Why does the pilot light on the gas stove keep going out?
The gas stove is about 15 years old. The pilot light goes out and the house fills with gas. Is it time to get a new stove?
The gas stove is about 15 years old. The pilot light goes out and the house fills with gas. Is it time to get a new stove?
cookiesmom
Favorite Answer
there is a small screw in the wiring leading to the pilot light...it may need to be adjusted....this allows for opening the line a little more so the propane can flow more easily..pilot lights openings for the propane can become clogged with debris from usage and it also may need to be cleaned out....shut off the gas entirely for this..also is there a draft anywhere that could be causing this?.....mine always goes out on the right side while the left always burns
dulcrayon
Are you talking about the oven? If so the pilot light is controled by the thermostat(that's the oven knob). The thermostat may be going out(starting to fail).
On a unit that old you may have trouble finding parts. You might want to cap off the pilot gas line and just light it by hand(the pilot light heatsa thermocouple(this is a little cigar shaped thing which will be DIRECTLY above the pilot light). Use one of those electric matches(the things about 8 inches long you buy at Walmart, etc) and hold the flame under the thermocouple until the oven lights. If it's the burners on the top of the stove(hopefully, there will be a shutoff for the pilot light in the gas line going to the pilot light. If not you can buy a cap to screw onto the gas line. REMEMBER the gas is under very little pressure so it's not very hard to cap off. and light the burners by hand.
bottom line:
for the oven, heat the thermocouple
for the oven, heat the burner
Anonymous
You need a new Thermocouple - it tells the gas valve the pilot is on and to release gas to the burner- if the T-couple is worn out the Pilot will not stay on. very easy fix- look near the Pilot for a tiny copper line feeding back to the gas valve- the end willl be about 1/4 by 3 inches long- thats the sensor part. Get one at Lowes or Home Depot, make sure you get the right length.
?
Check the stove area for a draft that could be blowing out the pilot. Make certain to block any such drafs from entering the pilot area. Also, check the thermocouple (the tube providing gas to the pilot). It could be malfunctioning. You will probably end up changing the thermocouple. Good luck.
Anonymous
Yes get a new stove with the electric ignition. The pilot could be clogged with grease and or debri. This is definitely an emergency issue, God forbid you come home and turn your lights on your house could blow up. Or you could be sleeing and die in your sleep because of the gas in your home. PLEASE PLEASE get someone in to check out the stove maybe it can be fixed if not GET A NEW ONE RIGHT NOW!!!