How To Light A Gas Wall Heater
Modern technology has brought in a lot of innovative and well-designed devices and they have become very useful when we talk about heaters.
Most people still love to use their Wall Mounted Gas Heater, even after all these well-featured heaters and their presence. Among individuals, these heaters are still very common and they still love how well they can function. People are afraid to adapt because they don’t want to when it comes to their favorite heater. The most important variables that lead to the use of old wall mount gas heaters are two main things.
As these gas heaters are still one of the most economical choices available out there, the first reason is the most understandable and the second reason is that these heaters are very simple to maintain. All you need to do when I talk about maintenance here is to keep them clean if you want them to last longer without any problems. It’s so easy to clean these heaters that you can do it all on your own without any professional assistance.
When we talk about lighting a gas wall heater, yes it can be a bit of a challenge for those who have never used a wall heater before. If you take the necessary precautions and care that is needed while doing this and follow the steps in the right way then this can be really easy. Today we are going to look at the steps that you need to follow for lighting a gas wall heater. We will also look at the problems that can occur and how to troubleshoot them.
The first thing you need to do is remove the cover of your gas heater. In some of the heaters, it may be fixed with a screw so you need to take a screwdriver and remove it while in some heaters it might ideally come off. You can also come across a latch if you have a heater that has a latch to which the cover is attached, you need to just pull the door out here.
Once you are done doing this, you will be exposed to the central system and this is the system that operates the heater.
How to light a pilot on a gas wall heater
In recent times there are many technological advancements that have led to many features in gas heaters. Many of the modern heating systems have an automatic electrical lighter.
The function of this lighter is to light the pilot. However, if your gas wall heater does not have an automatic electric lighter then you do not have to worry. In such cases, you can also make use of a regular stove lighter that has a long barrel. A long matchstick can also save your day as you can also use a long matchstick to help you in such situations.
The most important and the most challenging thing can be finding out and figuring out the gas pipeline. Along with this finding out the duck from where the gas gets vented out is also very important. Once you are done doing this the rest of the process can be very simple and straightforward.
Steps To Start a Gas Wall Heater
These are some of the easy and simple steps that you need to carefully follow and you will be lighting up a gas wall heater.
- The first thing that needs to be done by turning on the gas knob. if this gas knob was already on for working for a long time then you need to make sure that you turn it off and leave it for a few hours. Now you have to open the doors and window and let the gas escape. After this, you can turn it on again.
- This is to be done because the system while the knob was on might have let a lot of methane and propylene gas out, this can be a real danger when it gets exposed to flames.
- Now you need to turn on the gas and try finding the tube that supplies the light. If you do not know how the tube looks like then in most of the heaters it is ideally a hollow tube and it is no wider than a quarter of an inch. This hollow tube starts on the main valve and then exchange in an upward position.
- Now you need to take the help of light and then locate the orifice. It is generally behind the metal plate and also has an inspection hole molded on it.
- The next thing that you need to do is pinch and rotate the control valve to pilot and then use a marker to line it up outside the casing.
- You can take a matchstick now and light it up and now press the button that is present next to the control knob and hold it pressed. In normal conditions, you might be able to notice a little hissing noise when you hold the button pressed.
- This is nothing but an indication that there is a smooth flow of gas throughout the tube. You need to put a matchstick or lighter on the top of the gas tube orifice.
- When you notice that the pilot has light up then you need to put off the matchstick or lighter whatever you are using but need to keep one thing in mind that the button is needed to be pressed for at least 30 seconds or a minute as this will help the Thermocouple to get heated.
- Once the Thermocouple gets heated you can slowly and gradually release the button. once you have released a button then even after that the flame should be lit.
- If you notice that the flame is not late you need to again light up the matchstick and follow the entire process again. When you repeat the process make sure that the button is held for a longer time than you previously did.
- When your pilot is finally lit, you need to adjust the knob of the temperature and you can do it from very high to very low by rotating the control knob to the position that is on the pilot.
- The first thing that you did is to remove the cover now you need to put the cover back to its position and if you have screwed it then you need to put all the screws back.
It is done now you can easily enjoy warmer temperatures during winter. the process can seem very challenging and complicated when you read it but while you are performing it step by step I am pretty sure you will be able to do it very easily.
What does a pilot do in Gas wall heater?
Pilot the most important component in a heater. It is mainly the function of the pilot that helps to drive the whole system.
The pilot is the one that helps to light up the burner. When you turn on the gas the valve tends to transfer or release a gas into the burner that in turn lights the stove up. One issue that a pilot can create is when it keeps on delivering the gas inside the vent and still, it does not light up then this can result in gas getting accumulated inside the chamber. This can be a serious problem as it can also lead to a big explosion.
If you want to troubleshoot or overcome this problem then the pilot light tube has got a valve that helps in managing the flow of gas. This function is performed in the presence of the Thermocouple which is located just outside the pilot tube.
