Honeywell Water Heater Pilot Light Won’t Light

Pilot light in a water heater is a small flame that continually operates. When you turn on your hot water tap, the hot water flows out to the fixture. When you need hot water, the gas valve will open up and the pilot light will ignite the fuel.

Whether the pilot light is lit or not, a small amount of gas will flow continually from the gas supply line. The pilot light would combust the gas and turning it into heat and flue gases. Without the pilot light, gas could continue to fill up your water heater closet or garage.

The status light may not blink due to many reasons including:

The pilot is not lit

Air in the gas line

The thermopile is not hot enough

Tripped thermal switch

Gas control valve wiring is bad or the connectors are loose

Thermopile is bad

The thermopile generates electricity in the Honeywell water heater that is needed to power the gas control valve. It will take up to 90 seconds to get hot enough to power the gas control valve once the pilot is lit. When it happens, the status light will blink once every 3 seconds which indicates normal operation. If the light blinks more than once every three seconds, you need to refer to the status light code list or label on the gas control valve.

Try lighting the pilot by following the lighting instructions given in the manual or on the heater and visually confirm the pilot can be lit. Next, set the gas control knob to "Pilot". Hold the control knob in while clicking the igniter button and looking through the inside water heater to the left. In order to see the pilot, you may have to dim the room lights.

If there is air in the gas line, it may take up to 90 seconds before the pilot lights and the status light begins to blink. Even after 90 seconds also, if the status light won't start blink, you have to release the control knob and turn off the gas valve.

You should wait ten minutes before attempting to relight the pilot. On newly installed water heaters, it may take 2 to 3 lighting attempts before the pilot lights and status light starts blinking.

Gas Control Valve Troubleshooting

Check out the Honeywell water heater status light codes, descriptions and possible remedies.

No LED Status - Electrical power not present

It may because of the control switch in the "OFF" position. Otherwise, the supply voltage will be interrupted. So, you have to slide the switch to "ON" position.

One flash and three-second pause - If the setpoint is in "Pilot" position then the pilot flame is detected. Turn set point knob to the desired setting. There might be gas control is powered and waiting for the setpoint knob to turn to a water temperature setting.

It's a normal operation. You have to adjust the thermostat to the desired temperature setting.

LED on continuously - Setpoint knob has been turned to the "OFF" position. Wait until the LED status goes out before attempting to relight.

When the pilot is lit, LED will go out and the control will function normally.

Two flashes and three-second pause - Weak pilot signal is detected.

The system will reset when the pilot flame is sufficient. Thermopile failure, unstable pilot, blocked/ restricted pilot tube, or opened resettable thermal switch might be caused this problem. You can check the troubleshooting tips in the service manual.

Three flashes and three-second pause - Insufficient water heating.

The temperature sensor could be out of calibration. Check and recalibrate it.

Four flashes and three-second pause - Excessive tank temperature.

Check for faulty gas control and verify if the temperature sensor is out of calibration.

Final Words

We hope our guide on Honeywell water heater status light codes and Honeywell water heater troubleshooting was helpful and it was able to get back your unit running. When you need to go through Honeywell water heater thermostat replacement or controller replacement, it's better to call a professional. Still, if your Honeywell water heater not working, refer to the manual and fix the issue.