wrote in message
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My water heater burner won't stay lit. Here's what I know:

1. If I light the pilot, it can stay on indefinitely. So I think the
thermocouple is actually functioning.
2. If I then turn on the burner, after a few seconds there will be a
*click*, and the whole thing shuts down. This takes less than a
minute.

I have removed the burner assembly, and uploaded several pictures to
photobucket to illustrate the situation.
http://s150.photobucket.com/albums/s...ter%20Problem/


Questions:
1. One thread I found on the internet suggested that when the main
burner comes on, the draft pulls the pilot light flame away from the
thermocouple, causing it to cool. Is this plausible? If so, how do I
fix it?

2. If that isn't it, what else might be wrong, and what is the
solution?

3. What is that element that's wired into the thermocouple (visible in
pictures 6 and 7)? I don't recognize it, and every thermocouple
picture I find on the internet doesn't have it.

4. The thermocouple appears to be soldered into its bracket. Is this
common practice?


BONUS QUESTION: Does anyone know what the heck that is in picture 10?
It's a tool belonging to my friend, and neither of us know what it
is. It's two parallel edges, perpendicularly attached to a single
square tube. The edges are lockable via the white knobs, and one has
a hinged piece on the inner side that swings out maybe 10 degrees from
the tip. In the picture, it has swung out about as far as it's able
to. What is it?

Clean the flame sensor...