Gas Water Heater Burner Not Lighting at All
The Short Answer: The burner will not light at all - no pilot, no spark, no main. That is a closed cock, empty LP, a control in OFF or lockout, a dead igniter, or no gas. It is not lights then dies and it is not pilot holds, main drops. If you smell gas, leave. Do not crack fittings to “see if you have gas.”
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Search Intent & The Real Problem
You turned the knob. You clicked the piezo. You waited for the hot-surface glow. Dark. No blue at the view port. Forums sold you a thermocouple. A thermocouple cannot fail a flame that never existed. This page is no ignition. Stay-lit and main-dropout are the other two articles. Electronic DSI and HSI tanks have no standing pilot; “will not light” there is spark/HSI, gas, or a lockout code - not a $12 sensor.
What other guides get wrong
They lead with “air in the gas line” on a tank that heated water yesterday. Air is an install/relight problem - do not purge it yourself. They mix three failures: no flame, flame that will not hold, and main that drops. They tell you to poke the orifice with the gas on. That is how you get a face full of unburned fuel.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Split no-flame from stay-lit from main-dropout
| What you see | What it actually is | Next |
|---|---|---|
| No pilot, no spark, no main, dark port | This page - no ignition | Supply, spark, lockout |
| Pilot lights, dies when you release PILOT | Thermocouple / pilot solenoid | Stay lit |
| Pilot holds, main never opens or drops | Thermopile / valve / rollout | Main will not hold |
| Electronic control, LED flashing, no standing pilot | Lockout - count flashes | Sticker, then licensed |
| Click, click, no flame, then silence | Spark with no gas, or lockout | Do not keep clicking |
| Whoosh / bang, then dark | Delayed ignition | Shut down. Not a second try. |
- What to look for: A standing-pilot knob vs a spark module vs a glow bar. Phone photo of the gas-valve sticker and rating plate.
- Required tools: Flashlight. No matches in a rollout.
Rheem, Ruud, and Richmond share FVIR controls. Bradford White ICON does not. Wrong part, no flame.
Step 2: Gas cock, meter, LP, and the control position - without opening the pipe
- What to look for: Appliance shutoff handle parallel to the pipe (open) or perpendicular (closed). Control knob in OFF or Vacation. Other gas appliances lighting. LP bottles empty after a cold snap. Ice on an LP regulator. Utility red tag or a locked meter. A 1/2-inch kinked flex on a high-BTU tank.
- Required tools: Eyes. Manometer work is licensed (typically about 3.5-7 in. w.c. natural gas / 10-11 in. w.c. LP at the appliance - confirm the rating plate).
Do not crack the union to “check for gas.” Mercaptan in the room is leave, then the utility. Closet odor now is closet smells like gas.
Step 3: Spark, piezo, hot-surface - one try per the jacket
- What to look for: Standing-pilot: piezo click with a spark you can see at the electrode, then a pilot that wraps the sensor. No click and no spark is a dead piezo, a broken wire, or a grounded electrode - mention it, do not rebuild the igniter on this page. Electronic DSI: a rapid tick at the module. HSI: a glow bar that never oranges is open; a glow with no gas is the valve. FVIR lockout: LED multi-flash, no trial.
- Required tools: The manufacturer lighting card. A long lighter only if that card says so.
One lighting sequence. If it bangs, yellow-tips, or you smell gas, shut the appliance cock. Repeated spark into a dark chamber dumps fuel. A power-vent that never runs the blower will not open the valve - blower not working.
Step 4: Lockout, FVIR, and no combustion air
- What to look for: LED 6- or 7-flash FVIR / chamber sensor. Lint packed in the flame-arrestor. Heater shoved into a sealed closet. Gasoline or paint in the same room. Power-vent: blocked termination, condensate in the pressure-switch hose, inducer silent. ICON electronic fault is not “no gas” - electronic fault.
- Required tools: Eyes at the arrestor from outside, gas off. Do not jumper the FVIR plug.
A perfect igniter cannot light a burner that the valve is holding closed on a safety.
Step 5: Orifice, valve, and when it is actually no fuel
- What to look for: Pilot orifice packed, wrong NG/LP orifice after a conversion, a valve that never opens with millivolts or 24/120 V present. Correct supply, spark, and a valve that still will not pass gas is the control. Match gas type, millivolt vs electronic, FVIR.
- Required tools: On a licensed truck: manometer, leak-detection solution, combustion analyzer. Not a universal valve from a blister pack.
Need it off while you wait? Apartment shutoff.
When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro
Stop at gas odor, delayed-ignition bangs, FVIR chamber service, a silent power-vent blower, millivolt diagnosis you cannot complete, and any valve replacement. You may follow the jacket once, confirm the shutoff position, and look for an empty LP bottle. You may not hold the knob in, jumper a sensor, or loosen fittings. A licensed plumber will measure manifold pressure, prove spark/HSI, and leak-test the control. That is the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why won’t my gas water heater burner light? A: Closed gas cock, empty LP or a locked meter, control in OFF or lockout, a dead spark/piezo/HSI, or a valve that will not open. No flame at all is not a thermocouple.
Q: Why do I hear clicking but the burner never lights? A: The igniter is sparking and gas is not arriving, or the valve is in lockout. Do not keep clicking. One trial per the jacket, then a licensed tech.
Q: Can I light a water heater burner with a match? A: Only if the jacket lighting card says so, and never in a rollout or a room that smells like gas. Electronic FVIR tanks are not match-light appliances. Hire it if the card does not describe a match.