Do you know what a pilot light is?
While many modern appliances don’t use a pilot light, you will find one in many older, gas operated appliances. A pilot light is used for lighting the gas in your appliance. It is a small flame that is constantly burning.
The reason why pilot lights have fallen out of use is that there are much more effective and safe ways to ignite the gas. Since a pilot light constantly is burning, it wastes a small, but not insignificant, amount of gas all the time. This can add up over time. There is also the danger of the pilot light being extinguished for one reason or another. When this happens, there should be a fail-safe that turns off the gas supply, but this might not always work correctly. If not, there is a risk of a dangerous buildup of natural gas. Whenever trying to relight an extinguished pilot light, exercise care, since there is a risk of a gas explosion.
