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How Often Should Gas Appliances Be Checked in Victoria?
How Often Should Gas Appliances Be Checked in Victoria? — a Prime Plumbing & Gasfitting plain-English guide to how often should gas appliances be checked victoria for Melbourne homeowners. Below we cover what works, what doesn't, and when to call a licensed plumber.
Quick answer: The Victorian Building Authority recommends having all gas appliances in your home checked by a licensed gasfitter every two years. For rental properties, this is more than a recommendation: gas heaters in Victorian rentals are legally required to be CO-tested every two years under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021. The 2-year schedule covers gas cooktops, ovens, hot water units, gas heaters and gas log fires. Newer or heavily-used appliances may benefit from yearly checks; appliances that aren't used (e.g. holiday-house heater) should still be checked before winter use after a layoff. Servicing includes leak testing, CO testing on heaters, combustion analysis, flue inspection, and a written record.
What "checked" actually means
A gas appliance "check" or service from a licensed gasfitter typically covers:
- Visual inspection of the appliance, connections, flue and surroundings
- Leak test at all gas joints with a calibrated detector or soap-bubble method
- Combustion analysis (for heaters, hot water units and gas log fires) with a calibrated combustion analyser — measures CO, CO₂, O₂ and flue draught
- Pressure check at the appliance inlet with a manometer
- Operational test — does the appliance light cleanly, modulate correctly, and shut down safely?
- Flue inspection where applicable — for blockages, corrosion, sooting, or animal damage
- Burner clean as required
- Written service record with all readings and any defects identified
It's not a five-minute look. A proper service of a single gas appliance typically takes 45-75 minutes; multi-appliance properties take 2-3 hours.
The output is the service record — your documentation that the appliance was checked, by whom, what they measured, and whether it passed. For rentals, this record is what the agent needs to file. For owner-occupiers, it's your insurance backup if anything goes wrong later.
The 2-year recommendation explained
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) recommends every gas appliance in a residential property be serviced every 2 years. This is a recommendation for owner-occupied homes, and a legal requirement for some rental appliances (see below).
The 2-year cadence is based on how gas appliances actually fail:
- Heat exchangers can crack from thermal cycling — usually after years, not months, but the failure is invisible from outside
- Flexible connectors perish on a 5-10 year timeline — checking every 2 years catches them well before failure
- Burners foul slowly with dust and lint — 2 years is enough to need a clean but not enough to produce dangerous CO if the appliance was clean at last service
- Flue corrosion is gradual — 2 years catches developing problems before they become spillage events
- Pilot orifices and thermocouples drift over time — 2 years is enough to need attention but not catastrophic failure
Yearly servicing is more conservative and worth considering for: heavily-used appliances (running daily through winter), appliances near coastal salt spray, appliances in dusty environments, or older appliances (15+ years) where every component is closer to its end of life.
Victorian rental gas heater law
The Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 require every gas heater in a rental property to be:
- Serviced every 2 years by a licensed gasfitter
- CO-tested as part of that service with a calibrated combustion analyser
- Documented with a service record kept by the landlord/agent
- Provided to the tenant on request
This rule was introduced after the 2010 deaths of Chase and Tyler Robinson from CO from a faulty central heater. It's specific to gas heaters in rentals — not gas cooktops, ovens or hot water units, though those should still be serviced on the 2-year cadence.
If you rent in Victoria and you can't get a recent gas heater service record from your agent, that's grounds for a Consumer Affairs Victoria complaint. The landlord's obligation is clear and not waivable.
For owner-occupiers, the same 2-year cadence is a recommendation, not a law — but the safety logic is identical.
What to check, and how often
Gas heaters (central, wall, gas log fire)
Every 2 years — recommended for all homes, legally required for rental properties in Victoria.
The check includes CO testing with a calibrated combustion analyser, heat-exchanger inspection where access permits, flue inspection, and burner service. This is the highest-risk gas appliance in a typical home and the one with the most stringent requirements.
Gas hot water units
Every 2 years, plus an extra check at the 8-10 year point to assess overall condition before deciding whether to replace.
Hot water units typically last 10-15 years. The 2-year service catches gas-side issues (regulator wear, fitting leaks, flue spillage), while a longer-term inspection looks at tank condition (corrosion, anode rod), pressure relief valve, and tempering valve.
If your unit is approaching 12-15 years old, our hot water replacement service can advise on like-for-like replacement vs upgrade options.
