Woke up to a cold shower and no idea why? Before you call anyone, check your pilot light. A dead pilot is one of the most common reasons for sudden hot water loss in Florida, and in most cases you can fix it yourself in under fifteen minutes with no tools required.
A lot of homeowners assume cold water means a dead water heater and immediately start calling for quotes. In reality, especially after a brief gas supply interruption or utility work in your neighborhood, the pilot simply goes out on its own. Relighting it is the entire fix. If you’re unsure whether this is a pilot issue or something more serious, check our emergency water heater failure guide before you start. You can also run through our guide on how to diagnose water heater problems at home to narrow it down.
Why Pilot Lights Go Out
The most common causes are a temporary gas supply disruption, a dirty or failing thermocouple, drafts in garages or utility closets with poor airflow sealing, or a blocked pilot orifice from dust and debris. Florida garages are especially prone to draft issues because of how frequently the doors open and close in daily use.
A pilot that goes out once is rarely a concern. A pilot that dies every day or two after relighting is almost always a thermocouple problem and that needs a professional. More on that below.
Safety First
Smell for gas before touching anything. If you detect a sulfur or rotten egg odor near the unit, do not attempt a relight. Leave the area, open windows, and call your gas utility immediately. If that smell is coming specifically from your hot water tap rather than the unit itself, that is a separate issue covered in our guide on why hot water smells like rotten eggs (link once published).
No gas smell? Grab a flashlight and keep reading.
How to Relight Your Pilot Light
Step 1: Turn the knob to OFF and wait five minutes. The gas control valve sits near the bottom of the tank. Turn it fully to OFF and let unburned gas clear out of the burner assembly. Do not skip the wait.
Step 2: Turn to PILOT and press the knob down firmly. This opens the gas supply to the pilot tube. Keep holding it down through the next two steps. Releasing early is the single most common reason a relight attempt fails.
Step 3: Ignite while holding. Press the igniter button, usually red or black, on or near the valve body. You will hear a click. Watch through the access panel for a small blue flame at the pilot tube. No igniter button on your unit? Use a long handled lighter only. Never use a short match near a gas valve.
Step 4: Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. The thermocouple, a small metal probe sitting in the pilot flame, needs time to heat up before it signals the gas valve to stay open. Release the knob slowly. If the flame holds you are good. If it dies, try twice more before moving on.
Step 5: Turn to ON. The main burner should fire within a minute. Give the tank 30 to 45 minutes to fully reheat before expecting hot water at your fixtures. Once it is back up, check our guide on what temperature your water heater should be set to (link once published) to make sure you are set to the right level.
Pilot Lit But Won’t Stay On?
That is a thermocouple. It heated up, failed to send the signal, and the gas valve shut off as a safety response. It is a common and inexpensive repair but it involves disconnecting gas fittings at the valve assembly. If that is outside your comfort zone, call a pro. While you are at it, check the 7 signs your water heater is about to fail because a thermocouple failure on an older unit is often the first sign of bigger problems ahead. If your unit is making strange sounds on top of the pilot issues, our water heater noise guide will help you figure out what those mean.
When to Call Us Instead
Stop and call a professional if you smell gas at any point, the main burner never fires after the pilot lights, the unit is over 12 years old with repeated outages, or you see rust or water pooling at the base of the tank.
Discount Water Heaters has licensed technicians available same-day across Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, and the surrounding Treasure Coast. Every tech we put in your home is vetted through The Blue Collar Recruiter, the platform we use to find and screen licensed trades professionals across Florida.
If repair does not make sense on your unit, water heater replacement with same-day installation and 0% financing is the smarter call.
Get your free quote today → or call or text (772) 202-6671