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Energy Safe Victoria recommends every gas heater be serviced at least once every 2 years by a qualified gasfitter, and yes, a plumber can service a gas heater provided gasfitting is on their licence, since gasfitting is a licensed plumbing class in Victoria. A proper service covers the burner, ignition, controls and flue, and, above everything else, a carbon monoxide test. This isn’t maintenance theatre: carbon monoxide from poorly maintained gas heaters has caused deaths in Victorian homes, which is why the two-year interval is a safety recommendation, not a sales pitch.
If your heater hasn’t been touched since you moved in, this is the page that gets it booked.
Who can service a gas heater?
Anyone working on a gas heater in Victoria must hold a gasfitting licence or registration, with certain appliance types needing an additional endorsement on top. Plumbers with gasfitting on their ticket, which describes our entire gas heating team, service wall furnaces, space heaters and gas log fires as standard work. Manufacturer service networks handle their own current models, and independent licensed gasfitters handle everything, which matters most for the many older heaters whose original brands no longer run a service operation at all. For those units, an independent gasfitter isn’t the alternative; it’s the only option, and we’ll tell you honestly when a heater has reached the point where parts money belongs in a replacement instead.
What a proper service includes
- Carbon monoxide testing. Checking for CO spillage into the room. The non-negotiable heart of the service.
- Burner and injector clean. Dust and lint burn dirty; a clean burner runs blue and efficient.
- Ignition and thermocouple check. The usual suspects when a heater won’t start or won’t stay lit.
- Flue inspection. Confirming combustion products actually leave the house through an intact, unobstructed flue.
- Ventilation check. Vital for open-flued heaters, which draw their combustion air from the room they’re heating.
- Controls and safety devices. Thermostats, fans and cut-outs tested.
- Negative pressure test where relevant. In well-sealed modern homes, exhaust fans and rangehoods can pull flue gases backward into the room. A proper service checks for exactly this.
Open-flued heaters deserve their own paragraph. They’re the type most associated with carbon monoxide incidents in Victoria, and Energy Safe Victoria has urged owners of certain older open-flued models to service or replace them as a priority. If that’s what’s on your wall, the two-yearly service is the floor, not the target. And if the pilot light has been misbehaving between services, our guide to pilot lights going out explains what it can and can’t mean.
When to book, and the signs that skip the queue
The smart booking is before winter, for the simple reason that every gasfitter’s May calendar looks the same. Book immediately, whatever the month, if you notice: yellow or sooty flames, a heater that starts then cuts out, unusual smells when it runs, a room that gets stuffy and damp with the heater on, or headaches, drowsiness or nausea that ease when you leave the house. That last cluster tracks carbon monoxide exposure, and the correct response is heater off, windows open, tested before it runs again. Smell gas itself? Isolate the meter valve and treat it as a leak; our gas leak detection team finds what noses can’t place.
A service typically costs $150 to $300 in Melbourne depending on the heater, with ducted systems at the top of the range. Against a mid-winter breakdown, let alone the alternative the CO test exists to prevent, it’s the cheapest insurance in the house. And when a heater is genuinely done, our gas fitting team handles disconnection and removal, a job we’re doing more of every year as Melbourne homes move their heating to electric.
Frequently asked questions
Can a plumber service a gas heater? Yes, if gasfitting is on their licence. All gas heater servicing in Victoria is licensed gasfitting work, with some appliance types needing an extra endorsement.
How often should a gas heater be serviced? At least every 2 years per Energy Safe Victoria, and immediately if you spot yellow flames, cut-outs, odd smells, or symptoms that improve when you leave the house.
Do gas heaters need a carbon monoxide test? Yes. CO spillage testing is the core of a proper service, and it matters most for open-flued heaters, the type linked to CO incidents in Victorian homes.
Who services older heaters whose brands are gone? Independent licensed gasfitters. Parts for older wall furnaces can often still be sourced or substituted, and when they can’t, we’ll say so before you spend.
Two winters since the last service? That’s the interval. Call O’Shea Plumbing on 03 9888 2887 or book a gas heater service and beat the May rush.
