Replacing Thermocouple In Hot Water Heater

The thermocouple is a special sensing tube on gas water heaters that senses when the pilot light has flame and shuts off the gas to the unit when the pilot has been extinguished.

Replacing thermocouple in hot water heater.

Learn how to replace this inexpensive part and keep your hot water heater working for years to come. Before you replace a broken hot water heater check to make sure the thermocouple still works. 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.

By james carey morris carey. Remove the burner assembly and detach the thermocouple. In simple terms it s a short piece of tubing that runs from the gas controller to the pilot. Check the following when your water is not hot enough.

Step 8 reattach the manifold tube pilot tube and thermocouple to the gas control valve thermostat and tighten them using the adjustable wrench. Replace the heating element or thermostat. Flush the heater to remove sediment from the tank. The thermocouple is a heat sensitive.

If you have a gas water heater with a pilot light that won t stay lit it s probably due to a failed thermocouple. Since almost all major brands of atmospherically vented water heaters have switched from a thermocouple to a t. 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. Make sure that the power is connected.

When the pilot light on a gas water heater won t stay lit the problem is usually a faulty thermocouple. Insulate the hot water pipes. 1 cause of pilot lights that won t stay lit is a worn out. Inside the burner compartment of your gas water heater right in front of the pilot light is a small metal cylinder called a thermocouple.

A hot water heater that doesn t heat might just need a new thermocouple. Raise the temperature setting on the thermostat. How to replace a thermocouple on a hot water heater.