the acme of the burner. It will burn more efficiently if you remove encumbrances.
Supersede and reconnect the burner assembly - remember that picture you lot took? You want everything to look the same when yous're done here. Reconnect the iii lines to the control center on your water heater tank.
Low-cal the airplane pilot - you demand to open the gas valve, calorie-free the airplane pilot, and turn the punch to your desired temperature (we recommend no hotter than 120-degrees F). Once that's all washed, y'all should be back in business concern.

Now What?

Give your water heater time to warm up. If it'south working, then great! If it's still not working, you may demand to cough up the dough and purchase a new thermocouple. You lot're in luck because PlumbersStock has a swell selection of water heater parts. When you get your new ane, you can read our commodity nearly replacing a h2o heater thermocouple. Y'all can learn more about thermocouples in full general hither: Thermocouples | Wikipedia

Please feel free to contact us about any product questions or questions relating to your home improvement projects.

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