How Often Should You Service Your Gas Appliances? A Safety Checklist for Homeowners
Mainline Plumbing andv Civil Pty Ltd Client • December 18, 2025
Around 70% of Australian homes use gas, particularly for gas heaters that may be portable or connected to a flue that removes harmful gases. These heaters provide reliable warmth on cool winter nights but need to be serviced periodically to ensure they continue to work correctly.
A badly installed or damaged flue, or a heater that is worn or damaged, can be a threat to everyone's health. Even minor problems with equipment can affect efficiency and so it is vital that you have everything checked and serviced at regular intervals.
Why a Regular Gas Service Inspection is Needed
Servicing of your gas heaters should be carried out every 24 months and possibly more frequently for other equipment. In each case, check the manual that is provided with the equipment to find the recommended period.
Regular gas appliance servicing is necessary for several reasons:
- Periodic cleaning and replacement of worn parts will ensure appliances work properly and at peak efficiency, ensuring maximum heat while saving on unnecessary energy usage.
- Poorly maintained equipment will be prone to leaks of gas and emissions that are a threat to everyone in the property. In particular, carbon monoxide (CO) is a serious threat that is difficult to detect due to it being without any smell or colour.
- Regular inspections will identify possible problems, including worn or defective parts, that can be easily fixed before they become worse. This will help to prevent breakdowns and will also prolong the life of equipment so premature replacement is avoided.
- Many manufacturers require regular servicing of equipment to maintain the warranty. A failure to do so, therefore, will mean the warranty is invalidated.
Problems that Indicate Servicing is Overdue
The biggest problem you can experience with faulty gas equipment is the possible escape of carbon monoxide into your property. This is an extremely poisonous gas that cannot be detected by smell or sight so the installation of an audible alarm in every room where there is a gas appliance is essential.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can often be similar to a common cold but signs also include nausea, headaches, dizziness, weakness, trouble with breathing and vomiting. Seek immediate medical attention if anyone experiences any of these symptoms.
Problems with your appliances, which can include leaking gas, can be indicated by several warning signs:
- A flame that is yellow or orange and intermittent instead of being mainly blue and constant.
- A pilot light that will not stay lit.
- Scorching, soot or black marks on the appliance.
- Gas bills that are higher than normal.
- A low hissing noise coming from any appliance, even when not in use.
- House plants that are dead or dying.
- A smell of gas, which will be like sulphur or rotten eggs.
- Condensation on the inside of windows when appliances are in use.
If you suspect a leakage of gas or the presence of carbon monoxide, do not ignore it. Turn off all appliances and the gas supply, open all windows and doors to ventilate the property and clear the area to prevent any harm. To avoid possible future problems, never cover chimneys, flues or air vents so they are properly ventilated and keep all appliances well clear of flammable items.
Possible problems can also be reduced by:
- Organising a scheduled service at least every two years and always sticking with the schedule.
- Ensuring required repairs are always carried out promptly and that out-dated equipment is replaced.
- Never leaving gas heaters running overnight since extended and unattended use can increase the chances of carbon monoxide leaks.
- Not using extractor fans at the same time and in the same room as a gas heater because this can cause negative pressure that draws in carbon monoxide.
Regular servicing will keep your equipment running and everyone safe but at other times you can do your bit to help the process. Taking sensible precautions and remaining observant are sometimes all that is necessary.
Keeping Safe With Regulator Gas Appliance Servicing
Whilst gas heaters and other appliances are perfectly safe when used properly, like all equipment they are prone to possible faults and failure, including leaks. You can protect yourself from any danger by scheduling regular services that will include:
- A visual inspection of all equipment, looking for signs of corrosion and wear that will cause eventual problems.
- Cleaning from inside appliances any build-up of dust and dirt, paying particular attention to the burner chamber and thermal fuse of a gas heater.
- Checking pressure is set correctly and ensuring wiring is secure.
