The Bryant Furnace Pilot Won't Light

Anyone whose furnace pilot light has gone out during cold weather knows what a uncomfortable nuisance this can be. Even during the warm months, an extinguished pilot light -- whether Bryant or any other brand -- should be quickly and safely addressed to restore full functionality to your furnace.

The good news is that safely relighting your Bryant pilot light requires only a few simple steps.

Before Relighting

Before even attempting to relight the pilot light on your furnace, ventilate the room in which the furnace is held by opening windows and doors and running ceiling fans or other fans. Built-up gas around the furnace needs to be flushed out with fresh air to safeguard against the possibility of a natural gas explosion. Review the furnace's instruction manual. Every furnace instruction manual will include instructions for relighting that furnace's pilot light. These instructions need to be read and well-understood before proceeding.

Relighting Process

If your furnace uses a gas cock, a device used to regulate the flow of gas into your furnace, set it to "Off." If the furnace uses a reset button in lieu of a gas cock, close the main shut-off valve but keep the smaller pilot valve open. Again, ventilate and allow a few minutes for gas to dissipate from the air. After a few minutes, set the gas cock to "Pilot," hold a match to the pilot light and press the cock for 30 seconds. For reset button-style furnaces, press the reset button while holding the match over the pilot light. If the pilot light does not light, release the reset button or set the gas cock back to "Off" and repeat the entire procedure after allowing the gas to escape from the room. Do not repeat the process a third time if the second attempt is unsuccessful.

Troubleshooting

If relighting the furnace's pilot light manually was unsuccessful, the problem could be elsewhere in the furnace. Check the circuit breaker for the circuit that the furnace uses and make sure it is not tripped. A furnace also has an emergency shutoff switch that will prevent the pilot light from igniting if tripped; flip the shutoff switch if it has been tripped. Sometimes, the pilot light will need to be vertically adjusted in order for it to ignite the gas burner. Check and follow the manufacturer's instructions for either lowering or raising the pilot light.

Other Considerations

If none of the above troubleshooting steps succeed in relighting the pilot light, contact the gas company immediately. Attempting to relight the pilot light any more times on your own would put your family at undue risk, so it is best to have experts address the problem from that point. In most cases, gas providers do not even assess a charge for visiting your home to troubleshoot a pilot light issue. If the gas company cannot restore the pilot light, you will need to contact Bryant customer support and have Bryant handle the issue.

The Drip Cap

Anyone whose furnace pilot light has gone out during cold weather knows what a uncomfortable nuisance this can be.
Even during the warm months, an extinguished pilot light -- whether Bryant or any other brand -- should be quickly and safely addressed to restore full functionality to your furnace.
If the furnace uses a reset button in lieu of a gas cock, close the main shut-off valve but keep the smaller pilot valve open.
Check and follow the manufacturer's instructions for either lowering or raising the pilot light.
In most cases, gas providers do not even assess a charge for visiting your home to troubleshoot a pilot light issue.