Plumbing Problems · Water Heaters

No hot water, but the pilot light’s still on?

If the pilot’s lit but the water’s cold, the burner isn’t firing. First, make sure the temperature dial hasn’t been bumped down or over to “pilot,” that fixes a surprising number of these. If the dial’s set right and it’s still cold, one common cause is a failing gas control valve, and that’s a call.

First, the easy checks

Before anything else, look at the dial on the gas valve at the bottom of the tank:

Is it turned all the way down, or set to “Vacation”? Turn it back to your normal setting, around 120 degrees, and give it an hour.
Is it set to “Pilot” instead of “On”? In the Pilot position the main burner won’t fire. You’ll have a lit pilot and cold water, exactly the symptom. Turn it to On.

Bump the dial back to where it belongs, wait, and see if you get hot water. A surprising number of “no hot water” calls are a dial someone nudged.

If the dial’s set right and it’s still cold

Then the pilot is lit but the main burner isn’t igniting from it. One common cause on a standing-pilot gas heater is a failing gas control valve, the thermostat that decides when to send gas to the burner. A lit pilot tells you part of the system is working, but it doesn’t pin down the fault on its own, a few different things can keep the burner from heating, so it takes a look to confirm which one.

One thing this rules out

If your pilot is staying lit, the thermocouple is doing its job. A bad thermocouple would put the pilot out, not leave it burning. So this isn’t a “relight the pilot” situation, which is useful, because it narrows things down.

Where DIY stops: gas control valves and burners are licensed work. If the dial is set right and you’ve still got cold water, stop there and call. Don’t open up the gas valve or take the burner assembly apart.

When to call

Dial’s correct, pilot’s lit, water’s still cold: that’s us. We’ll confirm what’s keeping the burner from firing and whether the heater’s age makes a repair or a replacement the smarter call. Same-day service across the Midlands during business hours.

Quick answers

If the pilot is on, why is the water cold?

The pilot only lights the main burner, it doesn’t heat the water by itself. If the burner isn’t firing, one common cause is a failing gas control valve. A few other faults can do it too, so it takes a look to confirm.

Should I try relighting the pilot?

No, it’s already lit. Relighting only applies when the pilot has gone out. If yours stays on but the water’s cold, the issue is past the pilot.

Is it worth repairing or should I replace the heater?

It depends on the heater’s age and what we find. On a newer tank a repair often makes sense; on one near the end of its life, that money is often better put toward a replacement. We’ll give you the honest read.

How long does this repair usually take?

Often same-day during business hours once we’ve confirmed the cause.

Related questions

Pilot’s on but the water’s cold? We’ll confirm what’s wrong and get the hot water back, usually same day.

Call (803) 239-7432 Water heater service →

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