Gas smell in the house or yard?
Get everyone outside and keep away from switches and flames. If you can safely reach the bottle valve or meter, turn the gas off. Then call your supplier's emergency number from outside and book a gas fitter before using anything again.
Gas in Mackay
Check the gas type first
The Queensland Government's list of natural gas networks names Rockhampton and Gladstone, but not Mackay. Before you buy a cooktop, heater or gas hot water unit, check whether the house runs on LPG cylinders or a mains supply.
Mostly separate houses
At the 2021 Census, 84.7% of occupied homes in the Mackay council area were separate houses. A new gas point for an outdoor appliance means a trench across the yard, so read the next item before anyone digs.
Digging near council's pipes
Mackay Regional Council recommends talking to it before earthworks near its water or sewer infrastructure, and building over or close to those pipes needs approval unless the work meets QDC MP 1.4. A new gas trench is earthworks.
LPG and natural gas aren't interchangeable
Piped natural gas and bottled LPG each need their own burner design. An appliance can be switched from one to the other, but only a licensed gasfitter may convert or install it.
That matters if you're bringing appliances from a city with mains gas, or buying second-hand. Read the data plate and ask the fitter before you commit. More on LPG conversions.
What a gas fitter will do
For a new appliance, a gas fitter will check the supply pipe can carry enough gas for it, fit the right regulator and connection, test for leaks and commission the appliance. For a new line across the yard, they'll plan the route around services and dig to the depth the work needs.
Once an installation is finished, ask the fitter for a gas system compliance certificate. Service calls and basic repairs may only come with an itemised tax receipt, which is still worth filing. More in compliance certificates.
Licences to check
Queensland ties gas work to a licence: the fitter needs a gas work licence or authorisation that covers the job in hand. The RSHQ Portal lists current holders, and anyone can search it.
A firm that supervises or performs gasfitting must also hold its own QBCC gasfitting licence, separate from the fitter's occupational licence from the Chief Gas Examiner and RSHQ. Ask for both numbers and check them.
After a storm or flood
If floodwater has reached the gas installation, Queensland requires a licensed gasfitter to inspect it and the appliances before they're used. Don't pull out or repair gas pipework while cleaning up. If your supplier finds the installation unsafe, it stops the gas, and the owner pays a licensed gasfitter to test and repair it.
Questions for a Mackay gas fitter
- Can I see your Queensland gas work licence, and your business's QBCC gasfitting licence?
- Does this appliance suit LPG, or will it need converting?
- Where will the new line run, and does it go near council's water or sewer pipes?
- Will I get a gas system compliance certificate for this installation?
What we would do
Confirm your gas type before you buy, and photograph the data plate of any appliance you're replacing. If the job involves a new line, ask the fitter to show you the route and whether it crosses council's pipes; a quick word with council beats a damaged sewer. Check the gas work licence on the RSHQ Portal, and keep the compliance certificate with your house papers.