Can You Light A Water Heater Manually

[Jasmine Lemaitre]

Thisarticle was co-authored by Rob Calame. Rob Calame is a Training Manager at Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters, based in Livermore, California, and the Lead Instructor of their Water Heater Training Program. Founded in 2005, Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters specializes in servicing and installing all water heater types including tank, tankless, and heat pump water heaters throughout the Bay Area.

There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Disclaimer: Heat pump water heaters are the safest, most efficient, and most effective options for water heaters. Consider upgrading your heater if you have an older model that needs to be relit manually.

The first step is to determine what type of ignition system your water heater has. In the past, all water heaters had what is known as a standing pilot light. This is a small flame that is constantly burning so that the gas can be ignited whenever needed, and this is the only type of pilot light that ever needs to be relit.

Some water heaters also use a direct spark ignition system. Instead of igniting a pilot light, the unit uses a small spark to ignite the gas right at the burner. This is similar to the spark ignition system on most propane barbecue grills except that the spark happens automatically.

There are also water heaters that use hot-surface ignition. Instead of a spark or flame, this ignition system uses a small metal probe that is similar to a lightbulb filament. When the water heater needs to run a heating cycle, electricity flows into the probe, which almost instantly makes it red hot. Once the probe is hot, the gas valve opens and the hot probe ignites the gas.

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To do this, check out the silver box that is sticking out on the side of your hot water heater. There should be a large dial that says pilot on it. If you see a button next to it with the word ignition under it, then you have an automatic hot water heater. If you do not see the ignition button, you have a manual hot water heater.

For an automatic hot water heater, just repeat all steps above. But this time, do not remove any plates. All you have to do is hold the pilot knob down for 30 seconds and hold the ignition button at the same time. You do not need to use a lighter. Your pilot light will turn on!

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There's a simple way to tell if you have an automatic or manual gas water heater. Look at the box sticking out of the side of the water heater that has two different dials. If it is an automatic, it will have a small ignition button next to the big On/Off/Pilot dial. If it's a manual, there won't be a button.

The first step is turning off the gas by first looking for the knob labeled On/Off/Pilot. You'll want to turn the knob past Pilot to the Off position. Let any built-up gas that may be in the system dissipate for five minutes.

Now, it's time to start the lighting process. Turn the water heat dial to Low and the On/Off/Pilot dial to Pilot. Then, turn the On/Off/Pilot dial downwards and push the igniter button at the same time. Let go of the igniter button, but keep pressing the Pilot dial downward for around 30 seconds. You should hear a "whoosh" sound when the gas is lit.

If you take off the little door below the ignition box, there will be a little window you can peek into to see if the there is a flame. If it's lit, finish up by putting the door back, turning the dial from Pilot to On, and turning the water temperature dial from Low to the setting you like. If it isn't lit, you'll need to start over right away to prevent gas build-up.

First, take off the plate that is below the box with dials on the side of the water heater. There may also be an inner plate that you will need to slide to the side. Then, you should see a pipe(s) leading to a burner.

Quickly hold the barbecue lighter over the end of the pipe by the burner. The flame should light instantly. Keep pressing the Pilot dial downward for around 30 seconds and turn the dial from Pilot to On. Then, finish by putting the plates back over the burner hole and set the water temperature dial to your desired temperature.

Important: If the burner doesn't light within a few seconds, start the process over again. If you keep trying for a longer period of time, gas can build up and cause an explosion.

The most common type is an intermittent pilot. This is similar to a standing pilot in that it still uses a flame to light the gas. However, the difference is that the unit automatically lights the pilot on its own whenever necessary. This means that there is no standing flame and the pilot is only lit when the unit is heating. As soon as the water heater completes its heating cycle and shuts off, the flame automatically goes out.

Some units rely on hot-surface ignition. This type of ignition uses a thin metal probe similar to a filament in a light bulb. When the water heater needs to turn on, it sends electricity flowing through the probe. Within a few seconds, the probe becomes glowing hot and produces so much heat that it instantly ignites the gas flowing over it.

The thermocouple can also get dirty and covered with dust. When this happens, it can interfere with its ability to detect the pilot flame. As a result, the pilot light will go out as soon as you release the control knob. The thermocouple can usually be cleaned by gently scouring it with fine-grit sandpaper. However, this is not something you should do on your own as you could break the thermocouple and cause it to need to be replaced.

The other reason your pilot light may not light or stay lit is that the pilot control is faulty or malfunctioning. In this situation, the only option is to again have a plumber replace the entire control. While this is more time consuming than any of the other fixes, it is still far better than having to replace the entire water heater.

At Environmental Heating & Air Solutions, our professional plumbers can help with any water heater issues you may be experiencing. We service all types of water heaters, including gas, electric, tankless, and hybrid heat, and our plumbers work on equipment from all manufacturers. If your water heater has a serious leak, we offer 24/7 emergency services in Roseville, Benicia, and other areas in Northern California. We also specialize in installing any type of water heater and can take care of all of your preventative maintenance needs as well. In addition, we provide a full range of heating, cooling, and indoor air quality services. To schedule an appointment, give us a call today.

- Zinc plated copper sheaths for longer life. Medium watt density means lower surface temperature to minimize scale build-up and more surface to heat water. Element sizes from 1.5 to 6 KW. Maximum input 12 KW (see chart on back).

- Temperature control (adjustable through a range of 1100 F to 1700 F on single element and 120 0 F to 1800 on dual element) and manual reset high F temperature cutoff per element (dual element models). Factory-wired for non-simultaneous operation; easily converted to simultaneous element operation (three phase models only).

- If the tank should leak any time during the first three years, under the terms of the warranty, American will furnish a replacement heater; installation, labor, handeling and local delivery extra. THIS OUTLINE IS NOT A WARRANTY. For complete information consult the written warranty or American Water Heaters.

If you live with a large family or a couple of people who like to take really long showers, you're familiar with having your hot water run out from time to time. But when you have a flame outage, the water won't heat up at all, no matter how long you wait. This is an irritating problem, but fortunately, it is usually fairly easy to solve and you can likely take care of it by following a few simple steps on how to light a water heater pilot light.

Before we explain the steps for how to light a water heater pilot light, it's important to cover some safety basics. When you're working with an appliance or system that is powered by natural gas, it pays to be extra careful. If you can smell a sulfurous odor, kind of like rotten eggs, in your home, or your carbon monoxide detector has gone off, that indicates that you have a gas leak. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless gas that is very toxic and can even be fatal when it is inhaled in large quantities. It is also highly combustible.

If you have reason to suspect a leak, you should turn off your gas supply at your main shutoff valve, open windows in your home, and get all people and pets outside until it can be checked out by a service professional. And, if you have any concerns that it may not be safe for you to attempt lighting your pilot light by yourself, there's nothing wrong with leaving that task for a licensed professional plumber to handle.

Ready to get started? There are different types of water heaters on the market. The newer ones generally have electronic or hot surface ignition, but there are plenty of models still in use with standing pilot systems, and if that's what you have it will be helpful to know how to get that flame back on.

If you have a manufacturer's manual for your water heater unit, your first step is to check it for pilot lighting instructions. But if you don't have access to instructions anymore or they're difficult to read, you should be able to get it done by following these steps.

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