Learn all about your furnace pilot light — where it is, what it does, and how to troubleshoot the most common issue.

“While holding the ‘Pilot’ knob down to release the gas, carefully light the pilot burner with a match or long fireplace lighter. The pilot flame should ignite right away.” ...

When the fireplace is turned on, gas flows to the main burner, which is ignited by the pilot light. This is what produces a larger flame in the fireplace. Even when the fireplace is off ...