Safety first
My pilot light won't stay lit
If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility before anything else. Don't touch switches or relight anything.
- Before anything else
Smell gas? Leave first.
Leave the house, don't flip switches or use a phone inside, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Then call us.
- Then stop
No gas smell? Try once, not ten times
Follow the lighting instructions on the tank's label one time. If the pilot goes out again, turn the gas control to off and call us.
The usual causes
What it usually is
In that order of likelihood. We find which one before we quote.
- Short repair
A worn thermocouple
A small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. When it wears, the gas shuts off and the pilot goes out.
- Short repair
A dirty or drafty pilot
Dust, soot or a draft at the burner blows it out. Cleaning it, or fixing the draft, is a short visit.
- Repair or replace
A failing gas control valve
The part that decides when gas flows. On an older tank, this is often the point where a replacement is cheaper than the repair.
Questions about the pilot
Can I relight it myself?
If there is no gas smell, the instructions on the tank explain how. If it goes out again, don't keep trying; call us.
Is it safe to leave it off?
A heater with no pilot makes no heat and no flame. Turn the gas control to off and call us; you can wait until we open.
Repair or replace?
A thermocouple on a sound tank is usually the repair. On an old tank with a failing valve, we show you both prices.
Pilot out and no gas smell? Call us.
Text a photo of the label. We tell you repair or replace before we roll.