Water heater pilot light out
easy 10–30 min
Tools: flashlight, long lighter (older heaters without a piezo igniter)
Steps
- Read the relighting label on the tank — the sequence differs between models and matters.
- Turn the gas control knob to OFF and wait five minutes so any gas clears.
- Turn the knob to PILOT, press and hold it down, and press the igniter button (or hold a long lighter to the pilot) until the pilot lights.
- Keep holding the knob for 30–60 seconds after it lights, then release; the pilot should stay lit.
- Turn the knob to ON and set the temperature; the main burner should light within a minute.
Stop and call a pro if
- you smell gas at any point — stop, leave, and call the gas emergency line
- the pilot goes out again within a day — the thermocouple or gas valve is failing
- the flame is yellow and lazy rather than blue, or there is soot around the burner
Rules in the Netherlands: Relighting a pilot is allowed; any repair to the gas valve or burner must be done by a CO-certified installer.
Rules in Poland: Relighting is fine; burner and gas-valve work requires a technician with gas qualifications.
What a pro does that you can't
A technician replaces the thermocouple or thermopile (a 30-minute job), cleans the burner and pilot assembly, and checks the flue draft that often blows the pilot out in the first place.
DIY cost: $0