On Jul 22, 11:01 am, rick wrote:
Our A.O.Smith water heater (installed Jan 1996) has recently developed
the following problem -- the pilot light goes out all the time. Any
ideas to keep the pilot lighted?

Is the heater old enough now where I should just get it replaced? It is
working great when the pilot is lighted.

Thanks.

Your gas control may have an adjustment for the pilot flame, usually
tucked under a protective screw cap on the side. Before adjusting,
make sure the vent hasn't been tricked by some change in the venting.
As other posts indicate, thermocouples are common failure modes as
well. HTH

Joe