The pilot light on your furnace is an important aspect of your heating system. If the flame goes out, your furnace will be unable to create the warmth needed to heat your home. Luckily, most homeowners are capable of relighting it on their own. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to safely relight your furnace’s pilot light.
Warning! If you smell gas or suspect you have a gas leak, turn off the furnace and leave your home as soon as possible. It is dangerous to relight your pilot light when there is natural gas in the air.
Your pilot light relies on your natural gas to stay aflame, so if your gas is shut off, your pilot light will go out. Simply turn your gas back on and either relight your pilot light yourself or call a professional.
How to Light a Gas Pilot Light
- Reference Your Furnace’s Instruction Manual
Your manual will give you the most accurate information about your specific furnace model. However, it’s still possible to relight your pilot without one.
- Turn Your Furnace Off
Turn the knob on your furnace to “OFF.” This will stop the flow of gas into the room.
Wait at least 5 minutes to allow any remaining gas in the air to dissipate. This step is extremely important to prevent the risk of fire.
- Turn the Knob to Pilot
Turn the knob from “OFF” to “PILOT”
Hold down the reset button and relight the pilot at the same time. To safely do this, you’ll need to use a long-stemmed lighter and hold the end of it very close to the pilot. Once the flame catches, release the reset button.
Watch the pilot light on your furnace for a few minutes to ensure it stays lit. It’s possible that the gas pilot light went out originally because your furnace has an issue that needs to be repaired. If the pilot goes out again, turn off your furnace and call a trusted HVAC company for assistance.
How To Light A Furnace Pilot Light (DIY! Save $$ and Time)
FAQ
Can I light my pilot light by myself?
Can I just relight my pilot light?
How do you manually light a pilot light?
How do you relight a pilot light?
A pilot light is a small gas burner that is continuously burning to light a larger burner. Whether it’s your furnace, water heater, oven, or stove, relighting your pilot light is actually really easy. You need to locate and access the pilot light, turn the gas valve to the pilot light position, and use a long lighter to relight the pilot light.
Can I relight the pilot light on my furnace?
Yes, you can, though you need to be careful. To relight the pilot light of your furnace or water heater yourself, you have to manually open a valve by pushing a button. Next, you need to light the pilot light and wait for 30-40 seconds for the thermocouple to heat up so you don’t have to hold the button anymore.
Should I Relight my pilot?
If you follow these steps and the relighting instructions on your equipment, you should have no issue safely lighting your pilot. That being said, if you aren’t comfortable doing this always call a professional. Your furnace can leak carbon monoxide, a dangerous and deadly gas, if repairs are not done properly.
How do you reset a pilot light valve?
Light the pilot light valve with a long lighter. Continue to hold the reset button as you ignite the lighter. Bring the flame to the pilot light valve and hold it steady until you see the pilot light reignite, then release the reset button. You can use a long match or roll a piece of paper into a long tube to use to light the pilot light.