How to Clean a Water Heater Thermocouple
When you have a gas-powered water heater in your home, chances are you probably don’t realize just how important the thermocouple is to having your water heater working at its best day after day. Responsible for ensuring your water heater’s pilot light stays lit, the thermocouple requires regular maintenance in regards to being kept clean. Should you ignore the thermocouple, it can become dirty and create a variety of unnecessary problems with your water heater.
If you’re ready to learn everything you need to know about a water heater thermocouple and how it can be cleaned, our plumbing professionals here at Boss Plumbing are here with all the answers.
Can a Thermocouple Get Clogged?
Your water heater’s thermocouple can get clogged very easily, especially if it does not get cleaned on a regular basis. Should there be a clog in the gas line, this will mean the thermocouple won’t have any gas reaching it, which will mean you’ll have a water heater that is doing anything but heating water.
To figure out if your thermocouple is dirty, look at its tip. If you notice the tip is covered with a layer of soot, this means it needs to be cleaned as soon as possible. If you ignore this, you’ll start having problems with the pilot light staying lit on a consistent basis. This will not only be inconvenient, but also lead to wear and tear on the thermocouple that may shorten the lifespan of your water heater.
How Do I Know if the Thermocouple is Bad?
When you have a thermocouple that is going bad on your water heater, the most obvious sign will be a pilot light that always seems to be going out. If you light the pilot light but then find it extinguished less than a week later, you’ll need to closely examine the thermocouple. If you are lucky, cleaning the thermocouple will do the trick. If it doesn’t, this may mean your water heater problems are more serious, which could result in the need for a thermocouple replacement.
How Long Should a Water Heater Thermocouple Last?
When you are comparing gas and electric water heaters, the magic number is usually 10 years in relation to how long the thermocouple should last. Should you be experiencing a pilot light that is always out and your water heater is at least 10 years old, you may need to call us here at Boss Plumbing to install a new thermocouple on your home’s water heater.
Also keep in mind that if you suspect the thermocouple may just need to be cleaned, some of today’s gas water heaters are constructed so that the burner assembly must be removed prior to doing so. In this situation, you should not try this on your own. Instead, schedule a service call with our water heater service experts here at Boss Plumbing to make sure your water heater is serviced in the safest possible manner.
How Often Should a Thermocouple be Cleaned?
Here at Boss Plumbing, we always recommend to our customers that they clean the thermocouple on their water heater at least once every six months. If it is allowed to go a few months past this recommended amount of time, a layer of soot will form on the thermocouple tip and lead to the pilot light going out. Since the burner assembly may need to be removed or possibly replaced, we suggest you not try doing anything of which you may be uncomfortable. Since we have decades of experience with water heater installations and repairs, rely on us for your gas water heater service needs in and around Los Angeles.
What is the Best Way to Clean a Water Heater Thermocouple?
Cleaning your water heater’s thermocouple is easy in most cases. To do so, you only need to follow a few steps.
First, determine if your water heater’s thermocouple needs to be removed from the burner assembly. If it does, you should let our Boss Plumbing water heater pros handle the burner assembly removal and thermocouple cleaning. If this step is not needed, you can move on to the following two steps to clean your thermocouple.
Next, using either steel wool or emery-cloth, gently sand the tip of the water heater thermocouple until all traces of soot are gone.
Finally, take a piece of lint-free cloth to polish and clean the thermocouple tip. If all goes well, you can do these steps, get your pilot light lit, and have a water heater that is working better than ever.
Should I Clean or Replace the Thermocouple?
To determine if your thermocouple only needs a good cleaning or requires replacement, it will come down to how often your pilot light is going out. If you’re experiencing pilot light outages every few days or have a water heater that is over 10 years old, you’ll do better by replacing the thermocouple. If your water heater is less than 10 years old and your pilot light has been working as expected, cleaning the thermocouple is probably all that’s needed.
Contact Your Plumbing Pros
If you’re having thermocouple troubles, contact our pros here at Boss Plumbing today to schedule a service call. Should you have questions about your thermocouple or want to know more about tank and tankless water heaters for your home, contacting us today will put your mind at ease and get your water heater in great shape in no time at all.
