My hot water heater won't stay lit? how dangerous is that?

Question

i know i could actually go in there and turn it off, but i don't mess with gas..... really bad expierence when i was a kid. hubbie said it has a sensor to shut off the gas but... what can i say im paranoid!

Answer 1

If the water heater's safety valve is working correctly, it will cut off the gas when the pilot light goes out. In that case, you won't smell any gas (rotten egg smell). You can relax and just wait for your husband to get home.

If the safety valve isn't working correctly and you do smell that rotten egg smell, shut off the gas immediately. There should be a valve in the gas line near the water heater. If there's not, you should go outside to the gas meter and shut off the gas to the entire house.

Answer 2

your husband is correct.  waterheaters nowadays have safety features to protect you from just this incident.  

NOT TO WORRY!!

Answer 3

Fear not.  The amount of gas is tiny, and as others said, it will turn itself off soon.

Now, if your heater is so old that it still uses a pilot, it's time to get a new one for two reasons...

First, no pilot in new ones. They use a spark like a new stove.

Two. They are FAR more energy efficient and will save you money on gas, or, you could switch to electric.

If yours is more than about ten years old, it may be getting ready to die anyway... and they do die or split open if your water is hard. They're not all that expensive either.

Answer 4

No, the gas should be cut automatically when it is not light. It has a built in safety feature.

Answer 5

If the heater has a standing pilot light that has blown out & you smell gas , bite the bullet & turn it off if you know how.

If the thermocouple is working , you should not smell gas & you are safe till hubby gets home.

Best regards

Answer 6

depending on how old the thing is, it really should have a sensor that shuts off the gas when the pilot isn't burning.  there's a thermocouple in there that detects heat.  when you try to light it, you have to push in and turn a k**b, correct?  if so, then just turn it to off and walk away.

if you're really freaked about it after that, you can turn off the gas line entirely by turning the valve on the gas line 90degrees.