Pilot Light Keeps Going Out

A pilot that refuses to hold generally means a safety device has failed, so call rather than relighting it again and again.

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When this becomes an emergency

The pilot dies again within seconds of being relit.
The flame wavers and leans yellow instead of standing steady and blue.
There's a rotten-egg odor near the equipment; leave the building and phone from outside if you smell gas.
Black soot has collected around the pilot assembly or along the burner face.

What a pro does

This symptom almost never lives in the pilot flame itself. The thermocouple or thermopile is the usual answer, a small sensor whose only job is proving flame to the gas valve, and when it weakens or drifts out of the flame it reports darkness while a flame burns an inch away, so the valve closes within seconds. Draft is the other big one in old basements. A loose bulkhead door, an unsealed foundation vent, or a chimney that's cooled off and lost its draw can all snuff a standing pilot on a windy night, and no replacement part cures a draft problem. If gas is in the air, get out first and call from outside.

Frequently asked questions

Is the sensor an expensive part?

No, it's small and cheap. What it costs is the diagnosis to confirm the sensor is genuinely the weak link rather than the gas valve or a draft it can't fight.

Why does this happen more on windy nights?

Wind pressure moves air through an older basement and can reverse a chimney's draw for a moment, which is plenty to lift a standing pilot off its port.

Is relighting it repeatedly a risk?

Trying once or twice to see whether it holds is ordinary. Doing it over and over when it clearly won't hold means fuel is going somewhere it shouldn't between attempts.

What does soot around the burner indicate?

Soot points to incomplete combustion, which needs a look at combustion air and venting rather than just another attempt at getting the pilot to stay.

Pilot Light Keeps Going Out?

Get connected with a local pro now.

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