Anatomy Of A Pilot: How To Light Your Pilot!!!

[sundogforlove]

You helped me a lot. Thanks.

[2011beachjester]

Thanks man, heat's back thanks to you ! :)

[js18812]

Thanks.

[js18812]

How about a flame roll out? I think they were just trying to frighten me into buying a new furnace from them. 2 years ago, they said I had flame roll out in my furnace.

[MagicPatrick1]

@js18812 Early signs of a bad heat exchanger, yes. And sometimes violent enough to blow out the pilot. BUT, there maybe a gas pressure or flue problem that would also cause that. It's hard to say. Certainly get another opinion before replacing the furnace.

[js18812]

What does "It may have been removed to prevent roll out." mean??

[MagicPatrick1]

@js18812 it's a cover, it increases draft

[js18812]

My pilot light cover was not replaced by the repairman when he changed my thermocouple a couple of years ago. Could that be why my pilot light goes out a few times every winter?? Is the cover easy to replace? I can't find anywhere online that shows or tells about the pilot light cover.

[MagicPatrick1]

@js18812 Most often it comes from a downdraft of the chimney. Many models don't have a cover or shield. It may have been removed to prevent roll out. 2 things to check are, make sure all windows and doors are sealed good, and make sure the chimney is ok.

[TAC617]

ty i got it had to replace the fan/Blower unit.

[TAC617]

ty i got it had to replace the fan/Blower unit.

[TAC617]

Now there is no gas coming out of the Watever assembly. Also the fan motor is screwed do I need to replace all those the thermocouple,the fan,the igniter or buy a new fukin heater. It's Xmas and I have no heat FML ;'{

[MagicPatrick1]

@TAC617 did the unit lock out? Perhaps you need to reset the power to it.

Jot down the make and model number and try to find technical support online. If you have an igniter, there is no thermocouple. The board will only bring the fan on if the unit fires. If the fan was running continuosly before shutting off power, then maybe it went out on limit. I know you're frustrated but there are many variables.

It may be difficult and expensive to get service tonight. Use your oven with care!

[MagicPatrick1]

@TAC617 did the unit lock out? Perhaps you need to reset the power to it.

Jot down the make and model number and try to find technical support online. If you have an igniter, there is no thermocouple. The board will only bring the fan on if the unit fires. If the fan was running continuosly before shutting off power, then maybe it went out on limit. I know you're frustrated but there are many variables.

It may be difficult and expensive to get service tonight. Use your oven with care!

[Basher313]

hi my friend

my proplem is my pilot lite it turned off when i tray to turn on the gas nop to on position

after holding for mor than aminut

I also change the thermocople can you help

[MagicPatrick1]

@Basher313 be sure the flame is hitting the thermocouple right. If the problem persists you may have a bad gas valve.

[Basher313]

@MagicPatrick1

thanks it work



[scrfce123]

I've got a furnace with a Honeywell VR800 series regulator. Just recently, I've noticed that the pilot occasionally goes out when the burner does. The thermocoulpe checked out good, so I took the pilot out and gave it a clean, but the problem persists. I've located the pilot pressure adjustment on the regulator but I'm unsure whether I should increase the pressure or simply replace the whole pilot assembly. Is it safe to do this? Also, the pilot makes a hissing sound when it is on.

[TheDreicksito]

i already change the thermocouple but it has a third little pipe on the side of it that goes to the bottom of the unit and i dont know whats that for and i would like you to help me because i dont know anything about that and still the problem thank you

[R5ocky]

I did everything you said and no flame. Weird. I don't get it.

[maxmamed]

God bless you Mr! Thank u very much! It worked like a charm!

[MagicPatrick1]

@maxmamed You're very welcome!!!

[elpanica]

Thank you sir!!! Very helpful video.

[MagicPatrick1]

@elpanica Your very welcome!

[ultrapirtle]

Hallelujah! I have a working boiler! Thanks.

[thegenrl]

hi where can i buy a replacement assembly shown @0:56? mine has broken. 

great video btw! very little fluff!

[mxnupe]

Thanks for the help!!! I look like a hero!!!

[TAC617]

Thank you sooo much from the bottom of my heart. Because of your video I was able to take the ignition template apart and clean it/fix it now it's working great you saved me Hundreds!!

[dano415]

great video-

[SuperMofunk]

Thanks it lit just as you described, my wife is pleased and I save a 100 bucks in my pocket.

[MagicPatrick1]

@SuperMofunk No Problem!!

[plebeianprint]

Thank you, sir. It is cold, and I hadn't tried to turn on the heat yet this year. It's the weekend and my landlord only does emergency visits on the weekend. I have control of the heat for the entire building, and you helped me to learn how to light a boiler at 4:30 in the morning. Thank you.

[MagicPatrick1]

@plebeianprint Glad I could help!

