When a furnace pilot light goes out, the immediate consequence is that the heating system ceases to function, resulting in a complete loss of warm air distribution throughout your home. Mechanically, when the tiny pilot flame extinguishes, the safety thermocouple stops being heated and cools down rapidly, causing it to cease generating the millivolt electrical current required to hold open the safety magnetic valve in the gas control assembly. This forces the gas control valve to snap shut automatically, cutting off all fuel delivery to both the pilot and the main burners to prevent unburned gas from flooding your home. Consequently, the furnace cannot ignite when the thermostat calls for heat until the pilot light is safely relit manually. You can verify that this safety shutdown occurred by confirming that the burners remain unlit and the house temperature drops.
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