Gas Hot Water Heater Thermocouple Troubleshooting

The thermocouple is part of the pilot assembly where one end is always in contact with the pilot flame while the other side is connected to the gas control valve.

Gas hot water heater thermocouple troubleshooting. How to diagnose and repair a faulty atmospherically vented gas fired water heater. There are no adjustments or parts that can be repaired or replaced. Type k chromel alumel are the most widely used general purpose thermocouple 200 c to 1350 c 330 f to 2460 f. For gas powered water heaters the thermocouple serves as a safety device to detect if the pilot light is burning.

To test if the problem. 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. Example tank is a john wood 40 gallo. When the pilot goes out this component send a signal to the gas valve to make sure that it remains closed while the pilot light is not yet lit.

Troubleshooting a water heater thermocouple. The thermocouple found in older water heaters that have permanently lit pilot lights or the flame sensor found in newer water heaters is a simple device that senses the heat in the pilot light flame. The danger with a gas hot water heater is the gas itself. The thermoucouple is a simple replaceable part on your hot water heater.

Some common problems for all types of hot water heaters are pressure relief valves leaks sediment drain valves anode rods and dip tubes. A general troubleshooting discussion is provide in the article identifying and repairing water heater problems. You will not have hot water supply in your plumbing system. If it is not behaving as it should replacing it is the only option.

The gas water heater thermocouple is the safety element that is designed to inform a gas control valve is the pilot flame on or off and open or close the gas to the main burner. Gas hot water heater troubleshooting guide will assume that the gas unit was correctly sized professionally installed per codes and manufacturers. A gas water heater in boise baton rouge buffalo or boston uses a thermocouple that includes a probe attached to a copper tube that screws into a port on the gas valve. Common problems and how to fix them.

Thermocouple repair replacement. If the thermocouple is working you should be able to measure 30 to 40 millivolts of voltage at the connection end of the tube when the pilot flame is on.