Just be on the lookout for any weird noises, and be sure to check the boiler pressure tomorrow. It should be between 12-15 psi. (little round dial has temp on 1 side, psi on other). Also, the upstairs apartments may need to bleed the radiators or baseboard if they aren't getting much heat. Sometimes air works it's way up there and the water can't flow. Just remind your landlord you had to light it, and might be a good idea to have it serviced. (Fully check it)

[foiz5000]

Thanks, at least I knew which thing to put the flame by after watching. Directions on mine didn't give me a hint.

[MagicPatrick1]

@foiz5000 Your welcome!

[OrotheNaroom]

@foiz5000 I had the same problem! "Light the pilot" was on the instructions, and I just said "Ok... now which one is the pilot?!?!"

[eastcoastjersey]

Thumbs up if you stared at the dirty fingernail.

[MagicPatrick1]

@eastcoastjersey I had just got done changing my brakes, lol.

[RisingPhoenix712]

Dude, you're a life-saver! Thank you for explaining HOW IT WORKS! My HVAC/R instructor had us read 10 pages and let us loose in the lab.

[MagicPatrick1]

@RisingPhoenix712 Your welcome!

[MalformedJordan]

i no wat ill do wen i get home from florda LIHGT MAH PILOT

[MagicPatrick1]

@MalformedJordan =-)

Sunny this time of year?

[nycmopars]

would been nice to see u actually light a pilot even though but great layout n descrip

[MagicPatrick1]

@nycmopars Thanks for watching!

Yea I tried lighting it in the last version. After many complaints I just made this version.

[abiel2332]

thanks, this helped a bunch man

[ghettochainsaw]

Thanks so much! After lighting the pilot light I turned the thermostat up all the way to get some heat going in my apartment but nothing happened: The pilot light remained the same and nothing else lit up. What is the likely problem?

[MagicPatrick1]

@ghettochainsaw 1. The batteries in the thermostat, if any. 2. Is the gas valve in the on position? And 3. It maybe off on a safety roll out switch or a door cover switch. Make sure the blower compartment door is firmly attached.

[mat2dong]

I got a question. On my heater the pilot light flam is big and I feel it's wasting lots of gas. Is there away I can adjust it so it is a smaller flam?

I can take a video and post it so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.

Let me know please:)

[MagicPatrick1]

@mat2dong it would be unlikely that it will work. The only way to adjust it properly is with a test guage.

They do however sell an Intermittent Pilot Light kit, but it will runs a few hundred dollars. The best advice I can offer is to just turn it off in the summer,

[mat2dong]

Thanks Magic!

Anyone else have any ideas? It's using so much gas just to wait to light the burners. A very small amount of fire should light it. I should make a video so you guys can see and maybe give me some ideas. What do you all think?

[MagicPatrick1]

@mat2dong Sure, it couldnt hurt?

[mat2dong]

@MagicPatrick1 Cool, I will do that then:)

[TheMexicanMario100]

its too dark

[palmz4u]

I had a Jade Controls thermocouple that lasted over 20 years in a Pioneer gas furnace I used to own.

[malego222]

This was a helpful video :)

[MagicPatrick1]

@malego222 Thanks for watching!

[sounhip]

Diagnosed the problem and changed the thermocoupler. Works great. Thanks man!

[dzatz]

Very helpful. My pilot would not stay light after releasing the switch. I removed the thermo-coupler and ran out to home depot and bought a replacement Honeywell thermo-coupler. Got home, installed it in minutes and the pilot stayed lit the way it's supposed to and I was able to restart my heater. You save me $100 on a service call. Thanks. Get a manicure.

[winterka100]

I lit my pilot and he crashed the plane.

[ElNuevoChangito]

Thanks for the info... You saved me a lot of trouble.

[discoprescription]

just wanted to say much appreciation magic patrick i lit my girlfriends wall furnace ~ heater is on now ur a lifesaver!

[ritzbites3]

thank you for your video it helped me out so mucha and now my furnace works :)

[Alexiyan]

Thank you for posting this DIY for the furnace! It was a life saver.

[melodieyounce]

THANK YOU SO MUCH - i was struggling with just trying to figure out which hole to stick the flame into. we have the oldest gas space heater in the world, with the vaguest instructions possible.

[mscarachurch]

Yeah your video helped me so much....Thank you....

[Taphonie]

Thank you so much! I have been trying for weeks to figure this out! I read and re-read the instructions on the furnace and couldn't get it to light. Thanks to your video I did it on the first try. You have no idea how much I appreciate your video!

[xxhorrorpunkxx]

nice fingernails and nice explaination! ;)

[MagicPatrick1]

@xxhorrorpunkxx I know right? Lol

I was just in the middle of changing the brakes on my car.

[norb1937]

@xxhorrorpunkxx Patrick has working mans finger nails.

