RV Repair: Hot Water Heater, pilot flame, hot water heater

Question
Larry,
I installed a Atwood 6 gal hot water last spring. I only used it twice. On the most recent outing I lit the pilot, held it for about 40 seconds and then turned it to on. The burner fired up and heated the water. A few hours later I checked top make sure the pilot was still lit and it was not. I re-lit the pilot held it for about 40 seconds and then turned it to "on". The pilot went out and the burner did not fire. I tried lighting it again and this time held the pilot switch on until the tip of the pilot tube turned red, again the pilot went out when I turned it to "on". The water tank is full and so is the gas bottle. Could the pilot thermal link be bad and should I change the pilot assembly? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Frank:

There are a couple of things you should check. Lets check the more obvious first. The end of the thermocouple often is a dull red color. After you light the pilot, continue holding button down for 30 seconds or so. When you let this button up, does the pilot remain lit? Is the pilot flame a sharp blue flame, and is it hitting onto the end of thermocouple(pilot generator) properly.If so, next step is turn the control to the on position. At this point the main burner should come on. If you are low on gas, out of gas, other manual valve in line, not fully open, or other  restriction, etc. the main flame and pilot flame will go out. After water heater has run for a little while, get into a position so you can observe the pilot flame. Next, I would like for you to turn the thermostat on the main gas valve downward until you hear a slight "click" sound. At that immediate moment when the burner shuts off, be sure to look at the pilot flame, making sure it does not make a hissing sound, as if the pilot has too much gas pressure on it. If the pilot flame remains stable the burner should not keep going out. If it does, Frank, I will need the make and model number, so I can look up some information relating to this particular problem.

I hope these thoughts give you some ideas what to look for regarding your water heater problems.

If I can further help you, please feel free to contact me. Regards, Larry