Gas Heaters and Carbon Monoxide Safety
How older gas heaters in Hampton Park homes can leak carbon monoxide, the warning signs and how often to service them.
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Why it matters
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas produced when gas burns poorly or flue gases spill back into a room. Older wall furnaces, space heaters and ducted systems in homes of the 1970s and 1980s are most at risk.
Warning signs
A yellow or orange flame instead of blue, soot or staining around the heater, a stuffy feeling in the room, and headaches, nausea or dizziness that ease when you leave the house.
What to do
Have gas heaters serviced by a licensed gasfitter at least every two years, including a carbon monoxide spillage test. Install a carbon monoxide alarm. Never use outdoor gas heaters or barbecues indoors.
If you suspect a problem
Turn the heater off, open doors and windows, leave the room and seek medical help if anyone feels unwell. Call a gasfitter before using it again. Before winter each year, check that flues and vents are clear and that nothing is stored against the heater. Make sure the room is ventilated, and never block wall vents to stop draughts.
Hampton Park soil and pipes
Hampton Park sits on heavy grey clay over sandier ground towards Lyndhurst, and that clay swells in a wet winter and shrinks and cracks in a dry summer. The older homes west of Hallam Road were mostly connected with earthenware sewer pipe in short lengths, and every joint is a place for roots to get in once the ground moves. Galvanised steel water pipe from the same era rusts from the inside, narrowing the bore and eventually leaking. On the newer estates, PVC drains are tougher, but trenches that were not compacted properly can settle and leave dips that hold grease and paper. We use a drain camera and pressure testing to see what is actually happening rather than guessing.
Related services
- Emergency plumbing
- Blocked drains
- Hot water repairs
- Gas fitting
- Hot water replacement
- Solar and heat pump
- Leaking taps
- Burst pipes
- Toilets
- Leak detection
- Sewer and relining
- Stormwater
- Gutters and roofing
- Bathrooms
- Kitchens and laundries
- Pressure and backflow
More guides
Questions on this topic
How often should a gas heater be serviced?
Every two years is the usual recommendation.
Are carbon monoxide alarms worth it?
Yes. They give early warning of a problem you cannot otherwise detect.
Where should a carbon monoxide alarm go?
Follow the manufacturer's instructions, usually in the room with the heater and near sleeping areas.
Why Hampton Park homes choose us
We know the 3976 housing
Brick veneer from the 1980s and 1990s, older homes near the original centre and newer streets to the east: we work on all of them every week.
Straight answers
We tell you what is wrong, what it takes to fix and whether it can wait. No upselling.
Fixed price, agreed first
You see the price before work starts. Larger jobs get a free written quote.
Clean and careful
Boot covers, drop sheets and a tidy finish. We test the work with you before we leave.
Get a free quote
Tell us what is happening and a licensed Hampton Park plumber will call you back.
How quoting works
Ring 03 7075 3463 or send the form with a short note, and a photo if you have one. A licensed plumber calls you back, asks a few questions and books a time. On site they find the cause, talk you through your options and give you a fixed price. Nothing starts until you say yes, and larger jobs get a free written quote you can take away.
Need a plumber in Hampton Park?
Hampton Park, Lynbrook, Lyndhurst, Narre Warren South and nearby. No rates online: the plumber finds the fault, then gives you a fixed price.