How To Fix Your Pilot Light
Posted on: 13 May 2017
You don't always need to call a heating expert to fix your furnace. While most advanced electrical and gas issues should definitely be serviced by professionals, there might be a simpler solution to your problem. One very common issue with a furnace is that the pilot light is not lit. This leaves your furnace unable to power on to produce and circulate hot air. Here is the safest way to check your pilot light and relight it if necessary.
Checking the Pilot Light
On some furnaces you can actually see if the pilot light is lit without having to open it up. However, most modern furnaces have easily removable access panels that you will need to take off in order to even see the problem. The access panel can usually be taken off with out any tools, but you may need a flat head screw driver. Before you do this, it is smart to shut off your furnace. Just make sure your thermostat is set to the off position. If you furnace does have a power switch on the actual unit (this is rare), you can turn that off as well.
Relighting Your Pilot Light
The pilot light is small but easy to find on most furnaces. Since it needs to be manually lit upon start up, it has to be in an accessible position within the main furnace compartment. The gas control knob should be mounted right next to the light. If there is no flame and the gas control is turned off, this is obviously your problem. You will probably just need a lighter to fix this. Simply turn on the gas control and then light it up. Some units have igniters so you don't even need a lighter.
However, if the gas control is in the on position and there is no flame, you will probably need to resort to professional help. This could be a sign of a more serious problem within the gas lines of your furnace, so you should not try to fix it yourself.
You can't always fix all of your HVAC problems without dealing with professionals. However, it is also true that you don't always have to hire professionals to fix your HVAC problems. It is definitely worth checking your pilot light so you can fix it, if possible, before wasting your time and calling a service technician. Otherwise, call a service shop like Laroc Refrigeration-Metal Division for more help.
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