Without a water heater in your home, the miracle of indoor plumbing (\u201cthe best thing since indoor plumbing\u201d is still one of the measuring sticks of progress) will not mean much. You need hot water for many daily activities, so a working water heater is essential.<\/p>\n
But you also need a safe<\/i> working water heater, and that\u2019s where the thermocouple comes in. If you, like many homeowners, use a gas-powered water heater, the thermocouple helps prevent the heater from turning into a danger. But sometimes the thermocouple itself may need repairs and replacement, and for that you\u2019ll need professionals in water heater repair in Doylestown, PA, like those at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling. We offer same day service, satisfaction guaranteed, so make us your first call<\/a> for restoring your malfunctioning water heater.<\/p>\n The thermocouple is a simple safety component made from two strips of different types of metal, joined at one end. The thermocouple is attached near the pilot light along the burner assembly, with the two ends of the metal placed in the flame of the pilot light, and the other end attached to a shut-off valve for the natural gas line that feeds gas to the burner. Should the pilot light fail, the thermocouple will automatically close off the gas line and prevent the combustion chamber from flooding with unburned gas, creating a major hazard of explosion from even the smallest spark.<\/p>\n The way a thermocouple does this task is through a principle known as the \u201cSeebeck Effect.\u201d The Seebeck Effect describes how two different types of metal in proximity to each other will create an electric current when exposed to heat. The higher the heat, the stronger the current. This makes a thermocouple a crude temperature sensor. As long as electric current runs through the thermocouple because of the heat of the pilot light, the current keeps the valve open. If the pilot fails, so does the current, and the valve automatically closes.<\/p>\n Not all water heaters use a thermocouple. Some of the more recent models use a mercury sensor to shut off the gas valve. An electric water heaters don\u2019t use gas at all, and therefore doesn\u2019t need any kind of emergency gas shut off.<\/p>\nThe job of the thermocouple<\/b><\/h3>\n