MILF_Man t1_jeh11rl wrote on March 31, 2023 at 11:25 PM

The thermocouple has failed. Its super common.

Remove it and go to your local hardware store and get a replacement.

Usually under 20 bucks.

Reinstall it and it will now light.

littlerobertanthony OP t1_jeh1sf2 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 11:30 PM

Thank you for taking the time! That seems very reasonable, especially since I know this water heater is 9+ years old. Two questions,

https://imgur.com/a/M7922PD there’s some kind of bracket of hardware holding the current thermocouple in place. Will I need any special tools or anything to remove that? Will the new thermocouple have instructions on how to do that?

How proprietary are thermocouples? How can I make sure I buy the right one?

PowerfulFunny5 t1_jeh4i1z wrote on March 31, 2023 at 11:51 PM

Look up a parts list for your model of water heater on a trusted site such as seasrpartsdirect

Once you have the GE part number it’s easy to find other compatible parts.

littlerobertanthony OP t1_jeh4ncl wrote on March 31, 2023 at 11:52 PM

Thank you! Didn’t know about that site, should be a big help. I’ll look into this and mark the post solved tonight after I try the new one out.