- Making sure carbon monoxide is discharged properly from the exhaust system and that no carbon monoxide is present within the property.
- Repairing any defective equipment and, where necessary, recommending the replacement of appliances that have reached the end of their useful life.
It is extremely important that all inspections and servicing are carried out by qualified and licensed professionals who know what to look for and the actions to be taken. At Mainline Plumbing & Civil, your safety is our main priority, and we can ensure it through regular inspections and servicing that will keep everything running efficiently.
We also advise you of any actions you can take to minimise problems. For peace of mind and effective gas appliances, contact us
today and we will ensure everything works as it should do.
Preparing for a plumbing emergency is probably the wrong way to put it. Being prepared is more to the point, and it is a process that starts even before a plumber sets foot in your building. If you are starting from scratch, having the premises built, you are perfectly placed to do the job properly. If you have bought or taken over something that has been in operation for some time, you may be kitting it out because your requirements are rather different or adapting what is there already. Either way, avoiding commercial property plumbing emergencies is the object of the exercise, and this starts with choosing a good company offering commercial plumbing services . That is to say, you probably don’t contact the people who installed your new shower cubicle at home and make their day with the prospect of a big job – unless you know they have the expertise and capacity to deal with that big job. This is no place for sentiment. You’re looking for an outfit that offers commercial emergency plumbing services as part of their regular commercial plumbing services. You will find them online and you’ll still see some advertising in the newspapers and local magazines. You may need to discuss your requirements with them and get an estimate, which will mean showing them around the premises and explaining a bit about what your business entails. Having a good working relationship with your tradies is very helpful and, in this case, can be critical. Nobody is anticipating commercial property plumbing emergencies , but these things happen and the better prepared you are, the greater the chance of minimising trouble. If there are flammable substances on your premises, for instance, the risk of fire increases dramatically, so you fire prevention strategy has to be extremely well thought out, and plumbing contingency planning is best done collaboratively. You know your business and the common hazards as well as the occasional ones that can occur without warning. Is a Fire a Plumbing Emergency? Having a good water supply in the building is clearly essential for all kinds of reasons, and fighting fires is one of them. However, the company carrying out your commercial plumbing services should be well aware of the limitations of water in that respect. Your fire emergency provisions may need to involve foam, dry powder, CO2 or even wet chemicals. However, water can still be essential for many types of blazes, and that is why the fire trucks are still geared up for dousing flames with good old H2O. Water-based Plumbing Emergencies The more common situations that could call for commercial emergency plumbing are leaks and bursts. A leak is a subtle, subversive threat that can suddenly spell trouble if water gets into machinery or the electrical system. Therefore, you need to have a plan for if this happens. Bursts are more dramatic and can cause flooding with clean water or wastewater, and whichever one it is, it needs to be shut down ASAP. Commercial Emergency Plumbing: What to do Let’s say you have taken care with your commercial plumbing services, but something happens anyway; what are you going to do? The most important thing is to stay calm, because racing around in a panic is not going to help. You need to make cool, rational decisions and the first one is to stop the emergency at its source. That might mean shutting down the water supply to a machine or shutting off the water altogether at the mains. It could mean throwing the master switch in the electricity box to avert any danger of electrocution. Call the emergency services immediately and once you have done what you can to stop the flow, get out of the building. You’ve seen the signs in hotels, and you’ve heard the safety briefings on planes: leave anything you don’t absolutely need and get out of there. An emergency is an emergency, and the crucial thing is to make sure everyone involved is safe, including yourself. The aftermath and the repercussions you can deal with afterwards. Preventing Commercial Property Plumbing Emergencies With luck you will never have to deal with a commercial property plumbing emergency, but you know what they say about luck: you make your own. Find a good provider of commercial plumbing services, work with them to get the best possible system in place and don’t let the whole thing down by cutting costs. Using good quality equipment installed and serviced by experts is the best kind of insurance. And there’s the other crucial word: maintenance. Get it done regularly and keep an eye out yourself. Nipping trouble in the bud can save a lot of heartache as well as money, so be vigilant and encourage your employees to do the same. At Mainline Plumbing & Civil, we can help you prevent commercial plumbing issues. Read more about our services here .