They do not even consume any electricity for generating power. They generate the source of power just by using heat. The actual thing they do is make use of the electrical effect that is generated at the junction of two different types of metals. Inside the pilot light, one of the junctions of these metals is kept exposed due to electromagnetic energy that is getting created at the intersection.
When the flame tends to blow out at this time the Thermocouple gets cool and this stops the generation of electricity which ultimately turns out to the closing of the gas valve.
If you want to light up the pilot again then you need to follow the above-mentioned steps and make sure you keep the button held for at least 30 seconds to a minute. Once you notice that the thermocouple is getting hot enough that it can produce enough electricity that it can keep it open, it is the time when you need to leave the button.
Common problems that can occur while lighting a gas wall heater
There can be instances where you might be facing some kind of issues and problems while lighting up the pilot.
I have mentioned some of the most common problems that can occur while lighting up the pilot and we will also look at how we can troubleshoot such issues. If you are also facing issues while writing the pilot then you need to check the following things.
Gas line
The first thing that you need to check is the gas line. If you are using a heater that uses propane as a source then you need to check the propane tank if there is enough gas available inside.
In the case of natural gas heaters, you need to make sure that all the connections to the heater are intact and proper. If everything is alright then you should try lighting up the heater and listen closely if there is any kind of slight hissing sound and you also need to check if there is any kind of group of natural gas smell in the air. If you are certain and sure that the supply of gas is proper then we need to check if the pilot aperture is blocked or not.
If there’s some kind of blockage then you need to clear the line and you can do this using a needle. You need to reach the chamber of combustion and then poke the needle inside. You can also try disassembling the pilot tube and then clear the compressed air. This can be a little challenging for some people so you can also take the help of an expert in such situations.
Flickering light
There are chances that the pilot won’t be able to light up even heat up in cases where the flames continuously keep flickering.
This is generally an indication of the blockages inside the pilot tube. It can also be a faulty thermocouple that is the reason behind it. You can try pushing the heat sensor closer to the pilot if you want to fix such issues. This will help the pilot to signal the gas valve to keep it open. This will deliver a seamless supply of gas. Even after doing this if the problem persists then you need to replace the Thermocouple.
Lighting up the heater
There can be situations where the pilot is lit and hot and then too the heater won’t light up.
This is a very common problem and can be a result of the thermostat which is not working properly. A faulty thermostat might be the reason behind this. The thermostat might not be able to sense the temperature accurately and might not be able to signal it due to this. If you want to check it you can rotate the dial to very hot and then see if that works.
If this thing doesn’t work then you can check the wires towards the thermostat as there can be chances of one of the wires may have tripped and that might be creating the problem. If this also doesn’t help then there can be chances where the gas valve might be having troubles. In such cases, you need to seek help from a technician as he will know what to do.
Flicking heater
If your heater keeps turning on and off again and again continuously then this might not be a very good sign.
This thing can occur due to the blockages that are around the gas wall heater. There might be some blockages around the vents like beds or furniture or plants that might restrict the required airflow. In some cases, a faulty thermostat or switch might also cause such problems.
The heater fans are working but not the heating element
This is also one common problem that can occur with your heater where the fan turns on but the heating element does not work.
This can just be an indication that some of the wires are broken apart from the heating system. In such cases, you need to check the wirings that are inside the cord. You can do it by cutting the cord, removing the thermostat no, and after that detaching the heater from the wall. You need to check all the wiring connections thoroughly and see if there are any kind of issues or faults with the wirings like burnt wire or breakages.
You need to connect all the wires properly and if this doesn’t work then you need to get a new heating system.
Here are some of the gas wall heater you can buy
https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Direct-Propane-Furnace-Thermostat/dp/B072Q5NBNZ/
https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Glo-Natural-Flame-Heater-White/dp/B07YBRJSJP/
The heater doesn’t turn off and keeps on running
This is a very common issue that is faced by people that have one heater in a large room.
It can also be a result of rooms that are not well insulated. Poorly insulated rooms can reduce and affect the efficiency of the heater. If you have a big room then it is suggested that you need to get a more powerful heater. You can also consider adding ventilation like windows and doors. Adding a layer of insulation to the walls can also work.
Burning smells
A burning smell is a very common issue and they are not a very big issue or a serious one.
This is usually happening due to dirt and dust accumulated inside your heater which is burning. You need to clean the heater and take good care of it from time to time if you want to avoid such smells. If you do not take care of such problems in the beginning then it can be a possibility to turn it into possible hazards like fire or burn. You need to clean the wall heater and remove all the dirt and debris. You can also seek help from a technician in this matter.
Conclusion
Gas wall heaters are in the market for a very long time and they have been loved by many people. They are very efficient and work effectively.
It is very important to learn how to light up a gas wall heater and how to manage it well on your own as it might be very expensive to pay for a professional again and again. Today we learned how to light a gas wall heater in a step-by-step way. We also saw the most common problems that can occur while lighting up a gas wall heater and the ways to troubleshoot such problems. I hope you find this article useful, relevant, and informative
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