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gas heater servicing how often carbon monoxide

The question, put plainly: How often should a gas heater be serviced?

The short answer

Gas heaters should be serviced by a licensed gasfitter at least every two years, and open flued heaters in particular can produce carbon monoxide if the flue or the room ventilation is compromised.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 5 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Gas safety regulators across Australia recommend servicing gas heaters at least every two years by a licensed person. The reason is specific rather than general: an open flued gas heater draws combustion air from the room and expels products through a flue, and if that flue is blocked, corroded or defeated by an exhaust fan running in the same space, combustion products can spill back into the room.

Carbon monoxide is the reason this matters

Carbon monoxide has no smell and no colour, and early symptoms resemble a cold or flu, which is exactly why it is dangerous in a home. Australian coronial cases have involved faulty open flued heaters in sealed rooms. This is not a theoretical risk and it is preventable by inspection.

What a service should include

  • A negative pressure test where an open flued appliance is installed, checking the effect of exhaust fans and rangehoods running at the same time.
  • Inspection of the heat exchanger for cracking, which is the usual origin of spillage.
  • Flue integrity, including the sections in the roof space that nobody looks at.
  • Burner condition, ignition and gas pressure.
  • Room ventilation, since sealing up a draughty house can make a previously safe appliance unsafe.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Buying safe appliances · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Energy Safe Victoria · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Office of the Technical Regulator · Government of South AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  4. Product Safety Australia · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. Energy Rating · Australian GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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