How To Light An Old Wall Furnace

In this episode of repair and replace vance shows how to relight the pilot light in a standing pilot furnace.

How to light an old wall furnace.

Light a gas wall heater with a long match or lighter the hardest part of this job is finding where you have to apply the flame. Turn the valve to off and wait three minutes. The gas valve is usually painted red with the on off and pilot settings clearly marked. Lighting the pilot light on a gas heater is simple to do.

A modern gas furnace usually has an electronic spark generator to ignite the gas when the thermostat calls for heat. Turn off the gas to your wall furnace. Find your pilot light and gas valve. Wall furnaces house a pilot light much like a water heater.

The supply line is near the furnace and has a cutoff valve to stop the gas flow to the furnace. In principle lighting a furnace pilot light is not terribly complicated. Turn off the thermostat remove a few panels to locate the pilot light light it an. Light a match and hold it near the pilot opening while you press the reset button on the pilot control panel.

Do not attempt to do this at home in northern california pacific gas electric. Recently i had to re light the pilot light on an older model wall heater and decided to capture it on video. Turn the thermostat to its lowest setting. An older gas furnace has a standing pilot that stays on all the time or at least it s supposed to.

A number of things can make an old furnace pilot light go out including a strong draft a faulty thermocouple or a loss of gas. But if you follow the pilot tube from the gas supply you should be able to locate the opening buried inside the heater behind a metal plate. Gas wall heaters whether vented or unvented can supply enough heat to warm a small or medium sized room and they can operate with propane or natural gas. Rotate the valve handle to the off position.

They do require maintenance as well but are much easier to maintain by homeowners. Switch the valve to the pilot setting. Here is how to light the pilot light on a gas heater.