i know i'll probably have to call a plumber since i admit i'm pretty helpless (and lazy). but..

the pilot in my hot water heater won't stay lit.

any idea what would cause this?

call PG&E first. they do an annual free inspection so i'm told. maybe the pg&e guy can light it so it will stay lit. for free.

this happened to me last month!  it was a defective thermocouple & cost my maintenance guy $10 to buy another
I watched him do it, seemed easy enough

Call PGE.  They generally treat a pilot light issue as an emergency, so should be over to handle it quickly and make a diagnosis.  We had this issue at our former home, and eventually ended up getting a new water heater.

try vacuuming around the area because if the air intake is not strong enough, your hot water heater will automatically shut off.    If it's one of those things where it won't light AT ALL then it's most likely the thermocoupler.  Make sure you turn the gas off if you can't get it relit until you get it looked at.

Good luck. . I have bad water heater karma and this shit happens to me ALL the time. . .I have lived in my place for a little over five years and am on my 4th water heater. .. I am like the grim reaper for water heaters.  :(

It's probably your thermocoupler which you should have replaced by a plumber.

There is one other less likely option; there may be a controller on your hotwater heater and it will have a push button on it much like that of a circuit breaker.  push that in and light the pilot light and see if it stays lit.

5 minutes ago Vince A. says:

call PG&E first. they do an annual free inspection so i'm told. maybe the pg&e guy can light it so it will stay lit. for free.

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+1

Absolutely free.  I've called them out because my stove tried to kill me.  There's no charge, and they're really good about getting someone out there.  They'll even write out a report for you to give to your landlord, if needed.

it relights. i've relit it about 6 times already. i don't really have the time to deal with pg&e or a plumber

Maybe the pilot orifice is clogged or it might be your thermocouple that needs to be replaced.
In any case, it might be better to get a professional to do it (or maybe a handy friend).

Do the PG&E  route first.  It's free,  they will also troubleshoot to let you know if there is something more serious.  If you are a renter,  your landlord is responsible for the repair.

So when it relights does it go out right away or does it stay lit and you are just not getting hot water?

if it relights, try the vacuum thing.  . . then if that doesn't work, it sounds like the thermocoupler.

it stays lit for a while. but eventually goes back out.

it went out a  few weeks ago and i relit it and it stayed on  until this weekend.

lainie, what do you mean 'vacuum around the area'? can you explain more?

The vacuum method could work or you could use a thin wire (or a paper clip) to try to unclog the thingie (just make sure you shut off the gas).
Good luck.

most likely your thermocoupler, not an expensive thing at all but a plumber is going to charge you a full hour

Cleaning the area is a good idea because if your thermocoupler is rusty it will be erratic

depending on how old your water heater is, there are little vents around the bottom of your water heater that get clogged with dust and pet hair. . .my newer water heater has a little screen I can remove and wash but older ones just have cut outs in the metal that allow fresh air to flow around the burner unit if those are clogged, the pilot will automatically go out because of lack of oxygen.  

You said that you got it lit and it stayed for a few weeks.. . that actually sounds like a burnt out coupler.  :(

sorry, so I mean that you need to vacuum around the bottom of the water heater.

Get a professional.  If you are past the point of relighting, don't mess with it.  We don't need you blowed up.

That being said, it could also be the flux capacitor.

cliff, you cannot ZING yourself

also, it's on the newer side.

after you lit it, did you turn the nob to the on positon?

maybe post an ad on Craigslist?  might get a lot of peener shots back, though.

flick, yes i did.

janney, i'll call a plumber if i have to - i was just hoping to not have to because i'm a fairly busy person and don't have time to sit around waiting even if i wanted to, which i don't.

suge, did you turn the knob to the pilot light position? after you lit it, did you hold the knob in for 30 seconds?then turn  it to the 'run' or 'on' position

flick, yes.

you seem to have plenty of time during work hours.

sometimes these things are a pain.
sometimes it takes longer than 30 seconds to bleed  the gas line.

what does bleeding the gas line do?

and JT, fuck off. i'm AT WORK. not at home. my hot water heater is at home.

Suge, they can come during the evenings.  You have to give them a window of about 4-8pm, or 6-9 or something.  It's worth leaving early for...

"work"

yeah, work. in an office. not on the corner giving out $5 blowjobs in order to buy more crack, like your mom.

Suge K. says:

what does bleeding the gas line do?

and JT, fuck off. i'm AT WORK. not at home. my hot water heater is at home.
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It purges any air from the gas line.

update:

last night i couldn't get the pilot lit at all. and it smelled kind of strange. not like gas, but just strange. i can't explain. so i called pg&e. this was around 9. they said they'd send somebody out today.

my phone rang at 1 AM!!! seriously??? the guy was nice enough, but 1 a.m? and he had to call twice because i sleep like the dead. he tightened up the thermocoupler and relit it and said that was probably it, but if it went out again i need a new one.

he also told me that it's not dangerous if it goes out again, that my house won't blow up or anything.

Wow 1AM, that is some serious service...good luck with that Suge....

was it sort of a burnt smell, like a match when it is just lit before smoke etc...?

GL, yup!

ok well if the thermocoupler was loose then you would have issues such as this and that smell would be expected.

If it goes out and you smell that same odor, it's a no brainer...replace thermocoupler...(but then you already knew that)

well, so far so good. it was on all night and after the shower this morning, i heard it reheating.

where do you put the vacuum?