An older gas furnace has a standing pilot that stays on all the time or at least it s supposed to.
Lighting pilot on wall furnace.
A number of things can make an old furnace pilot light go out including a strong draft a faulty thermocouple or a loss of gas.
The pilot light is a small flame that is either lit manually and remains burning around the clock or is lit electronically via an igniter when the machine kicks on.
A gas furnace s standing pilot in which the flame is lit at all times is sometimes referred to as a pilot light but no matter what you call it its purpose is to serve as a small ignition flame for the gas burner.
By contributing writer adjusting the pilot light flame on a gas furnace is the best place to start if it appears that your furnace is not getting as hot as it used to or if it seems like the flame goes out a lot.
A modern gas furnace usually has an electronic spark generator to ignite the gas when the thermostat calls for heat.
In most cases this knob has three distinct settings.
The pilot light or ignition sensor is usually the most common issue when your furnace will not ignite.
There are numerous things that may make the pilot light on your furnace to not stay lit.
A faulty or dirty ignition or sensor is a relatively easy fix so follow these steps and you may be able to solve the problem yourself.
The pilot light is typically in the bottom of the furnace near a small knob.
If the pilot light will not stay lit it needs to be fixed asap to supply heat to your home and for safety reasons.
Pilot goes out the heater won t operate properly if the pilot flickers is too weak or goes out and the cause could also be blockages in the pilot tube.
This is typically the problem if you can hear your furnace click on but it does not fire up.
This is a very simple process and will only take a couple minutes.