Your gas heater has stopped working. It is winter. It is cold. Before you call us, and sometimes instead of calling us, there are a few quick checks you can safely carry out yourself that resolve a surprisingly high proportion of heater faults. Here is exactly what to check and in what order.
- 1
This sounds obvious but it is the most frequently overlooked first step. Before assuming your heater has a fault, confirm that your gas supply is working.
How to check
- Go to another gas appliance in your home the kitchen cooktop is the easiest
- Turn on a burner and try to ignite it
- If it lights normally, your gas supply is fine and the issue is specific to your heater
- If it does not light, your gas supply may be off or interrupted
If your gas supply is off
- Check your gas meter. The valve should be parallel to the pipe to be open. If it is perpendicular to the pipe, it has been turned off. Turn it back on and try your heater again.
- If the meter appears on but you still have no gas, call your gas distributor (Multinet Gas or AusNet Services in Melbourne) to check for a network outage or account issue.
- 2
If you have an older gas heater with a standing pilot light, common on Vulcan, Pyrox, early Rinnai and some Everdure models, the pilot light may have simply gone out. This happens occasionally and is not necessarily a sign of a fault.
How to check
- Look through the inspection window or opening at the front of the heater
- You should see a small, steady blue flame the pilot light
- If the pilot is out, follow the relight instructions on the label attached to the heater
Relight procedure (general)
- Turn the gas control knob to the OFF position
- Wait 5 minutes
- Turn the knob to PILOT
- Press and hold the knob down while pressing the igniter button until the pilot lights
- Continue holding the knob for 30 to 60 seconds after the pilot lights
- Slowly release the knob the pilot should stay lit
- Turn the knob to the desired setting
If the pilot will not stay lit after one attempt: This is almost always a thermocouple failure. Do not keep trying. Call us for a same-day thermocouple replacement.
- 3
Modern gas heaters with electronic ignition, including most current Rinnai, Braemar and Brivis models, display error codes on a digital screen or through a sequence of flashing lights when they detect a fault.
What to do
- Note the error code or count the flash sequence
- Refer to our Gas Heater Error Codes guide for your specific brand
- Try one reset turn the heater off at the wall or controller, wait 30 seconds, turn it back on
- If the error code returns after one reset, call us. Do not continue resetting.
- 4
If you have a ducted gas heating system that is running, the fan is operating, but producing little or no heat, or if the system is cutting out after a short period, check your return air filter immediately.
A blocked return air filter is the single most common cause of ducted heating faults. When the filter is blocked, airflow through the system is severely restricted. The heat exchanger overheats and the system's safety thermostat shuts it down. It may restart after a few minutes and repeat the cycle.
How to check and clean
- Locate the return air grille typically in a central hallway ceiling or wall
- Open the grille and remove the filter
- If the filter is grey, clogged with dust and you can barely see through it, that is your problem
- Vacuum the filter, wash with warm soapy water, allow to dry completely and reinstall
- Try the system again
If cleaning the filter resolves the problem, excellent. Clean it every 6 to 8 weeks during heavy winter use going forward. If the system still cuts out after cleaning the filter, call us, there may be an additional fault.
- 5
Modern gas heaters, including most electronic ignition wall heaters and all ducted systems, require electrical power to operate. Even though they run on gas, they use electricity for the ignition system, controls and fan.
What to check
- For ducted systems check the circuit breaker in your switchboard. A tripped breaker will cut all power to the system. Reset the breaker and try again.
- Check the isolation switch near the ducted heating unit in the roof space, it may have been accidentally turned off during roof work or maintenance.
- For wall heaters with a power switch confirm the unit is switched on at the wall.
- 6
This is embarrassingly common. The thermostat or zone controller is set to a temperature lower than the current room temperature, so the system never calls for heat.
What to check
- Confirm the thermostat is set to HEAT mode (not fan only or cool)
- Set the temperature 2 to 3 degrees above the current room temperature
- Confirm the heating zone controller is set correctly for the zones you want to heat
There are situations where you should not attempt to troubleshoot. Call us immediately if:
- You can smell gas at any point
- The heater produces yellow or orange flames instead of blue
- The heater makes a loud bang or booming noise when starting up
- Multiple household members have unexplained headaches or feel unwell
- The pilot light will not stay lit after one relight attempt
- An error code returns after one reset
- You see or smell burning from the heater
None of these situations should be explored further by a homeowner. They all require a licensed gas fitter with professional testing equipment.
If you have worked through the checks above and the heater is still not working, call us on 0468 279 956. Here is what happens when we attend.
- We carry out a systematic fault diagnosis using professional testing equipment
- We identify the root cause of the fault not just the symptom
- We give you a fixed, upfront price for the repair before starting any work
- We carry common parts on the van and resolve most faults in a single visit
- We carry out a full gas safety check and CO test on completion
- You receive a written record of what was found and what was done
Based on what our technicians attend every day across Melbourne, here are the most common gas heater faults.
- Thermocouple failure the pilot will not stay lit. Low-cost, same-day repair.
- Ignition module fault the heater clicks but does not light. Usually same-day repair.
- Blocked burner the heater runs inefficiently or produces weak heat. Resolved with a professional clean.
- Fan motor capacitor failure (ducted systems) the fan runs slowly or not at all. Usually same-day repair.
- Filter blockage (ducted systems) the system overheats and shuts down. Often resolved with filter clean.
- Gas valve fault the heater fails to ignite or maintain flame. Diagnosis and repair required.
- Heat exchanger failure the heater runs but produces CO. Requires professional assessment and usually replacement.
