Replacing Thermocouple In Hot Water Heater

When the pilot light on a gas water heater won t stay lit the problem is usually a faulty thermocouple.

Replacing thermocouple in hot water heater.

By james carey morris carey. Learn how to replace this inexpensive part and keep your hot water heater working for years to come. Replace the two piece wire connector onto the thermocouple and igniter wire securing it with the retainer clip and slide the manifold burner assembly back into the water heater. Replace the heating element or thermostat.

Make sure that the power is connected. Flush the heater to remove sediment from the tank. The thermocouple and pilot light tubes both extend from the gas control valve to the burning compartment. Since almost all major brands of atmospherically vented water heaters have switched from a thermocouple to a t.

Remove the burner assembly and detach the thermocouple. It s a simple inexpensive repair that could save you a bundle. The thermocouple is a thermoelectric device that shuts off the gas if the pilot light goes out. Raise the temperature setting on the thermostat.

Insulate the hot water pipes. How to replace a thermopile on a water heater. A hot water heater that doesn t heat might just need a new thermocouple. A thermocouple or flame sensor is a device used to control gas flow in gas water heaters on older style heaters with standing pilot lights the device is typically called a thermocouple while on newer units with electronic ignition the same or virtually the same device is called a flame sensor for our purposes we ll refer to both devices as the thermocouple.

In simple terms it s a short piece of tubing that runs from the gas controller to the pilot. How to replace a thermocouple on a hot water heater. Check the following when your water is not hot enough. The thermocouple is a heat sensitive.

1 cause of pilot lights that won t stay lit is a worn out. Step 8 reattach the manifold tube pilot tube and thermocouple to the gas control valve thermostat and tighten them using the adjustable wrench. Inside the burner compartment of your gas water heater right in front of the pilot light is a small metal cylinder called a thermocouple.