How To Deal With A Bad Thermocouple On Your Gas Water Heater

It can be really unpleasant to get into the shower and realize that your water heater is no longer producing hot water. Hot water is essential to a pleasant shower and is essential for keeping things clean and sanitary in your home. A bad thermocouple is one of the more common reasons for a gas water heater to stop producing hot water.

Check For A Pilot Light

The first thing you need to do is check and see if the pilot light on your gas water heater is lit. The pilot light is located near the bottom of your water heater. You should literally see a flame if the pilot light on your gas water heater is working properly.

If the pilot light is not lit, and you can't relight it following the steps on your water heater, you are not going to get any hot water. A bad thermocouple is a common cause of a broken pilot light.

Understand What The Thermocouple Does

The thermocouple is a small device with an important job. It is a sensor that provides information to the gas valve on your gas water heater. It tells the gas valve when and if it should release gas. It also tells it how much gas to release.

The thermocouple is attached directly to the gas valve on one end, and the other end is set up to literally feel the heat from the pilot light. This allows the thermocouple to determine who much heat is being produced and how much gas needs to be let out.

Replacing The Thermocouple

It is easy to replace a thermocouple. First, you are going to want to turn off the gas to your water heater. You should never work on your gas water heater when gas is running to it. Take off the cover that goes over the burner compartment. Then take apart the gas tubes that are attached to the burner assembly.

All you need to do now is replace the thermocouple on the burner unit, but it back in place, turn the gas back on and see if you can get the pilot light to work again. The thermocouple basically just needs to be pulled off and the new one inserted in its place.

If this doesn't fix your hot water issues, you may want to bring in a water repair expert to help you fix your gas water heater. You can find more information by clicking this page, or others like it.