Gas smell, or headaches when the heater's on?
Smell gas? Energy Safe Victoria's advice: shut the gas off at the meter (or the LP cylinder) if you can do it safely, no naked flames or cigarettes, don't flick any electrical switch or use a device, air the house out and get people clear. Your gas bill has the emergency number to call, and in Geelong the mains network belongs to AusNet. A fire means 000. Carbon monoxide is different because there's no smell: if you suspect it, ESV says get everyone outside, turn off the gas appliances and open up the house, call Nurse-on-Call, a doctor or 000 in an emergency, and leave the heater off until a qualified gasfitter has checked it.
Why gas heater checks matter in Geelong
Gas heating is widespread
Environment Victoria and Renew say mains gas reaches 83% of Victorian households and that space heating takes three quarters of the gas Victorian homes use. In a 2021 Victorian Government survey of home owners in gas areas, half mostly heated with gas ducted heating.
A cool winter
Breakwater averages 6.4 degrees on July nights, and Geelong has dropped to -4.3. Heaters here run for months, so a fault found in autumn beats one found mid-winter.
Plenty of rentals
28.0% of Greater Geelong homes were rented in 2021. The two-yearly gas safety check now covers them all: since 13 October 2026 it applies to every Victorian rental that has gas, and the gasfitter must hold the Type A Gas Appliances Servicing endorsement.
Open-flued heaters
ESV says open-flued heaters spill carbon monoxide more readily than other kinds. Open-flued heaters without automatic shut-down have been off the Victorian market since 1 August 2022, so if yours is open-flued, ask whether it shuts itself down.
Book a gasfitter now if you notice
- A yellow or sooty flame, unless it's a decorative gas log fire (Better Health Channel).
- A flame that looks different from usual. ESV wants that inspected by a gasfitter and checked for carbon monoxide.
- Soot stains around the heater, or a pilot light that keeps going out, pops or bangs.
- Headaches, dizziness or nausea that only happen at home, or people and pets unwell at the same time.
- An open-flued heater named on ESV's safety alert. Our carbon monoxide testing page lists the models.
What a Geelong gas heater service involves
The gasfitter cleans and checks the burner and flame, makes sure the flue (the pipe that carries exhaust outside) is clear, tests for carbon monoxide spilling back into the room, and checks the controls. On a ducted heater they'll look at the fan and return air filter too: Seeley lists a dirty return air filter and too few outlets open among the usual causes of overheating faults.
A wall furnace in the lounge is a quicker visit. Ducted units take longer, because Seeley's can be installed in the roof space, under the floor or outside the house.
Draughtproofing this winter? Get the gas checked first
Sealing gaps makes a Geelong winter easier to heat, but ESV warns that weather-sealing or renovating can change the ventilation a home needs to clear carbon monoxide. For rentals, Consumer Affairs Victoria says a gasfitter must do a gas safety check within 6 months before draughtproofing starts, and should advise about flueless or open-flued appliances. Owners would do well to follow the same order.
What you can do, and what's the gasfitter's
You can
- Get the service booked in April or May, ahead of the first cold snap.
- Keep curtains, furniture and washing well clear of the heater.
- Leave the rangehood and bathroom fan off while the heater runs. ESV says they can pull carbon monoxide into living areas.
- Treat a carbon monoxide alarm as a back-up only. ESV says it's never a substitute for servicing.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Taking covers off and working on the burner, flue or gas controls.
- Carbon monoxide spillage testing.
- Working out why a ducted heater keeps locking out.
- Telling you whether the heater can stay in use.
What to ask the gasfitter who visits
- What's your licence or registration number, and for a rental, do you hold the Type A servicing endorsement?
- Will the carbon monoxide test result be written down for me?
- Is my heater open-flued, and does it shut itself down if something goes wrong?
- When should the next service be?
What we'd do
What we'd do before a Geelong winter
We'd book the gasfitter every second autumn, and sooner if the flame looks different or the pilot keeps dropping out. As a landlord, we'd have the safety check done before a new tenancy and keep the record ready to hand over. And we'd choose a gas heating specialist rather than whoever has a gap in their diary: a gasfitter who does heater work every winter has usually seen your model's faults before.
