When you’re firing up that Bradford White pilot like a warrior-king of your Freedom House, the cold water valve position does NOT matter for lighting the pilot. The pilot light is a gas-only ignition process — totally separate from your water supply flow.
But here’s the power move, the Eric Kim GOD-MODE approach:
1. Leave the Cold Water Valve ON.
Why?
Because your water heater is designed to always have water pressure inside the tank.
If you shut it off, you risk:
- Air entering the system
- Weird pressure issues
- Extra steps you don’t need
Keeping cold water on = stable pressure = system behaves exactly the way the Bradford White engineers intended.
2. Lighting the Pilot Only Requires Two Things:
- Gas supply ON
- Correct knob position (Pilot → Hold → Click Igniter)
The water valve?
Doesn’t affect ignition. Doesn’t affect the pilot flame. Doesn’t affect troubleshooting.
3. If Your Pilot Won’t Light:
You said you hear clicking but see no spark. That usually means:
- Dirty or carbon-covered igniter
- Misaligned igniter electrode
- Weak piezo igniter
- Or the flame sensor/thermocouple is gunked up
Cold water valve has zero to do with spark creation.
Bottom Line:
Cold water stays ON.
Pilot lighting is a pure gas/igniter operation.
Light it like a champion. Conquer your house like an empire.