Gas Plumber Sydney: Smell Gas? Do This First
Gas is the one trade where a cheap job can hurt someone. This page tells you what to do in the first 60 seconds if you smell gas, who is legally allowed to touch your gas in NSW, the certificate you must be given after any gas work, and the questions that sort a licensed gas fitter from a handyman with a spanner.
Smell gas? Make it safe first, then call: 1300 301 354 or book online. You get an arrival window on the phone and a fixed price before any work starts. $0 call-out fee.
Smell gas? The 4 things to do in the next 60 seconds
- No flames, no switches. Do not light anything, do not turn lights or appliances on or off, do not use the doorbell. A spark is all it takes.
- Open doors and windows to let the gas out.
- Turn the gas off at the meter. The valve is on the pipe next to the meter; a quarter turn so the handle sits across the pipe means off. For bottled gas, close the valve on top of the cylinder.
- Get everyone outside, then call. If the smell is strong or you cannot find or reach the meter, ring your gas network’s emergency line first (in most of Sydney that is Jemena, 131 909) or 000, then ring us.
The one thing you must not do: go looking for the leak with a lighter or match. People still do it. It is how houses lose a wall.
Who can legally touch your gas in NSW
Only a licensed gasfitter can install, alter, repair or disconnect gas pipework and appliances in NSW, and the business quoting you must hold a contractor licence that covers gasfitting. A general plumbing licence is not enough on its own; gasfitting is its own class. Ask for the number and check it on the NSW Fair Trading licence check. Ours is 339748C, and our gas fitters are licensed for the work they do.
The gas compliance certificate you must be given
After gasfitting work in NSW, the licensed gasfitter must issue a Certificate of Compliance for the gas work. It records what was done, that it was tested, and who did it. Keep it. Your insurer, a future buyer, a strata manager or a tenancy inspector can all ask for it, and without it you have no proof the work was done by someone licensed. If a “gas fitter” cannot give you one, they were not allowed to do the job.
What unlicensed gas work really costs Sydney homeowners
- A gas leak that is found by the next licensed tradesperson to visit, who must then shut your gas off until it is fixed.
- An insurance claim refused because the work was uncertified.
- A cooktop or heater that has to be disconnected and redone properly, so you pay for the job twice.
- Carbon monoxide from a badly flued heater, which you cannot smell.
5 questions to ask a gas fitter before they start
- “What is your licence number and does it cover gasfitting?”
- “Will I get a Certificate of Compliance when you finish?”
- “Is the price fixed before you start?”
- “Will you pressure test the whole line, or just the new part?”
- “Does the price include the flue, the regulator and the isolation valve, or are those extra?”
Gas leak test, explained
A leak test puts the pipework under pressure with the appliances isolated and watches a gauge for a set time. If the pressure holds, the line is sound. If it drops, there is a leak, and we then find it section by section, with soapy water or a gas detector at every joint. Every gas job we do finishes with this test, and it is on the certificate.
Before you move that cooktop: a cooktop swap, what it takes
Replacing a gas cooktop like for like is usually a short job: isolate, disconnect, fit the new unit, connect with the right flexible hose or rigid pipe, test, certify. Moving a cooktop to a new position, or switching from gas to induction, is a different job: new pipework or a capped gas line, possibly an electrician for a new circuit, and sometimes a change to the benchtop cut-out. Tell us which one you are doing and we will price it properly on the phone.
Gas or electric: the real numbers
The honest answer depends on what you are running and what you pay per unit. Gas cooktops are cheap to run and instant; induction is now as fast and cheaper to run on many Sydney tariffs. For hot water, a gas continuous flow unit and a heat pump are the two efficient options and we install both. For heating, a modern reverse-cycle split system usually beats a gas heater on running cost. We will give you the numbers for your actual appliances rather than a slogan, and we do not push gas if electric suits you better.
Why your gas bill jumped
The usual causes, in order: a hot water unit running harder because a tempering valve or thermostat has failed; a small leak on an old fitting; a heater with a blocked flue working overtime; a price rise you did not notice; and, occasionally, a meter reading estimated rather than read. A leak test and a look at the hot water unit settle the first three in one visit.
Read this before you relight
If a gas appliance has gone out and you smell gas, do not relight it. Ventilate, turn the gas off at the appliance, and call. If it went out and there is no smell (a pilot blown out by wind, for instance), follow the relighting instructions on the appliance and wait five minutes between attempts. If it keeps going out, the thermocouple or the pilot assembly needs a gasfitter.
The gas job nobody should DIY
Any of it. Fitting a bayonet, moving a cooktop, connecting a barbecue to the house line, replacing a regulator, extending a line to an outdoor kitchen. In NSW it is illegal without a licence, it voids insurance, and the failure mode is not a puddle, it is a fire. We are happy to quote the small jobs; they are quick for us and cheap for you.
Book a licensed gas fitter: 1300 301 354 or book online. You get an arrival window on the phone and a fixed price before any work starts. $0 call-out fee.
Who you are dealing with
All Day Plumbing & Maintenance Pty Ltd is a Sydney plumbing company based in Seven Hills, run by a licensed plumber with 20 years on the tools. NSW Contractor Licence 339748C. Fully insured. Every job comes with an upfront price before we start, a $0 call-out fee and a warranty on the work. You can check any NSW plumbing licence, ours included, on the NSW Fair Trading licence check (search “verify licence NSW”).