A standing pilot that keeps going out is one of the most common no-hot-water calls on older gas equipment still running in Coquitlam.
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Quick answer
A pilot assembly is the small standing-flame ignition system used on older gas water heaters and boilers, combining the pilot burner, thermocouple, and often the flame rod bracket into one unit, and it needs replacing when the assembly corrodes, the orifice clogs repeatedly, or its parts wear beyond what cleaning or a thermocouple swap alone can fix. In a Coquitlam home this typically shows up as a pilot light that won't stay lit or is difficult to relight.
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On older standing-pilot appliances, a small flame burns continuously, fed by its own tiny gas orifice, and its job is twofold: it's ready to ignite the main burner the instant the gas valve opens, and it keeps a thermocouple or thermopile hot enough to hold the main gas valve's safety circuit closed. The whole thing - pilot burner, orifice, thermocouple mount, and often a bracket holding a flame-sensing rod - is usually sold and serviced as one assembly.
This design has largely been phased out in favour of electronic ignition on new equipment, but plenty of standing-pilot water heaters and older boilers are still in service across Metro Vancouver, including in Coquitlam.
A tech first distinguishes whether the problem is the thermocouple alone - a much simpler and cheaper fix - or the pilot assembly more broadly, by testing the thermocouple's millivolt output directly while the pilot is lit. A weak but present signal often means just the thermocouple needs replacing; a pilot flame that's visibly poor, or an orifice that's clearly fouled, points to the broader assembly.
They'll also check gas pressure at the pilot orifice, since a pilot that seems to have a weak flame even after cleaning can sometimes trace back to a supply-side pressure issue rather than the assembly itself.
A thermocouple alone can often be replaced without touching the rest of the pilot assembly, and that's usually tried first given how much cheaper it is. Once the pilot burner itself is corroded or the orifice is permanently fouled, the full assembly is replaced as a unit rather than pieced apart. On an older water heater with a failing pilot assembly and other signs of age, it's also worth discussing whether the appliance has reached the point where replacement makes more sense than continued repair.
Standing-pilot equipment turns up more often in Coquitlam's older housing stock - original 1970s-1990s ranchers and split-levels in Austin Heights and Chineside, and some legacy systems in Maillardville and Central Coquitlam - than in newer construction, where electronic ignition has been standard for years. A pilot assembly in an unheated garage or crawlspace mechanical room, common in that era of Coquitlam home, is also more prone to nuisance outages from cold drafts than one in a heated utility closet.
If a pilot keeps going out specifically during windy weather, that can point to a draft issue around the appliance's combustion air intake or venting rather than the pilot assembly itself, which a tech checks as part of the same visit.
Safety note
If you smell gas, hear an unusual burner sound, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave the home immediately and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from a safe location before doing anything else. Do not attempt to relight a pilot, reset a control, or inspect gas piping yourself. Only a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter should open, adjust, or replace gas-carrying or combustion-safety components.
This is commonly a weak thermocouple, a fouled pilot orifice, or a draft issue around the appliance, and a technician tests the thermocouple's output and inspects the pilot burner to identify which one it is.
Occasionally relighting a pilot following the appliance's printed instructions is generally fine, but if it keeps going out repeatedly, that's a sign something needs diagnosis rather than continued relighting.
Yes, when the rest of the pilot burner and orifice are in good condition, a thermocouple-only replacement is the simpler and more economical fix, and it's usually tried first.
New equipment has largely moved to electronic ignition, but many standing-pilot units are still in safe, normal service, and a working pilot assembly on an otherwise sound appliance doesn't need to be replaced just because the design is older.
This often points to a draft affecting the pilot flame or the appliance's combustion air supply rather than the pilot assembly itself, and it's worth having a technician check the venting and intake as part of diagnosis.
It's usually a moderate repair, longer than a thermocouple-only swap but still a same-visit job in most cases; your technician can confirm timing once they've inspected the appliance.
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