If you smell gas
Stop
Don't use switches, lighters or anything that could spark.
Turn it off
Shut the gas at the meter if you can reach it safely.
Air it out
Open doors and windows, then leave the area.
Get help
Our gas leaks page covers the next steps. Don't relight the unit until a gas fitter has checked it.
Signs your gas unit needs a look
- The pilot keeps going out, or the unit won't light.
- A yellow, lazy flame where you'd expect a crisp blue one.
- Soot or scorching around the flue or the burner door.
- Hot water runs out even though the burner is on.
- Water around the base of the tank.
- Every other gas appliance works except the hot water.
What a gas fitter will do
A plumber will check the gas supply at the unit, the burner and the flue, then work through the parts that commonly fail: the pilot, the thermocouple, the igniter and the gas control.
If the tank is sound, those are repairs. If water is escaping from the tank itself, you're looking at a replacement, and what can go in its place depends on where you live.
Storage or instant?
| Gas storage | Gas continuous flow | |
|---|---|---|
| How it heats | A burner under a tank of stored water | A burner heats water as it flows through, with no tank |
| Where it sits | Indoors with a flue, or outside | Often on an outside wall |
| When it runs short | When the tank empties faster than it reheats | When more taps run at once than its flow rate allows |
| Victoria from 1 March 2027 | Replaced with electric at end of life | Treated the same way: the rule's wording doesn't separate tanks from instant units |
Victoria, the ACT and everywhere else
Victoria. From 1 March 2027, an existing home's gas hot water system that reaches end of life must be replaced with an efficient electric alternative. Repairs are still allowed, a system can be taken out and refitted during a renovation, and LPG use is unchanged. Check current rules: see the Victorian rule.
ACT. No new gas network connections have been allowed since 8 December 2023, but existing connections carry on. There's no rule yet forcing gas appliances out. The ACT consulted on appliance rules in 2026 and plans to stop using fossil gas by 2045.
Elsewhere. Replacing gas with gas is your call. A hot water specialist can compare gas, a heat pump and solar for your house: see the comparison.
Licences for gas work
In NSW, gasfitting is specialist work. A contractor needs a licence for it whatever the job costs, and you can look the licence up on the NSW Public Register.
In the ACT, gasfitters hold their own licence classes, such as general gasfitter and LPG gasfitter. Western Australia's online licence search covers gas fitting as well as plumbing.
Ask for the licence number before work starts. Our licence guide shows where to check it.
Gas: your side and theirs
You can
- Check the gas is on at the meter and the cooktop lights.
- On an outdoor unit, look for a fault light or code on the controller.
- Keep the area around the flue clear.
- If water is leaking, close the cold water valve to the unit.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- A pilot that keeps going out after relighting.
- Anything behind the burner door.
- Gas valves, regulators and pipe joints.
- Flue repairs and replacement.
Questions for the gas fitter
- What's your gasfitting licence number?
- Is the tank sound, or is this the start of a replacement?
- If I'm in Victoria and this unit is near its end, which electric options fit here?
- Did you check the flue and test for leaks?
- What paperwork will I get for the gas work?
What we would do
Keep a sound gas system running with repairs. If it's old, and especially if you're in Victoria, line up the electric option before the burner gives out, so the heat pump is chosen on your schedule rather than in a hurry. A licensed gas fitter who works on hot water every week can tell you how much life the unit has left.