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Heating · Fargo-Moorhead

Pilot Light Keeps Going Out

A pilot that keeps dropping out is a safety device shutting the gas down on purpose, so it's worth a service call instead of a routine of relighting it.

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When this becomes an emergency

What a pro does

The sensing side gets tested before anything else. A thermocouple or thermopile has to generate enough millivolts under flame to hold the valve open, and testing that output tells a tech immediately whether the part is finished or whether the flame reaching it is the actual problem. Pilot orifices clog with dust and lint too, particularly in a basement that's also the laundry room. Draft is the other frequent finding: a chimney serving an older gas appliance can develop downdraft as it cools or as pressures shift in a tight house, and no replacement part fixes a venting issue.

Frequently asked questions

A cold or partially blocked flue can reverse and push air down instead of drawing it up, and that downdraft is more than enough to snuff a small pilot flame.
It does when the appliance shares space with a dryer. Lint and dust get pulled toward the combustion air and settle in the pilot orifice, which shrinks and distorts the flame.
Many run for years, but they're a consumable part that degrades under constant heat, and a pilot that suddenly won't hold on an older appliance is a classic sign one has aged out.
One attempt is reasonable if there's no gas smell. Repeatedly forcing an appliance past a safety that keeps tripping is where it stops being sensible.

Pilot Light Keeps Going Out?

Get connected with a local pro now.

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