How To Light A Wall Mounted Gas Heater

Wall-mounted gas heaters are a very useful solution for heating a small house or room. They take very small space and very easily go with the interior of the house. That’s why they are very popular nowadays. So, it’s very important to know how to light a wall mounted gas heater.

You may think what’s the big deal in lighting a heater. Well, if you have an electric heater, that’s a different story but gas heaters can be tricky. So, you must know the exact way of lighting them. Or else either they wouldn’t start or there could be an accident.

Once you know the proper way of lighting a wall-mounted gas heater, it’s not that complicated of a task. Just need to follow some simple steps one by one. There can be electric ignition or manual ignition. Either way, the steps are quite the same. 

How to light a wall mounted gas heater

A simple task like lighting your wall-mounted gas heater can become a tough job sometimes if you don’t know exactly how to do it. Your gas heater can have either autoignition or manual ignition. Most of the steps are the same in both cases. And they are…

Step 1: First thing first, find out the Pilot Light

• The location of the pilot light might be behind your heater vent. See whether you find it or not.
• You may need to remove the cover of your burner area and follow the gas connection to the pilot light from the main gas supply. 
• There the pilot light is inside the heater and behind a metal plate. 
• Find it with a torch if there is no light available.

Step 2: Ignition part

After finding the pilot light, it is time to ignition. Follow the steps below to ignite.

For electric heaters

• Now you need to locate the dial on the heater. Then turn the dial towards PILOT and press down on IGNITE. 
• Keep pressing the button until the pilot light starts. 
• As it starts, hold the button for about a minute. And release it now. 
• Then turn the dial to ON which ignites the main burner and you will hear the sound of the burner when it lights up. 

For gas heaters

• For the heaters without electric ignition, after turning the dial towards PILOT, you need to hold down the “PILOT GAS BUTTON”. 
• Release the button after 30 seconds. Now light up the pilot by pressing the button again. 
• You need to do it manually with a match stick or long reach lighter. 
• After the pilot light starts, you need to keep pressing it for about a minute. 
• Then release it and dial ON to start the main burner. 

Step 3: Setting the temperature

• After you turn on the heater, you will have to adjust the temperature according to your needs. 
• You will do it with the help of a thermostat. 
• Some heaters come up with a temperature dial and others have a digital display for the job. 
• The recommended temperature range is 70-78 degrees Fahrenheit. After you have done this the process is finished. 

How do you light a gas heater with the electronic pilot?

• First, locate e gas control and also the pilot. The gas control should be placed on the front or top of the heater and the pilot is at the bottom of the heater or in the middle. 
• Then for safety purposes, you need to turn off the control knob and wait for a minute so that if any gas is leaked out, it can dissipate. Then turn the knob to the PILOT position and hold it after pushing it in.
• The next step is to ignite the pilot flame. For that look for the piezoelectric spark ignitor button. Keep pushing it until the pilot starts.
• Now you need to keep the control knob for gas depressed for 5-20 seconds depending on your heater and release it. 
• If the pilot flame doesn’t sustain, repeat the procedure but this time hold the button for a longer period of time. Your job should be done this time.

Safety comes first  

• For safety, thermocouples should be used in this type of heater.
• The thermocouple is a device that goes from the pilot to the main gas supply. And it works alongside your pilot light and keeps the pilot lit.  
• When the pilot is on, one end of the thermocouple sends an electric voltage to the main gas valve. And this keeps the gas supply on. 
• If the pilot light goes out, the voltage is not sent and that closes the gas supply. 

What if the gas wall heater won’t turn on?

There can be several reasons for this. These are a few of them with solutions.

Dirty air filters 

If the filters are very dirty it blocks the airflow. Clean them and make sure all the vents in your house are open. 

The system is off

There are switches to power on or off the heater. Make sure they are turned on. And also ensure that the breaker is in the ON position.

Thermostat problem

Make sure the thermostat is on the HEAT or AUTO setting. If that doesn’t work then set the temperature to the highest possible settings. Wait a few minutes to see the changes.  

Pilot light problem

A dirty or faulty pilot can stop the heater from turning on. So, refer this to a professional if you can’t clean it yourself. Or if you can then follow the instruction manual to reach the thermostat and clean it. This should solve the problem.

The furnace is not getting fuel

Make sure the fuel which is natural gas is flowing into the furnace. Maybe the furnace is not getting any fuel and that’s why the heater is not starting. Make sure the gas control valve is ON. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Gas wall heaters are getting popular day by day. As they take very small space and are very easy to install and handle. But they are not electric heaters so they are a little trickier to light up. You can’t always find help so you must know how to light a wall mounted gas heater.

It is not a very complicated task to light up the gas wall heater. But it is something you need to know for sure or it won’t work. The steps are simple but they need to be followed in an order and accordingly. Once you know how to do it you can do it anytime and as many times you need to.

Follow the steps mentioned above accordingly and you won’t have any problem lighting up your heater. Even if it doesn’t turn on after several times, try the solutions discussed above. And you will be able to do it on your own.