[dmiller531]

I work for a water heater company.....I light these and check for gas leaks.

[omi6921]

yea i really cant see the pilot exactly but i know where its at. and its for my pool heater. i can hear the gas and everything..... i just need 2 get this pilot on but the button isnt sparking.... and its only 2 years old but it sits outside in the elements, maybe that has sumthin 2 do with y it doesnt work....

[MagicPatrick1]

@omi6921 Hmm, Most of those are pretty similar to a regular gas boiler. If the pilot lights but doesn't stay lit, it maybe the thermocouple or the flame sensor. If it's not lighting at all, then maybe a restricted pilot tube. (ie:spider eggs)

Sometimes you'll hear gas, just not enough to produce a steady flame. Have you checked in the manual? Or look up the model/unit/manufacturer online>? If it's only 2 yr old, tech support should be able to help.

[MiChAeLrIdEsBmX]

@omi6921 Could be direct spark, probly dirty, kinda like a spark plug on your car, it will get soot built up and dirty! it needs to be very clean to get a clean, powerful spark.

[omi6921]

what if ur pilot has an igniter button? can u still use the grill lighter and spark the pilot that way?

[MagicPatrick1]

@omi6921 If it's a push buton sparker, Yeah.

Although...

Some of the newer water heaters don't have an access panel. And the glass DOESN'T remove. In that case you would need to replace the sparker. The odds of one of those going bad are slim.

[ur4givn]

Thanks Patrick... I had a bad thermal coupling and it cost me a fraction of a service call to fix. THANKS!!!!

[MagicPatrick1]

@ur4givn Your welcome!

[festizioband]

Very great post. Thanks for taking the effort to help everyone out.

[MagicPatrick1]

@festizioband Thank you!

[FlyRobDog]

Cool video Patrick!

I also made a video on how to fix the pilot light.

check out the video. its in my profile.

again..thanks for the vid

[Gersonb10]

thank you very helpful

[byeonugteuabnece]

Thank you, very helpful! I got my furnace going again after watching this video.

[MagicPatrick1]

=-D

[uglydollipod]

Thanks - I'm going in to give it a shot and hopefully it doesn't go BOOM.

appreciate your effort to help people like myself out.

[cyrax118]

MagicPatrick, Great Video. I seen all comments of good reviews. Much appreciated, thanks to you. With my dilemma, may be a bit tricky. My burner/glow plug would start to light up and glow, motor would spin, it looks as if its going to get brighter, but to no avail, the the burner does not stay lit. the unit continues to do this 2 to 3 times until it shuts off completely producing no heat. Please Help! See my video under (Payne Gas Furnace) if that would be helpful to you. Thanks Again.

[MagicPatrick1]

Ok just checked it out.

Doesn't seem like it's the pressure switch of the flame sensor. Otherwise you wouldn't get glow, or it won't stay fired.

There's no gas being delivered after the glow plug lights, so. Either your gas line is interupted (rare unless meter is pinned, out of propane), or you have a bad gas valve or regulator. The key is to find 24v on the M/V terminal at the valve.

Then.. (either way)

Really, I'd advise you call a professional and have the inlet pressure tested.

[OrthodoxKnight]

Thanks man.  Thanks to you, I was able to light my furnance Greate video!!.

[channonr]

thanks you patrick!!! i would have never found where to light the pilot. my thermocouple is up out of sight.

[xstatyk]

Thanks man you certainly kept our family warm tonight, otherwise we have to wait a week for the light/gas company to come down!

[cshine2010]

Thanks! Very informative and non threatening to a novice!

[MagicPatrick1]

Thank You Very Much!

[rkellyforums]

Thanks for the great tips. Its video's like yours that make youtube great! Thanks for sharing you expertise.

[MagicPatrick1]

Ok, Just made 2 new videos on blowers.

Let me know how you get on!

[rkellyforums]

mine is direct drive. How do you diagnose a bad fan, with a multimeter?

[MagicPatrick1]

Amprobe would probaby be best, or any clamp on meter to see how many amps it's drawing. There's also a run capacitor, that maybe bad too. The Capacitor looks like a pop can, or maybe oval. Make sure it's not puffy or leaking.

Usually a bad motor will just hum. Or feel really hot to the touch. If it seems locked up, and you try to spin it, it may fire up. Just watch out for loose articles of clothing should it start unexpectedly.

Without power, the wheel should spin freely. If not? Seized.

[MagicPatrick1]

You could also try a different speed. If it's a 3 speed motor? Usually for heat they use medium or low. For A/C it uses high speed.

A quick way to check is,

- shut power off

- apply a jumper between R and G

(low voltage on the control board)

- then fire it up

Sometimes a bad board won't allow the fan to come on. So using a voltmeter, check the terminals feeding the motor.

If thats good, replace the capacitor.

