Water heater is one of the most useful equipment of day to day life. There are different brands of water available and Honeywell water heater is one of them. Sometimes a user can face difficulties when the pilot light of Honeywell water heater stops lighting.
Today, we are going to discuss and find out the causes and solutions of this particular problem.
Why doesn’t My Honeywell Water Heater Pilot Light light?
Honeywell water heater pilot lights can stop lighting due to several technical reasons. Faulty thermocouple, faulty igniter, faulty pilot tube, faulty flex tube, faulty spark electrode, faulty pressure switch, and faulty control valve are some of these reasons. All of these parts can be fixed.
There can be several reasons why your honeywell water heater pilot light is not lighting. Let’s discuss some of those reasons.
Problem with the igniter:
The igniter is a crucial part of the honeywell water heater. Igniting the gas is the primary job of the igniter. When the igniter goes bad or becomes faulty for some reason, the honeywell water heater pilot stops lighting all of a sudden.
You can check the state of the igniter by inspecting if it is receiving voltage. A faulty igniter will fail to glow even after receiving an adequate amount of voltage.
Problem with the thermocouple:
The thermocouple is another important part of a honeywell water heater. Successfully detecting the pilot light is the purpose of the thermocouple.
When the thermocouple becomes bad or faulty, the ignition method also fails and as a result the honeywell water heater pilot light does not light.
Problem with the pilot tube:
Sometimes the pilot tube can get clogged up due to carbon and dirt build up. The pilot light is not able to light itself when the gas flow gets interrupted due to a clogged pilot tube.
Problem with the flex tube:
The flex tube is also an important part of a honeywell water heater. If the flex tube becomes bad or faulty, it can interrupt the gas flow just like the pilot tube. This causes the honeywell water heater pilot light to stop working.
Problem with the control valve:
A faulty control valve can often cause your honeywell water heater pilot light to stop working. The control valve is one of the most critical parts of a honeywell water heater and fixing it is very difficult.
Problem with the pressure switch:
The pressure switch of the honeywell water heater can sometimes become bad or faulty. The ignition process will be interrupted when the pressure switch goes bad and the pilot light will not light.
Problem with spark electrode:
Faulty spark electrode is not able to create sparks inside the honeywell water heater which causes the pilot light to stop working.
What if Honeywell water heater pilot won’t light? What to do?
The honeywell water heater pilot can stop lighting when one or more parts of the water heater stops working. But there are some particular parts you can inspect to find out the problem.
This list of parts includes thermocouple, igniter, control valve, flex tube, pilot tube, and pressure switch.
When the honeywell water heater pilot stops lighting up, the first step should be checking all the parts individually.
You can turn off the power of the water heater and start unscrewing the light assembly of the pilot to find out the cause of the dysfunction and start working on the solution. Sometimes, only replacing the thermocouple with a new one does the trick.
Can you manually light a Honeywell water heater with an electronic Pilot?
It might be surprising to hear but you can manually light a Honeywell water heater with an electronic pilot. But it is excessively dangerous according to experts. You can use a gas lighter to help you in this process.
You will need to place the flame of your gas lighter at the pilot tube. The button on your Honeywell water heater for lighting purposes has to be pushed down simultaneously. You will need to apply this method with excessive caution as it poses danger.
What happens if the Honeywell water heater pilot light goes out?
The thermocouple will begin to malfunction when the Honeywell water heater pilot light goes out. The thermocouple and the pilot light work together to maintain the flow of gas in the water heater.
When the thermocouple sensor can no longer sense the pilot light, it stops the flow of gas inside the water heater.
Without proper supply of gas, the water heater will fail to fulfill its responsibilities. When the thermocouple stops supplying gas, the ignition process also gets interrupted. Basically, all the core functions of the Honeywell water heater face challenges when the pilot light goes out.
How do you test a Honeywell water heater pilot light?
You can test a Honeywell water pilot light by testing the thermocouple. There are some steps you can take to test your honeywell water thermocouple. Let’s discuss in detail about those steps.
Select the equipment:
Selecting which method and which equipment you are going to use for the test is critical. You can use a multimeter to test the state of your thermocouple and it is the most common practice.
Conduct the test:
You will have to press the pilot button of your Honeywell water heater pilot while conducting the test. The setting on the multimeter has to be set at millivolts in this process.
The probes of the multimeter have to be placed on the thermocouple’s copper part and the gas valve respectively.
Evaluate the reading:
The approved reading for thermocouple is considered to be over 12 millivolts. If the reading you get from the test is below the approved margin, then you will need to replace the thermocouple for the pilot light to keep working.
How do you light a Honeywell water heater pilot? How to fix it?
There are some steps and methods you can follow that will help you to light a Honeywell water heater pilot. Let’s discuss them to find out how to fix the issue.
Clean the pilot tube:
Carbon and dirt build up in the pilot tube can often make the water heater pilot light inoperable. You can clean the pilot tube with the help of a needle. You will need to clean the pilot tube multiple times until the Honeywell water heater pilot light lights up.
Untwist the flex tube:
The flex can sometimes become twisted and it can cause the Honeywell water heater pilot light to stop lighting up. You can solve this problem very easily by gently untwisting the flex tube.
Inspect the thermocouple:
The thermocouple can stop working when it gets clogged up with dirt and debris. The thermocouple has to be cleaned at this stage to light the Honeywell water heater pilot light. You can use sandpaper to clean the thermocouple properly.
The thermocouple can also become damaged due to several reasons. One of the most common phenomena is the thermocouple sensor getting bent away from the pilot light.
The thermocouple needs to be repaired or replaced at this stage to help the Honeywell water heater light to light up.
Replace the control valve:
The main control valve of the honeywell water heater has to be replaced when it becomes faulty. Replacing the control valve takes a tremendous amount of effort and money.
Replace the igniter:
A faulty igniter will be able to complete the ignition process. That is why it should be replaced in order to light the Honeywell water heater pilot light.
Replace the spark electrode:
Faulty spark electrode needs to be replaced if you want to see your honeywell water heater pilot light working again.
How do I reset my Honeywell water heater?
Resetting a Honeywell water heater might seem like a difficult task if you have no prior experience. However, there are some steps you can follow to accomplish this task.
Find the reset button:
First of all, you will need to disconnect the power source of your Honeywell water heater before you start working. The reset button can be located at the bottom of your water heater. You will need to get rid of the cover plate of the reset button with a screwdriver.
The insulation pad covering the reset button can be pulled out with your hands.
Press the reset button:
The honeywell water heater reset button has to be pushed hard in order to get a noise. The noise works as a testimony of the process’s success.
Final Thoughts
One of the main reasons why Honeywell water heater pilot light stops working is that the thermocouple might have gone bad. Worn out igniter & spark electrode, twisted flex tube, and clogged up pilot tube are other causes of Honeywell water heater pilot light malfunction.