If the flame looks wrong, stop using it
Better Health lists a yellow or sooty flame, a pilot light that goes out or pops and bangs when lighting, and soot stains around the heater as signs of a faulty gas heater. Energy Safe Victoria says a change in the flame means a qualified gasfitter should inspect it and check for carbon monoxide leakage.
Repair it, or replace it?
A heater that has one fault fixed and then runs happily for years is worth repairing. One that locks out again and again is telling you something, and Seeley's technician guide says not to keep resetting a heater without finding the cause. Get it diagnosed before you decide.
Age on its own isn't the test. What matters is what the gasfitter finds, how often it fails and whether parts are still around. Our repair or replace tool walks through it.
Your options when it has to go
A new gas ducted heater on the existing ducts. Usually the quickest change, with no new vents to cut, as long as the ducts are sound. If you might want cooling later, Rinnai advises telling the dealer up front so the system is sized for it.
Ducted reverse cycle. It heats and cools, and the ACT Government says reverse cycle has much lower running costs than gas. The catch is the ducts: the ACT guide says gas ducts can't be re-used for reverse cycle because they're too narrow and may have age-related issues.
Split systems in the rooms you use. Fine for a smaller home or one where only some rooms need heat. See multi-split systems.
Rentals, and the Canberra question
In a Victorian rental, from 1 March 2027, a main living area heater that permanently fails must be replaced with energy efficient electric heating. An electric ducted system needs a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor of 3.2 or above. Exemptions include replacing an identical type under a manufacturer, supplier or installer warranty, and a heater that still works can stay.
In Canberra, the ACT Government recommends replacing old gas appliances with the most efficient electric systems when the time is right. A dead gas ducted heater is often that time.
How a good installer handles a replacement
A ducted heating specialist starts with the ducts, not the catalogue. They'll check every run and the return air path, re-check the size if the house has been extended or insulated, and look at where the heater and its flue can go.
Get the warranty in writing. Rinnai's booklet for Brivis ducted gas heaters, for example, gives 5 years parts and labour (3 years for the Compact Classic series) and 10 years parts on heat exchangers and burners, from the date installation is completed.
What you can do first
You can
- Write down any error code the controller shows, and when the fault happens.
- Find past service records and the heater's manual.
- Note which rooms struggle, so those ducts get checked.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Diagnosing the fault inside the heater.
- Disconnecting the old heater and connecting the new one to gas.
- The flue, the duct checks and any work in the roof space.
What we'd do
What we'd do
We'd have a gasfitter diagnose the old heater first, so we knew whether it was a repair or a replacement. If it's a replacement, we'd ask the same installer for two written quotes, one for new gas on the existing ducts and one for ducted reverse cycle, and look hard at the ducts before choosing. In a Victorian rental from March 2027, or anywhere in Canberra, we'd plan for electric.
