Can't get pilot light lit

A lot of pilot lights have a thermal coupler... the pilot light must be lit for several min to open the coupler so the pilot light will not go out.... the newer systems use an electronic ignition and no pilot light and need power to autostart but the coupler may be gone if you are holding that pilot start button down for several min and the pilot light is still going out..ps.. leave it in pilot mode for several min after initial start up before turning turning full burner operation operation operation operation operation operation operation it will snuff out the pilot light.

If you are referring to a gas fireplace:

• Make sure the pilot knob is turned from "pilot" to "ON" or it will never run.
• If the pilot knob is "ON", and the pilot is lit, but the burner won't light, it could be a bad Thermopile. The thermopile is the other safety mechanism in the pilot assembly that controls the burner.

First clean out pilot light with can of air , or blow down it with a tude.
Then brush electrode clean with a clean paint brush ,chech to see if electrode is in the right postion to light the gas not too far away and the spark is strong , Clean thermopile head if fitted, then check thermocuople /thermopile connections are tight . see if this helps .

this happened to me as well. my pilot light had 3 settings.
"off" which is in the middle.
"up" is for priming/starting the pilot light.
"down" is what you move it to AFTER the pilot light is lit.

prior to lighting the pilot light, I had get city get city to verify gas was coming into house. It was not. someone thought they had turned gas on, but in fact did not.

so I had two problems.

Well, let's start the trouble shooting process with trying to get the pilot lit...
Have you removed the cover at the bottom of the heater?-- Can you see an pilot light inside?

If not, Can you try lighting the pilot-- and noticing how the pilot flam heats the little ThermoCouple (TC)?
Note: In order for gas to flow thru the main control valve, the pilot light has to be heating the TC-- to generate a voltage, that in turn allows the main gas valve to open.
Do you need help in getting the pilot light lit?-- do you understand the need to hold down the start button, until the TC gets heated up?

Let us know what you find

Mack B

I would check to make sure control on gas valve is in on position and pilot is lit if you have a standing pilot. If you have a spark or hot surface ignitor make sure they are trying to lit pilot. If you have standing pilot model and pilot lit is not on. Turn control on gas valve to off,wait five mins. then turn to pilot. Depress botton and try to light pilot. If it lights hold down for a couple of mins. then release.. If pilot stays lit turn control to on. If thermostat is calling for heat this should bring main burner on. If pilot does not stay lit then replace thermocouple. Hope this helps. Thanks

there is a small adjustment screw on the gas valve,turn it clockwise to increase pilot,if that does not work the vent cap on the gas regulator on the back of the unit could be stopped up,remove that cap ,clean out or replace unit can operate without it just fine.If you increase the pilot and it still wont stay lit replace the thermocouple

There should be instructions on the inside of the heater access door. Make sure you are comfortable working with gas heaters. Make sure the shutoff valve supplying gas to the heater is on. Turn the gas valve to "pilot", press and hold it while attempting to light the pilot. Once the pilot is lit, continue holding the gas valve knob down for about 30 seconds. The pilot should stay lit once you release the knob. If the pilot stay lit, turn the gas valve to "on". Replace the heater access door and make sure you have proper water flow and attempt to light the heater. If it will not light, or the pilot will not stay on, you will probably have to replace the pilot generator. It provides voltage to run the heater and after time it wears out and produces less and less voltage. A millivolt heater runs on less than one volt so any power loss can be a problem. If you are able, test the pilot generator with a multimeter to see if you are getting at least 500mv when the pilot is on. If not, you should replace the pilot generator or even the entire pilot assembly. Hope this helps...

You must clean the pilot regularly to ensure it burns properly. Use a small can of air for cleaning computers and blow air through the pilot to remove dust and small particles that accumulate in the pilot barrel. Use several burst being that it is 2 years old and has not been blown out. THe manual references cleaning the pilot in the maintenance section.

Wrong voltage thermocouple? must have 400mv, residential uses 25-40mv.