Still nothing? Replace the motor...

Probably 1/2 hp,

[rkellyforums]

Thanks. Great Vid. Can you make a video about replacing the fan/blower motor? Mine is 17 years old, squirrel cage type. I'm confused on what size fan/motor I need. I think its Heil furnace. Thanks!

[MagicPatrick1]

I have one, American Standard blower wheel replacement 1 & 2.

If you'd like, I could do another on a table. Most of them are relatively the same. By scroll cage do you mean direct drive? or belt driven?

[eddiethreat]

@rkellyforums if your furnace is 17 years old, its time for it to go. If you really wanna replace it, you disconect the harness. the motor and wheel are in a round shielded holder, thats got like 4 screws. then slide it out, its in teeth. then reach inside, and feel for a set screw, loosen that. then go around to the motor, and undo those bolts. and pull the motor out, leaving the wheel inside. if it sticks, you need a wheel puller. then put in the proproetary wheel and motor,

[dizzyelsie]

Thank you, I tried cleaning the termal couple, pilot still won't go on. The do you think it would cause to replace a wall furnace? or what can I expect to pay to have the termal couple?

[MagicPatrick1]

Those assemblies are slightly different.

Is it not lighing at all? That may be the pilot tube restricted. If it's lighting then going right out, then yea it maybe the thermocouple.

Depending on the service rates in your area, and the parts? You maybe looking at nearly $100 or more?. If you know where you got it from (Lowes or Home Depot) or have the manual, that may help too. Then you could order the pilot assembly yourself and save about 20%.

Shop around.

[MagicPatrick1]

Sometimes, It's actually the knob worn out. If it wigles, or spins real loose with no notches/seating at the desired setting, it's hard to tell if it's set to pilot or not. That too can hinder progress in lighting it.

I don't want to say replace the whole unit if the thermocouple is bad, it's just a matter of cost effectively finding the correct replacement!

New? These heaters are only $250-300 I think..

[Ajfist]

Thank you so much for this helpful video.

[MagicPatrick1]

Your welcome. I'd like to make a few more of this type, but more indepth.

[xtinalucky7]

thank you so much!!!! i have heat again!

[MagicPatrick1]

Your Welcome!!!! Stop back anytime=)

[MidlifeCrises]

Thank you! I live in a rented unit and am not familiar with gas appliances. The pilot light in the wall heater keeps going out. Had SDGE take a look, he found a part that he said needed to be replaced by a plumber. A plumber replaced the part (the landlord is going to love that bill) and the pilot light went out again, a few days later.

Watched your video and walla, we have heat!

Easy as pie!

Thanks again.

[MagicPatrick1]

Your very welcome!

[FlyRobDog]

wow! great video! very informative!

my pilot light went out, and i had to fix it.. i made a video of how to fix your pilot light..

the video is in my profile..check it out..

keep up the good work!

[MagicPatrick1]

Thank you,

Yea for a water heater,

Those can be tricky sometimes.

lol @ the barrage of sound effects/canned laughter

[lombardi3g]

Saved my marriage (and my mother-in-law). Never did find the 'pilot' position mark on my valve but the pilot lit and all burners ignited when I moved the dial to 'On'. thanks a million.

[MagicPatrick1]

Your very welcome! And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

[SaviourSole]

Thanks for posting this! I turned off our furnace pilot light about two years ago in order to save gas during the summer, then when I went to try to relight the thing I went through almost a whole box of long matches and didn't get anywhere. I had no idea that gas wasn't even getting to the pilot because the thermocouple wasn't hot enough. Now I just have to figure out how to hold down my pilot knob (which is under the house) and light it at the same time (in the living room floor!)

[MagicPatrick1]

The lighting instructions should be stamped into a metal tag somewhere near the equipment. Theres a few models where the pilot tube actually gets lit in a small opening then travels upto the main burner. It depends on where the orfice is.

Is your furnace a downflow?

[SaviourSole]

Whoops. It seems there was no thermocouple after all!

I had to crawl under the house to learn this.

It turned out the reason I couldn't get the thing relit is because my fireplace matches weren't long enough to reach the pilot assembly. I taped two long matches together and once I got my flame way down inside I could see where the pilot assembly was and it lit right up! lol The house is so amazingly cozy now. It's a nice change. Glad to get rid of the space heaters.

[fritzhvac]

Very good and insightful video Pat. On all my check and cleans if I come across old furnace still using themal-couple I just go ahead and change with new one. Sorta like not putting on NEW CAP on NEW MOTOR . You know you always get the call at midnight!! Prevetative Maintence Rules!!!

Would love to see more videos like this one Pat, GREAT JOB..... FRITZ

[DrZarkloff]

Very awesome video. People are always asking me to do videos about gas furnaces. I just don't deal with them much.

[VolariVideo]

Helpful!