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Your thermal couple needs to be cleaned (sand paper the portion where the pilot light heats it) or possible replaced. It sounds like it is not sending the correct signal to the gas valve.
The pilot light has a thermocouple that allows gas to the pilot light while the flame is burning. If flame goes out it shuts gas off to the pilot jet. It seems that your thermocouple is faulty and needs to be replaced if pilot light keeps going out as the outside air cools.
Hot water heaters that have problems with pilot lights going out are usually fixed by adjusting or replacing the thermocouple.
The thermocouple is the brass tube that is in or near the flame of the pilot light.
The thermocouple acts as a valve to allow the gas to flow to the pilot light. If the thermocouple begins to go bad, it may shut the gas flow off to the pilot light.
There could be other gas supply issues, but this is about the least expensive first step for the home owner.
REMEMBER, you are working with gas. Take your time and be safe or have a professional replace the thermocouple.
Check to make sure the flame of the pilot is hitting the thermocoupling. If not then you can use compressed air to clean the pilot port and relight and check again. If the flame is hitting the thermocouple, then it may need to be replaced.
Probably a bad solenoid in the gas valve. Higher voltage of a new thermocouple keeps it open longer but it still fails over a period of time. Look into a new gas valve for the water heater.
The red button you pushed on the hot water heater was probably what is called a "piezo-electric" ignitor. It's normal for it to make a snapping sound and then pop back out. It sounds like you just lost the pilot light.
That being the case, do this:
Turn the gas valve on the hot water tank to the "off" position - it should be silver in color and down low on the tank. You may have to push it down to do this
Leave it off for about two minutes or so
Rotate the valve back on to the "Pilot" position
Hold down the pilot gas valve - it should be red and immediately to the left of the main gas valve.
While holding the pilot gas valve down, push the other red button to the right of the main gas valve - this is the piezo ignitor - push it several times in a row quickly
The gas pilot light should light
You can stop pushing the ignitor now, but continue to hold down the gas pilot valve (the one just left of the main gas valve). Let this valve up after about another 20 seconds or so.
Now rotate the main gas valve to the "on" position
Listen carefully - you should hear the main gas light and feel heat at the water heater flue outlet on top - don't touch it with your hand - you could get burned
If no luck, repeat the process until the heater re-lights
TIP - the instructions for re-lighting the pilot should be written on the heater
Just a potential diagnosis - the thunder clap, if as close as you describe, may have been intense enough to create what is known as a "draft inversion" that may have snuffed out your pilot light. The air pulse came down the flue pipe.
One of the proper ways to light a gas water heater, is to turn the black knob to Pilot, put a match to the end of the pilot light, while holding the match there, push the red reset button down and hold the match & the reset button down for one full minute. Then, release the reset button and turn the black knob to On. This should keep the pilot light on.
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