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The color of the pilot light should be blue because that means that only natural gas—without any other condensates—is reaching the pilot light through the gas main. The principal chemical compound found in natural gas is methane, and methane burns blue.
What color should pilot flame be?
Inspecting a Gas Furnace Pilot Light Flame A natural gas flame should be a bright blue color with a small amount of yellow at the very tip. A propane flame will have more of a bluish-green flame with a tinge of yellow at the tip. The flame should strong enough to cover about 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip.
Should a pilot light be orange?
Pilot light burns inefficiently. The flames from traditional pilot lights should burn a bright blue color. If your pilot light’s flame is orange or yellow, it is burning inefficiently due to a lack of oxygen.
What does a good pilot light look like?
A proper pilot flame should be blue with a yellow tip and should be strong enough to cover about 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip. If the flame is too strong and improperly adjusted, it will be blue but may be noisy and lift off the thermocouple, causing improper furnace operation.
What color should my furnace light be?
The burner flames from your natural gas furnace should look blue or almost completely blue. A healthy natural gas furnace flame is characterized by a roaring blue flame with a light blue triangle in its center. There may be a tiny tip of yellow.
Does gas still flow when pilot light goes out?
When the pilot light won’t stay lit, the gas may still escape from the pipe. Instead of feeding a fire, though, it goes into your home. Pilot lights have a safety valve, which should cut the gas when the light goes out. If the valve is functioning properly, it will close and gases won’t escape.
Do pilot lights give off carbon monoxide?
A pilot light should be a crisp blue colour. A yellow or orange pilot light will produce carbon monoxide – an odourless, colourless gas that can fill your home and cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of this condition include dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
How do I fix my orange pilot light?
Give the pilot tube a clean Turn off your boiler and make sure the pilot light is off. You can then give the pilot tube a clean with a nail, needle or other thin object but take care not to damage it. Once it’s clean, you can then turn your boiler back on and reset the pilot light.
Is my pilot light too high?
If the flame is blue and weak, and barely reaches the thermocouple, it needs to be stronger. If it extends well above the thermocouple, it’s too strong. If the flame covers the top of the thermocouple and burns steadily with a yellow tip, that’s just about right.
How do you know if a pilot light is out?
How to Tell If the Pilot Light Is Out Locate the front cover panel on your furnace. It should be a little door that’s easily visible. If your pilot light is on, it should be easy to see – your eyes will be drawn to the little flame. If you don’t see a flame, your pilot light is out. If there is a flame, check the color.
How do I know if thermocouple is bad?
If you can’t get the flame to light at all, and you’re sure the gas is on, there’s probably an obstruction in the pilot tube. If the flame lights and goes out when you release the gas control knob after holding it in for the recommended 20 to 30 seconds, that’s the sign of a thermocouple malfunction.
How do you relight a pilot light?
How to Relight a Pilot Light: 5 Steps Find the pilot light assembly and its reset switch. The furnace’s pilot light is usually positioned at the bottom of the unit by a knob. Set the reset switch to off. Turn the knob to the “Off” setting. Wait a moment. Relight the pilot light. Observe the furnace.
Should the pilot light always be on in a gas furnace?
If you have an older gas furnace, your heating unit relies on a little blue flame known as a pilot light to ensure ignition of the burners. Since the pilot light needs to remain active, your furnace is always consuming some gas.
What should a natural gas flame look like?
A healthy, properly burning flame on gas appliances should be blue in color, sometimes with a tiny tip of yellow, with a little light blue triangle at the center. This blue color flame indicates that there is safe, efficient and more complete fuel combustion.
Should a gas flame be blue or yellow?
A blue flame is an indication that all is well with your gas appliance: this means there is the proper amount of gas and oxygen is being released from the burner. Red or yellow flames means there could be a problem, such as incomplete combustion.
Why is my pilot light flame yellow?
The most common reason why a pilot light would start to burn yellow is that the air intake valve to the pilot light is clogged with dirt. When this happens, air will be blocked to the flame and it will suffer from incomplete combustion (causing the yellow color).
What makes pilot lights go out?
It is positioned very close to the flame, and when lit, the pilot light tells the thermocouple to keep the gas line open. A thermocouple that is dirty or malfunctioning will often shut off your gas supply in error, causing the pilot light to go out and your furnace to stop working.
What happens when water heater pilot light goes out?
If the pilot light goes out, your water heater won’t be able to ignite the gas burner and therefore, won’t be able to heat the water. But once the pilot light is relit, the water heater is able to ignite the gas burner and can begin to heat the water again.
What do you do when your stove pilot light goes out?
Relighting your pilot light – here’s how to do it: Gear up. Get a microfiber cloth and a lighter or match; a long-wand lighter is best. Shut down. Remove the grates. Open up the stovetop. Find the pilot port. Clean the pilot light area. Light the pilot light. Close it up.
