Finally now turn the meter to volts.
Gas water heater thermocouple test.
The thermocouple is a vital safety feature for many gas appliances.
Measure the current by using the multimeter device set on millivolts.
The burner typically sits loosely or under clips in the burning chamber and just slides out.
For testing a thermocouple you first have to remove it from the furnace water heater or gas appliance where it is installed.
When it stops working the furnace s pilot light also turns off.
You can test this yourself using a multimeter but you may need a helper to keep the pilot flame burning while you do it.
First remove the thermocouple.
How to test a thermocouple.
Touch the two leads together from the meter and you should get a reading close to zero.
The water heater thermocouple is a device that monitors temperatures in the water heater to determine whether it needs to heat up or turn off the heat.
If the pilot light doesn t stay lit check the gas water heater thermocouple by keeping the pilot button depressed.
Use a small flame source to test a thermocouple with a multimeter.
Light the pilot by pressing and holding the pilot light button on the gas control valve.
Diy hot water heater repair.
It is comprised of two different types of metal which react differently to heat and expand at different rates signaling to the water heater when to turn on or off.
Secondly turn on the meter and set it to ohms.
A thermocouple is a safety device that helps control the gas supply in gas heated furnaces.
Usually a lighter will suffice for the test.
A gas water heater in boise baton rouge buffalo or boston uses a thermocouple that includes a probe attached to a copper tube that screws into a port on the gas valve.
That is simply a test to check the meter for continuity.
One probe of the meter should be connected to the copper sheath of the thermocouple and the other to the gas valve.
Multimeter thermocouple test procedure.
Then unfasten the three nuts that hold the thermocouple and the two gas tubes to the valve.
First shut off the gas valve on the water heater and the gas valve on the gas line near the heater.
If you can t light the pilot the problem most likely lies with the gas control valve or the gas flow itself not the thermocouple.
A thermocouple uses the heat from a flame to produce a millivoltage that controls a gas valve.
Once it is removed you will need a multimeter that needs to have the ability to read millivolts and a source of fire.
Here s how to test a suspected thermocouple in a gas operated water heater.
Gas appliance thermocouples have a standard design.
With the leads apart you will read infinity.
