How to Light the Pilot Light of an Old Furnace

When I first moved into this old apartment, I was surprised to see an enormous, old-fashioned furnace taking up a big part of the room. I'd never seen anything like it and certainly didn't know how to turn it on.

Now that I know how to light the pilot light of my Warm Manning furnace, it's a piece of cake. Here's how to do it.

First, locate where the furnace's pilot light is and where the gas on-off valve is. For my furnace, the pilot light is inside a little door located on the front, and the gas valve is inside a door on the side of the furnace.

The gas valve should be off, so push it down and turn it to the pilot setting (a 90 degree left turn for my furnace). While holding the gas valve down, strike a match and light the pilot light. The pilot flame should start burning. Keep holding the gas valve down for about 30 seconds.

Then, turn the gas valve all the way on (another 90 degree left turn for my furnace). The pilot light should light the rest of the furnace. If the pilot flame won't stay lit, try the whole procedure again. If it still doesn't work, you might have a clog. Try turning the gas off and cleaning out the pilot light opening with a thin wire. If this doesn't work, you might have to call an expert to help you out.

With luck, your gas furnace should be lit. You can then use the knob on the top of the furnace to adjust the heat. A couple warnings: when working with a gas furnace, always be alert about potential leaks. If it smells like gas, you should immediately air out the room and turn off the gas supply. Also, if your furnace is inside your living quarters like mine, instead of in the basement, be careful to keep potentially flammable objects far away. One of my shirts got scorched because it was lying on the ground too close to the furnace.

That's all it takes to light your old gas furnace. The trick is finding the pilot light.