Why Is A Gas Stove Pilot Always On?(Safety Tips)

Why Is A Gas Stove Pilot Always On?

A stove is a kitchen appliance that provides a source of heat for cooking. A gas stove uses natural gas as its fuel and has an open flame.

Gas stoves are usually used to prepare dishes fast because they provide a lot of heat fast.

One downside to using a gas stove is the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can happen if you don’t ventilate your home well enough.

A gas stove pilot is always on to keep the oven lit. If the pilot is off, there are a few things that you can do to turn it back on. You can light a match or lighter near the burner and use it to light the pilot again or open up your kitchen supply drawer and look for an igniter.

Which could be a long metal rod with loops at one end or a wire with what looks like two bare wires sticking out of each side.

You’ll need to find an electric outlet or plug-in nearby to power this device after you have plugged it into the wall socket.

Once you have found both items, take them over to the stove.

Turn off your gas from the mainline by turning it clockwise with a wrench until you cannot turn it anymore.

Then take your igniter and push it down onto one burner, where the flame is already lit.

Push down on this burner several times until you feel resistance, meaning the pilot has reignited.

Now, turn your gas back on by turning it counter-clockwise so that it will be ready for use next time.

Do Gas Stoves Turn Off Automatically?

No! A gas stove doesn’t automatically turn off like an electric stove. If the pilot light goes out, you’ll lose your flame, and there may not be a way to relight it.

The gas will continue to flow until it burns up – this could be dangerous if you leave the area with all your appliances turned on.

It’s essential to read your user manual for advice on lighting and safely turning off your gas stove.

If you have an electric stove(Amazon Link) the burners will turn off automatically when they are no longer in use.

Do Pilot Lights Stay On All The Time?

No, they don’t! The pilot light goes off when it’s not needed – for example, after you use your hot water or turn on the heat.

You might even notice an orange glow around your gas appliance if it runs out of fuel and needs to be lit again.

These pilots are usually turned off at night! When you turn your head down at night, you might notice a slight orange glow around your heating unit.

This is the pilot light going out. I even recommend turning your thermostat way down at night so that it can cool off well.

– Otherwise, if the water in the boiler gets too hot. it will continue to reheat throughout the night (and waste energy).

If there is no one in the house for several hours during the day, turn the heat down.

Of course, it’s good to have a specific temperature set on your thermostat if you have babies or older adults in the house .

– But everyone else should be able to get by with less energy use.

Does Gas Leak If The Pilot Light Goes Out?

Yes !There is a chance of leaking. When the flame from the pilot light goes out, there are no more flames to burn off any gas inside of your stove’s pipes and valves.

The gas then sits in the pipes and valves, not burned off because there is no flame or heat.

This can lead to a leak as the valve thins out over time under the high pressure of the gas. This is more commonly known as ‘running your stove on pilot.’

Even if you do not have a pilot light, there is still a chance of leaking from small cracks inside your valves and pipe connections from regular use.

From turning your knob to cook. If you are unaware if you run your stove without a pilot or not, it’s best to avoid using it until fixed by a professional.

Can I Relight The Pilot Light By Myself?

Yes . If you’re a homeowner and your furnace isn’t heating the house, then most likely, the pilot light has gone out.

You can relight it by yourself with a few simple steps: Turn off the power to the unit in the circuit breaker or fuse box. 

Use a match or lighter to get hot coals from one of your home’s fireplaces or stoves.

Set them carefully on top of the gas valve in front of where you think is best for where there should be heat coming out (usually near an air vent).

Once you see blue flame come back onto the pilot light area, close all doors and open any windows so that fresh air can circulate while waiting for your furnace to heat.

Can A Pilot Light Cause A Fire?

No. A pilot light cannot set a house on fire. A pilot light is simply the flame from the gas burner that stays lit at all times, and you can see when lighting your stove or oven.

The heat from this flame warms up the surface of the burner, so it will readily ignite when you turn it on.

If water leaks onto a hot burner, it may cause steam, leading to an explosion if there is not enough air for combustion.

Still, the ignited flames would only reach as high as 5 feet and should not be able to ignite anything other than close by objects like curtains or furniture nearby.

What Makes Pilot Lights Go Out?

Many factors can cause a pilot light to go out. The most common reason is the lack of gas supply.

