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A pilot light is a small flame that is built into your gas heating appliances, such as a furnace or water heater. The pilot light provides a small flame that ignites the gas needed to operate the appliance. So what happens if the pilot light goes out on one of your heating appliances? Does the gas keep flowing?
If the pilot light goes out on a storage or instantaneous hot water heater, space heater or a ducted heater, you will not have a gas leak. This is because all modern gas appliances with pilot lights have a fail-safe device that closes off the gas to the appliance in the case when the pilot may go out.
The fail-safe device is comprised of a thermocouple. When the tip of the Thermocouple is heated in the pilot flame, it generates a small electric current. This electric current energises an electromagnet that in turn keeps a gas valve open allowing gas to flow to the main burner. If the pilot light goes out for any reason, the current stops, the valve closes, thus preventing any gas from leaking.
High-efficiency gas appliances like Rinnai Infinity hot water units, Rinnai Energysaver space heaters or Brivis Starpro ducted heaters are different. They don’t have thermocouples as they are all electronic. We find that these are all very safe and reliable appliances.
At O’Shea Plumbing, we recommend getting a gas heater service regularly, especially before the cold months come around. If you own an older gas appliance it may even be time to think about getting it replaced by a licensed plumber to avoid problems and keep you and your family safe.
You can rest assured that O’Shea Plumbing are the trusted professionals in Melbourne when it comes to gas leak detection and gas heater services. Our quick, reliable service means that you can solve your gas leak and heater issues in no time. Contact us today on 03 9888 2887.