Pilot wont stay lite

check how many millivolts the pilot is generating. if pilot stay lit and burners wont fire u have a problem with one of the safties, lose wire connection, tstat control

Theres a thermostat inside, if its too cold and not warming up the thermostat enough it will shut off because it thinks there is a problem.

try cleaning the pilot light jet, usually gets dust etc inside it. clean it with a pin. but remember do not mess with gas appliances if you are not confident enough. as being cold will be the least of your worries lol

When you light the pilot lite you have to hold the button down until it gets the element hot enough to stay lit. If you hold down the button and lite the pilot and let it go right away it will go out. What to do is hold down the button and lite the pilot and continue to hold the buttn down for about 45 seconds to a minute then let it up very slowly and you will see if it is going to go out by the flame getting smaller as you let up on the button. If it does start to get smaller conitnue to hold it again for a few seconds and repeat the process of letting it up slowly. when the control element gets to the right temperature it will stay lit then turn your valve to "ON" and the fire will start up and continue to heat the water.

Hello
Sounds like the thermocouple is going bad.The thermocouple is a thin tube that runs from the pilot lite to the gas valve.
What it does is it sences the heat from the pilot lite and keeps the gas valve open to allow the pilot to stay on.
This can be easily repaird by shutting off power and gas to your heater and removeing the thermocouple from the gas valve,then unclip or unscrew it from the pilot lite area.
Any plumbing supply store or home depot or lowes should have these.

Once you get a new one,install to gas valve and pilot lite area then turn on power and gas to heater and follow pilot lighting procedure,you may need to hold gas on for 60 seconds.

Here is a picture of the thermocouple so you know what to look for.


http://thermocatalytic.com/Thermocouple.JPG
http://homerepairgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/furnace-thermocouple.jpg

There is a window directly above the gas control valve. Either a spring held latch or a screw off cover need to be removed to access the pilot. To light the pilot, turn the knob to pilot and hold down while lighting pilot. The pilot in straight back inside the hole about 10 inches. Use a long fireplace match or rig a wire to hold the match. Once the pilot lights, hold the control knob down for about 30 secs., if it stays lit after release, turn to "On" and operate normally.

Hello KJGreen, It sounds, based on your description, as though the thermocouple is faulty and should be replaced. If the pilot light stays lit and you've left it on for several minutes before turning the knob on to light the log set, then that indicates that the thermocouple is bad.

The thermocouple is a safety device (heat sensor) designed to stop the flow of gas to the burner in the event the gas flame goes out and the pilot goes out. The sensor will only allow the gas valve to open once it has reached the preset temperature.

To confirm that the thermocouple is defective, I would light the pilot light and allow it to remain lit for up to 10 minutes before I attempted to turn on the log burner. If, after 10 minutes, the log burner still won't stay lit, then you know that the thermocouple needs to be replaced. Otherwise, the burner should light, since after 10 minutes, the sensor should be hot enough to signal the gas valve to open.

If you are going to have this replaced, please make sure you use only an approved supplier, since an incorrect replacement part could cause an unwelcome malfunction of the gas log burner. Safety should be primary when dealing with open flame burners.

Hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

It sounds like a thermocouple has gone bad. this is a very common problem with gas powered things ie; water heaters, furnaces, hot tubs. The telltale sign is when you release the pilot light button it won't stay lit. This is a safety feature and is relatively inexpensive and easy to repair.

I'm a little confused by your terminology. You are saying you have a pilot lite and electric heat strips? Are you possibly meaning burners? Is the heater running for 2 hours straight without shutting off? how cold is it there? Lastly what temperature do you have the thermostat set at and how close does it get to the temp. before it shuts off?