When cleaning the thermocouple on your patio heater, you need to turn off the fuel supply, take out the thermocouple from the pilot assembly, and use a dry sponge or steel wool to eliminate built-up debris and soot.
For inaccessible areas, a pencil eraser can come in handy, but it’s crucial to avoid cleaning chemicals due to their flammability.
When utilizing your patio heater for outdoor enjoyment in colder seasons, you may encounter certain difficulties.
Having a strong understanding of independently troubleshooting and resolving these issues is essential.
To address a frequently encountered problem with patio heaters, we have prepared a comprehensive guide on effectively cleaning the thermocouple on your patio heater.
You can follow these steps to get the job done.
Related Reading: Understanding the Patio Heater Thermocouple: Important Insight
Table of Contents
What is a Thermocouple?
In every natural gas or propane patio heater, you can find a thermocouple. This is a safety device available within the product.
The primary purpose of this thermocouple is to ensure that the furnace pilot of your patio heater remains lit continuously.
It achieves this by transmitting a low-level electric current to a sensor positioned on the gas valve. Along with this electric signal, the valve will remain open.
One metal in the thermocouple of your patio heater is exposed to heat while the other metal is different.
A voltage is produced through a phenomenon known as the Seebeck Effect or thermoelectric effect.
The Seebeck effect occurs when the two ends of a thermocouple are at different temperatures, which results in electricity flowing from the hot metal to the cold metal.
Pyramid gas patio heaters, like certain other types of outdoor heaters, inevitably face external environmental factors as time goes by. These factors affect the thermocouple.
As a result, it will get dirty. That’s where you will start facing issues with the patio heater.
You can use patio heaters under a cover but with certain stipulations.
To effectively address these problems, it is crucial to learn the proper method for cleaning the thermocouple.
Patio heater covers can help reduce debris build-up keeping the inside cleaner. Covers come in various shapes and sized for your specific heater.
Continue reading to gain a thorough comprehension of the cleaning process.
Supplies Needed for Cleaning the Thermocouple on Your Patio Heater
Before you get started with the cleaning process, you will need to be equipped with appropriate items that are needed.
Some of the items that you would need to clean your patio heater include:
- dry sponge
- steel wool
- screwdriver
- pencil eraser.
You can easily get these items and proceed with the cleaning job. No special tools are needed and there is often no need to contact an expert.
Steps for Cleaning the Thermocouple on Your Patio Heater
Once you are ready with the tools, follow these steps for cleaning the thermocouple on your patio heater.
- First, shut off the fuel supply to the heater.
- Locate the thermocouple. You can take a look at the owner’s manual of your patio heater and get a clear understanding of the location of the thermocouple.
- Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws around the thermostat.
- Once all screws are removed, you can take out the thermocouple. You can easily remove it from the pilot assembly.
- Take out a dry sponge or steel wool.
- By using steel wool, you can gently rub the thermocouple. If you are using a dry sponge, you need to make sure that you are using the abrasive side of it. Otherwise, you will not be able to complete the cleaning process effectively.
- Continue cleaning until you remove all soot trapped in the thermocouple.
- You can use a pencil eraser to clean areas located in between the threads of the thermocouple screw. These are the areas where the thermocouple connects with the patio heater.
Feel free to reattach the thermocouple in your patio heater and test its functionality to ensure it’s working properly.
Tips for Cleaning the Thermocouple of Your Patio Heater
You should make sure that you don’t use any commercially available cleaning products or any homemade cleaning solutions.
Using any of these cleaning solutions may put you at risk, since some may be made with flammable chemicals.
If you have a wall-mounted patio heater, give yourself some extra time to bring it down.
You should stick to the above-mentioned steps at all times and get the cleaning job done right the first time.
Understanding Thermocouple Failure
It is also better to have a clear understanding of what would happen to the functionality delivered out of your patio heater during a failure of the thermocouple.
Then you will be able to diagnose the patio heater problem in a straightforward way and go ahead with the fix on your own.
Thermocouple problems in patio heaters are not uncommon.
Most of the patio heater owners will come across this issue at any given point in time.
The thermocouple of your patio heater has an inverted V shape and can be found on the light.
The main functionality of thermocouple is to ensure that an appropriate supply of gas is retained while you are using patio heater.
If you notice that the pilot light is not retaining its perfect shape and condition, you will have to go ahead with cleaning the thermocouple.
Otherwise, you will not be able to get the desired functionality out of your patio heater.
Final words
As you can see, you will be able to clean the thermocouple of your patio heater on your own.
The process is straightforward without the need for contacting a technician to assist.
Make sure cleaning the thermocouple on your patio heater becomes a regular occurrence so that you can keep the patio heater functioning without giving any problems.
After cleaning the thermocouple, inspect the surrounding area and make sure that there is no dust or dirt.
You should keep the surrounding area clean at all times and consider keeping it out of the rain to avoid wear and tear.
You should not allow any space for any creatures to crawl near the thermocouple as well. Often birds, squirrels, mice or other small animals may build nests within the heater.
Take care of your heater and you will enjoy more time outside during the cooler temperatures.
Be safe and have fun!
Enjoy living the outdoor life!!!
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