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Furnace Pilot Light in Las Vegas: Why Relighting Often Is Not the Fix
Search “furnace pilot light” and you get advice written for old standing-pilot furnaces. Most residential gas furnaces in the Las Vegas Valley use electronic ignition — a hot-surface ignitor or intermittent spark — not a flame that burns all year.
If your heater will not light, the problem is often the ignitor, flame sensor, gas valve, or a safety switch — not a pilot you are supposed to match with a lighter.
Colton Air Conditioning schedules these calls Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm.
Standing pilot vs electronic ignition
| Type | What it looks like | Common in valley homes? |
|---|---|---|
| Standing pilot | Small flame always on; relight instructions on a panel | Older equipment only |
| Hot-surface ignitor | Glows orange/white, then gas opens | Very common |
| Intermittent spark / intermittent pilot | Clicks, lights only when heat is called | Common on some brands |
If you open the cabinet and there is no pilot tube with a constant flame, do not invent one. Forcing gas while clicking a control is how people get a gas smell and a dangerous situation.
If you smell gas
- Do not light anything. Do not use a phone in the house if the smell is strong.
- Leave the house.
- Call 911 / the gas utility from outside.
- Do not return until they say it is safe.
That overrides every thermostat tip on this page.
Safe checks when there is no gas smell
- Thermostat on Heat, a few degrees above the room — thermostat not working.
- Furnace switch on (looks like a light switch on the cabinet).
- One breaker reset if tripped; if it trips again, leave it off.
- Filter not packed — a dirty filter can cause lockouts that feel like “no pilot.”
- Listen once: draft motor, then ignition try, then flame. If it tries and quits, stop — furnace short cycling and heater not working.
Do not keep holding a red relight button through multiple failed attempts. Do not spray starter fluid or use a propane torch on an electronic ignition furnace.
What usually failed when “the pilot is out”
On electronic ignition systems:
- Hot-surface ignitor cracked or open
- Flame sensor dirty (desert dust) so the board shuts the gas off
- Pressure switch or inducer problem
- Limit switch open from overheating
- Control board not completing the sequence
On a true standing-pilot system (uncommon, but still out there):
- Pilot orifice dirty or thermocouple failed
- Still a diagnosis — not a reason to run unvented heat overnight
We do not publish a relight walkthrough for every brand. Wrong steps on the wrong furnace are unsafe.
Related: furnace smell burning, HVAC second opinion.
Ignitor clicks but won't light
On many electronic-ignition furnaces, a call for heat starts a sequence: the inducer motor runs, a safety switch confirms the venting, then the ignitor glows or sparks and the gas valve opens. If you hear clicking or see a glow but the burners never light, one step in that chain is failing. Common reasons:
- The hot-surface ignitor is cracked or worn and no longer gets hot enough
- A spark ignitor is sparking but not lighting the gas
- The gas valve is not opening, or gas to the furnace is turned off
- The burners light, then shut off in a few seconds because a dirty flame sensor does not confirm flame
- After several failed tries, the control locks out. Many show this with a blinking light
What you can safely do: confirm the thermostat is on Heat, check that the gas valve handle at the furnace is in line with the pipe (open), replace a dirty filter, and power the furnace off and on once at its switch. Then stop. Do not keep cycling it, touch the ignitor (it breaks easily and gets very hot), or try to light the burners by hand.
If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call 911 from outside.
When to call
Call when Heat is set, power is on, there is no gas smell, and the furnace will not light or keep flame, or you are not sure whether you even have a standing pilot.
Have ready if you can: about how old the furnace is, whether you hear clicking or see a glow, and whether anyone smelled gas (if yes, you should already be outside).
Hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm. If there is no gas emergency, finish the safe checks above and call when we are open.
FAQ
Do Las Vegas furnaces still have pilot lights?
Some old ones do. Most modern installations use electronic ignition with no standing pilot.
Can I relight it myself?
Only on a furnace that is clearly a standing-pilot design with the manufacturer’s relight instructions on the cabinet, and only with no gas smell. If you are unsure, do not.
The furnace clicks but never lights. Pilot?
Usually an electronic ignition sequence failing — ignitor, sensor, or gas valve — not a match-and-relight job.
What hours can I reach Colton?
Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.
No light after the safe checks, and no gas smell? Call Colton Air Conditioning at (702) 738-6976 Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm. Tell us what you heard (click, glow, nothing) and what you already tried. We will tell you if we can see it.
Colton Air Conditioning · Las Vegas Valley residential HVAC · Monday–Friday 8am–5pm
Call (702) 738-6976 or Book Online. License 0092120. Hours Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Saturday and Sunday are closed.
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Services
Furnace Repair Las Vegas
Furnace repair for Las Vegas homes when the desert night finally drops and the heat will not stay on.
Heating Repair
Gas furnace repair for Las Vegas homes, plus heat pumps, with the safety checks a gas system needs.
Emergency Heating Repair
No-heat calls in Las Vegas during weekday hours. Furnaces and heat pumps diagnosed before replacement talk.