If the small flame on the front of your oven, stove, or even fireplace goes out, it’s a sign that you need to turn on more gas supply before lighting it again.

Another factor could be faulty wiring in the appliance itself. If the pilot light is too large, there may not be enough oxygen to support it.

If sediment has built up in the bottom of your appliance or line through which gas flows into your home, that could also snuff out a pilot light flame.

And finally, if you’re lighting a pilot light on an older stove or fireplace, consider whether it’s still suitably vented.

Sometimes the old air vents get clogged with soot and particles and need removal and cleaning by a professional mechanic.

Can A Gas Stove Explode?

No, Gas stoves do not explode, but they can create a fire or an explosion if there is too much gas in the air at one time.

Usually, each burner on a gas stove(Amazon Link) creates just the right amount of heat and gas.

If there’s an issue with one or more burners, or if some other problem causes too much gas to gather in the air, then an explosion is a risk.

One way for this to happen is if there is a gas leak in the stove.

Gas leaks are pretty rare – usually, burners drip when the gas valve underneath them gets faulty and allows some of the gas to flow out.

However, sometimes incorrect installation can cause wear and tear on older stoves that use rubber gaskets instead of metal ones.

If you smell gas around your stove, then turn off all burners immediately.

A small amount of gas evaporating may not be detectable, but it becomes firm and dense at more significant amounts, so you should be able to smell it easily.

You do not want to use your stove until you have had an expert come in and check out what’s wrong with it.

If there’s no gas leak, then it’s because of many other reasons.

It could be the weight of the lid on a pressure cooker, or maybe you used aluminum foil or another shiny metal object that reflects heat and allows too much flame to touch it.

Whatever the reason is for excess gas in the air.

If there’s enough of it at one time in a tiny space (for example: when cooking your dinner) and you turn on a burner in that area, bad things can happen.

While accidents like this are rare in home kitchens, they happen and sometimes cause severe injuries and even death.

The risk of explosion from misusing your stove is exceptionally high if you have children or pets that you need to keep away from the kitchen.

Don’t let this happen to you or your loved ones.

Be sure to use your stove safely, only have people old enough and responsible enough to know how it works in your kitchen when cooking.

Never try to fix anything on the stove yourself unless you know what you’re doing.

Call a professional immediately if something seems wrong with any part of your gas stove or oven, no matter how safe it may seem.

How Do I Know If My Gas Stove Has A Pilot Light?

Do you know how to tell if your gas stove has a pilot light? Many people don’t.

If you have a gas range and the oven doesn’t light, it may be time to call in a professional. But if the oven does work, then there is likely not a problem with the stove at all.

To find out for sure, follow these instructions:

–Turn on the knobs under the burners that are lit. -Feel around on top of each burner knob for an orange button or red dot. This is the location of the pilot lights.

-If you find one that clicks when turned on or off, this means that this burner has its pilot light source, and it is just a matter of finding out which one.

-The next step is to turn the knob on and then press down hard if you can get it to stay lit.

There’s no doubt about it if it lights – the stove has a pilot light source. -If none of them will stay lit, or they all click at some point when you push down but won’t remain lit,

Then your problem lies elsewhere with the gas line itself rather than with your oven unit altogether.

If your burners don’t have clicking buttons but have a constant orange dot that remains lit once turned on.

This means that the burner is not set up for individual flame ignition and instead relies on natural heat from below to light the burner.

-If you find one that clicks when turned on or off, this means that this burner has its pilot.

Whichever knob does not have a clicking button will need to be lit by another source to heat and cause the flame.

You can do this by turning the front knobs to the right until they click and keeping them there while lighting a match.

Then putting it underneath whichever of these burners without a pilot light.

Turn off the right-side knobs after about 15 seconds and turn on gradually more and more on each burner until you see an increase in flame size and intensity.

Once lit, these burners can remain lit at low settings indefinitely with no negative consequences or chance of injury.

Conclusion

A gas stove’s pilot light is always on because the flame needs to be lit and available. If it ever goes out, you can usually relight it yourself without calling a professional.

However, if there’s an issue with your pipeline or furnace for a while (months), then call in a pro promptly before any damage occurs.

Your safety should always come first. Keep reading our blog for more helpful information about maintenance and repair of all things related to home appliances like stoves.