Gas cooktops
Every 2 years. The check includes leak test at the gas connection, burner inspection (yellow flame is a warning sign), and operational test of each burner.
Cooktops are lower-risk than heaters because they're well-ventilated by the range hood and used in short bursts. But they're also one of the most-touched appliances, with knobs and igniters that wear, and flexible connectors that perish.
Gas ovens
Every 2 years. Similar checks to cooktops, with extra attention to door seals, oven flue, and the safety valve.
LPG installations (caravan, holiday cabin, off-grid)
Annually is the recommended interval for LPG installations because LPG is heavier than air, accumulates differently from natural gas in a leak, and the cylinders, regulators and pigtails have shorter service lives than mains gas hardware.
Service area
Prime Plumbing & Gasfitting services gas appliance checks across Melbourne's eastern, south-eastern, inner-east and bayside suburbs. See all suburbs we service →
Book a gas appliance service
Call 0475 407 670 or send through the contact form with your appliance list.
- BPC #103414 — Plumbing Industry Commission licensed
- Type A Gasfitter — registered with Energy Safe Victoria
- Calibrated combustion analyser — NATA-traceable annually
- 4.8 stars on Google
When you should book outside the 2-year cycle
Don't wait for the calendar if any of these apply:
- You smell gas anywhere in the home (book make-safe + repair immediately)
- Yellow flames at the cooktop or heater (incomplete combustion)
- Unexplained headaches or nausea at home, especially clustered with other family members
- The pilot light keeps going out
- A new appliance has been installed and you smell gas afterwards
- Renovations have been done that affected gas pipework, flues, or wall cavities
- You bought the property and don't have recent gas service records
- The appliance is more than 15 years old and has been service-skipped
- The appliance is in a rental and the agent can't produce records
What does a gas appliance service cost?
Indicative ranges only — actual cost depends on appliance type, age, access, and whether repair work is needed:
- Single gas heater service + CO test: typically $180-$320
- Gas cooktop service: typically $130-$220
- Gas oven service: typically $130-$220
- Gas hot water unit service: typically $180-$320
- Multi-appliance whole-property service: typically $400-$700 (heater, cooktop, oven, hot water unit together)
- Repairs found at service: quoted separately
We always quote in writing first.
When to call a licensed gasfitter
Gas appliance servicing must be done by a plumber with a Type A Gasfitter endorsement. The Victorian Building Authority maintains a plumbing licence search so you can verify any gasfitter holds the qualification.
Frequently asked questions
A heater that "seems fine" can still have a cracked heat exchanger, a partially-blocked flue, or rising CO production. None of those are visible from the outside. The 2-year service catches developing problems before they become dangerous. The CO testing component specifically can't be done by anyone other than a licensed gasfitter with a calibrated analyser — it's not optional if you want to know your heater is safe.
No — gas appliance servicing is regulated work that requires a Type A Gasfitter endorsement. Even visual inspection involves opening up the appliance, which can void warranty and is illegal without the licence. Cleaning around the appliance and changing filters on the air intake (if your model has one) is fine; anything past that is the licensed gasfitter's job.
Put the request in writing (email is fine). If the agent doesn't respond within a reasonable time, lodge a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria. The 2-year service requirement is in the regulations and the agent/landlord is obligated to provide records on request.
Yes. Even new appliances are checked at the 2-year mark — that's when manufacturer issues, install issues, or early-life faults show up. The first service of a new appliance is often the cheapest because nothing has worn yet.
No. A CO alarm tells you the air is already dangerous. The service prevents the danger in the first place. They're complementary — fit a CO alarm AND service your appliances every 2 years.
Service before each season of use rather than on the calendar. A heater that hasn't run for 6 months can have insect or bird ingress in the flue, dust on the burner, or perished seals — all worth catching before you fire it up for winter.
No. A Type A Gasfitter endorsement covers all residential gas appliances — cooking, heating, hot water. One licensed gasfitter can service everything in the same visit, which is usually cheaper than booking separately.
Before You Book
A quick checklist to share with your plumber when you book:
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When did the issue start?
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Is it isolated to one fixture or multiple areas?
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Are there any visible leaks, smells or unusual sounds?
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Have you turned off the relevant isolation valve?
- Gas fitter Melbourne — gas appliance install, service, replacement, CO testing
- Gas leak detection Melbourne — pressure testing, leak location, repair
- Hot water systems Melbourne — gas and electric HWS installs, replacements, servicing
