Bryant Furnace Pilot Won’t Light/ Stay Lit (SOLVED)

When it gets colder outside, it must be warm inside. You’ll want to be sure your furnace will be ready to keep you warm. If your furnace’s pilot light won’t stay on, the furnace won’t work. Some common causes include issues with the thermocouple and pilot tube. The thermocouple detects the pilot light via sensors. A faulty thermocouple may arbitrarily determine that the light is off when you want it on and vice versa. It could simply be that the thermocouple is bent. If so, it will not face the pilot light. Sometimes, this causes the pilot light to stay on for only a few seconds. You can try bending the thermocouple back into position. Be sure to inspect the thermocouple carefully. It may be that it’s dirty and needs cleaning. It can easily be cleaned off with fine grain sandpaper. A dirty pilot tube can also prevent the pilot from staying lit. If the pilot tube is dirty, let the furnace cool down and turn off the gas. Once it has cooled, the pilot tube can easily be cleaned. Don’t do anything unless gas has been turned off. Remember safety comes first. Probably the most common issue when dealing with a furnace that will not stay lit or ignite consistently is a dirty flame sensor. The flame sensor acts as a communication vehicle with the circuit board and tells it when a flame is lit inside the furnace. When the sensor gets rusty or dirty, it cannot properly detect the flame and causes the furnace to malfunction. A clear indicator of a dirty flame sensor is when the furnace quickly cuts off two or three times a day during the normal heating cycle. The furnace attempts to turn back on and start a cycle again, but shuts off moments later. Most households that do not have annual maintenance performed in over a year or have pets will often run into this problem until a qualified service technician cleans the part. It is not a major issue, just a pesky one. The pressure switch is a round shaped control mounted near the top of the furnace close to the draft inducer fan. Normally, there is a tube on the pressure switch coming off the face of the furnace or draft inducer. From time to time, this tube can become blocked by a spider’s nest or debris and cause the pressure switch to work improperly. This problem could indicate a major issue with the furnace or could simply be a bad pressure switch. Again, proper maintenance and regular inspection can help you identify problems with these components before they fail. You'll avoid costly repairs in the future.