While plumbing in the home is a relatively straightforward business, with the kitchen and bathroom to look after plus the water tank and boiler, in commercial premises it can be a lot more complex, not least because of the scale. In a big commercial unit, you may have hundreds of metres of pipes plus various areas with different purposes and therefore different plumbing needs. It stands to reason, then, that the tradespeople who provide a good, cheerful service in residential settings are not necessarily the best choice for bigger buildings. There are extra considerations in a commercial building, with fire safety prominent among them, and this involves specialised training. There may also be working at height to consider, which again means gaining knowledge and expertise over and above the basic requirements of the plumber’s trade. Certification is needed in specialised areas and there are plumbing compliance standards to be met. Employees of an industrial plumbing contractor will have spent plenty of time studying to gain a thorough understanding of working in commercial settings – and there is a huge variety within the category. Take, for instance, the difference between a factory and an office block, a school’s classrooms and its gymnasium, and that’s before we get to the very special environments of clinical units like hospitals. Every commercial unit has a requirement for water, and a large-scale plumbing infrastructure presents very different issues from a two-bedroom home. Business Plumbing Solutions If you are having a building fitted out for a business, it is important to get a commercial plumbing contractor involved at an early stage. Plumbing has to be incorporated into the premises, rather than added on afterwards. If it’s an office suite, you may be thinking about the ambience, the light, the acoustics, and generally making sure it’s a good place for productivity – and productivity comes from people being comfortable and able to concentrate. While the kitchen area may not be high on your list of priorities, having a decent one is all part of being the kind of employer people want to work for. If you’re setting up an industrial unit there may be a requirement for some showers in addition to the usual washing and toilet facilities, but how big and where? An experienced industrial plumbing contractor can draw on past projects to show you what works and what doesn’t, thereby saving you from making errors that detract from the perceived status of the place of work. Everyone has relatively high standards these days, and it is important that the plumbing doesn’t let you down in either its scope or efficiency. You won’t find industrial options in the hardware superstore on your local industrial estate, so you can either make it up as you go along and take your chances or you can talk to someone accustomed to large-scale plumbing infrastructure. They’re not going to try to push you towards things you don’t need, because their job is to install and service units, not sell them. Having said that, they will have seen which options previous clients were happy with and those that people regretted and soon had to replace. What Extra Skills Do Licensed Commercial Plumbers Have? All plumbers are used to working in confined spaces, but in a big setting, particularly one with high ceilings, safety becomes even more important. A licensed commercial plumber will be trained to work in these conditions, and not only will they be more aware of safety, but because they are comfortable working like this, they can get a good job done rather than failing to do their best because they want to get it over with. Working at heights, for instance, is not something that just anyone would be prepared to do, but a company offering business plumbing solutions will have staff who can work safely up in the rafters while seeing to anything from water pipes to sprinklers. They will have a good knowledge of fire prevention and be able to provide the premises with fire hydrants and reels, the sort of hosing that rolls up flat for convenience and space-saving but turns into a big, fat hose full of water when needed. A plumbing company billing itself as commercial plumbing contractors should also be able to guide you through the legal requirements and point you towards the people to talk to at the council to make sure premises are up to scratch as regards local regulations. If You’re Taking Over an Existing Building Expert assistance is essential when you take over a property that someone else set up, because it is now your responsibility, and a good firm of commercial plumbing contractors will cast an expert eye over the setup to see if it’s okay as it is or needs upgrading. Health and safety regulations are not just obstacles put in your way by bureaucrats; they exist to safeguard your workforce and your customers. At Mainline Plumbing & Civil, we cover all commercial plumbing needs. Read more about those services here .
