How can I tell if my pilot light is out on my furnace?

Determining whether your furnace pilot light has gone out involves performing a visual check and observing the performance of your heating system. The most direct and obvious indicator is that your home feels uncomfortably cold and the furnace fails to blow any warm air when the wall thermostat calls for heat. To check the physical status of the pilot light, remove the main service access panel on your furnace cabinet to expose the burner and pilot assembly compartment. Look carefully inside the combustion chamber for a small, steady blue flame burning near the main gas burners. If you see complete darkness or only an unlit metal pilot tube, the flame is definitely out. Additionally, you can check whether the burner gas control valve is set properly to the pilot or on position. You can verify the status by confirming that the pilot assembly lacks a visible flame and that the thermocouple is cold to the touch.