Gas log free standing heater

Ok I think the thermocouple may be defective in heater.I can't get any gas to pilot or main burner.My question is could I take a small butane torch and heat tip of thermocouple so it would send gas to pilot.Also would this open valve so gas would go to main burner.The reason for doing this I want to be sure it's the thermocouple before I buy one.Thanks for your help

 

When you light the pilot..... you push the gas valve down in the "pilot" mode. If the pilot lit.... the thermocouple would essentially keep the pilot button in.

Since you can't get a pilot light.... it is not a defective thermocouple. Based on past experiences.... you need to purge the air out of the pilot system longer. You may have to hold the button down 5+ minutes to get gas.

If you feel it's not an airbound issue.... then it's probably a clogged pilot orifice.

 

>


I agree. If gas sits in a pipe for several weeks, it wont burned and needs to be purged out with fresh gas.

If you hold a match or lighter by the pilot burner, you can often see the flame being pushed around by the gas coming out of the burner.

So give that a try as described. If that doesn't work and you don't see gas pushing the ignition flame around, the pilot orifice and burner could be completely plugged up, which would mean disassembling the pilot burner and pilot orifice to clean it. Spiders can build webs which plug up pilot burners.

And congratulations on not running off to buy a thermocouple. Thermocouples are inmfrequent causes of the reason why pilot light systems don't work properly. Railway cars of perfectly good thermocouples are replaced every year.