Smell gas, or feel unwell near the heater?
Energy Safe Victoria's advice for a gas smell, in order: if it's safe to, shut the gas at the meter, or at the cylinder for LP gas. No naked flames or cigarettes, and leave light switches and other electrical devices alone. Air the house through doors and windows and keep everyone clear, then ring the gas emergency line printed on your bill, or 000 for a fire. For carbon monoxide, warning signs include headaches, dizziness or nausea that only bother you at home: go outside into fresh air, and leave the heater off until a gasfitter has tested it.
Why it matters in Adelaide
A real winter
Bureau of Meteorology averages put the July mean minimum at 7.7 degrees at Kent Town and 7.4 at Adelaide Airport. A heater that's about to run most evenings for months is worth checking before those months start.
Colder in the Hills
Frosts are common in the valleys of the Adelaide Hills and rare on the plains, so heaters up there tend to work longer and harder.
Who to ring in a leak
Australian Gas Networks runs the distribution network across greater Adelaide, with 486,973 South Australian customers on 8,510 km of mains. If you're connected, AGN is your distributor, and its emergency line is the one on your bill.
Sealed-up older homes
Draught-proofing or renovating a bluestone or double brick home can alter the airflow a heater needs to clear carbon monoxide, Energy Safe Victoria cautions. Mention any sealing work to the gasfitter.
Signs the heater needs a gasfitter now
- A flame burning yellow or leaving soot (decorative gas logs aside).
- A pilot that keeps going out, or lights with a pop or a bang.
- Black marks or soot around the heater.
- Any change from the flame's normal colour.
- Several people, or pets, unwell at once, or symptoms that only show up at home.
What a service covers, and what makes it longer
A gasfitter checks the burner, flue and controls and tests for carbon monoxide spillage. Open-flued heaters are the riskier type, Energy Safe Victoria says, because they can spill carbon monoxide more readily, so expect those to get the most attention.
A ducted gas heater in the roof or under the floor takes longer than a wall furnace in the lounge. A blocked flue, worn parts or a failed spillage test turns a service into a repair, and Seeley notes that some units need servicing more often than every two years.
Unflued heaters are a different conversation: the ACT Government's advice is to replace one immediately, and Better Health says to replace any that are more than 10 years old.
If the heater won't start
Check the power first. Seeley points out that a gas wall furnace won't run without electricity, because the fan needs it. If a ducted heater locks out, resist resetting it again and again: Seeley's own technician guide says not to reset repeatedly without finding the cause. Our ducted heating not working guide has the safe checks.
Your jobs, and the gasfitter's
You can
- Book the service in autumn.
- Keep the space around the heater and its flue clear.
- A carbon monoxide alarm is a sensible extra, though ESV is clear it doesn't replace a service.
- Leave kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans off while the heater runs, since ESV says they can draw carbon monoxide into the room.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Anything inside the heater, the flue or the gas supply.
- Carbon monoxide spillage testing.
- Repairs after a lockout or fault code.
What we'd do
What we'd do
We'd book the gasfitter in March or April, ask for a carbon monoxide spillage test as part of the visit, and get the result in writing. If the heater is open-flued or unflued and getting on in years, we'd use the same visit to get a replacement quote, with a reverse cycle option alongside.
Tell us what kind of heater you have and your postcode. Licensed gasfitters near you who service heaters regularly can see the job, and your contact details go to one of them: the gasfitter who takes it. How a gas heater service works covers the visit in more depth, and our Adelaide page has the wider picture.
