Gas fitting and appliance connection, Bairnsdale

A gas fitter connects, moves and replaces gas appliances such as cooktops, ovens and space heaters, runs and alters the gas pipe inside your property, and finds and repairs gas leaks. In Bairnsdale and the surrounding towns that work covers homes on a natural gas network and the many homes running on bottled LPG. Your enquiry goes to an independent licensed gasfitter through this site, and that gasfitter quotes the job and takes responsibility for it.

What should you do if you smell gas?

Treat a strong smell of gas as unsafe right now, and act before you send any enquiry.

• Get everyone out of the building if the smell is strong.
• Do not use light switches, power points, phones or anything that could spark inside the building.
• Turn off the supply at the gas meter, or at the cylinder valve if you are on bottled LPG, if you can do it safely.
• Open doors and windows on your way out if it is safe to do so.
• From outside, contact the gas emergency line for your network or gas supplier, or call 000 if anyone is at risk.

A web form is the wrong tool for a gas leak in progress. Once the gas is off and the smell has cleared, a gasfitter can find the leak and repair it.

What gas jobs can you send an enquiry about?

Job	What it involves	Certificate needed?
Connect an appliance to an existing bayonet	Plugging a heater or cooktop into a gas point already in place, then testing	Yes when it is a Type A appliance installation or replacement
Install or replace a cooktop	Fitting the cooktop, connecting to the gas pipe, leak and pressure test, checking burner flames	Yes for a Type A appliance, whatever the cost
Move an appliance	Relocating a heater or oven and extending or altering the pipe	Yes for a Type A appliance or any change to consumer gas piping
Run new gas pipe	Adding a new point for a barbecue, heater or cooktop	Yes, consumer gas piping work at any value
Convert an appliance to another gas	Changing jets and settings between natural gas and LPG	Yes, at any value
Leak search and repair	Pressure testing the installation, finding and fixing a leak	Depends on the repair

The rules behind that last column are explained further down.

What changes in 2027 for gas in Victorian homes?

Victoria has new electrification rules, and they affect gas work in different ways depending on what you are doing.

• New homes. A house built from the start of 2027 cannot have a gas connection, a change made through the Building Regulations 2018 and explained on the energy.vic.gov.au standards page. A home whose building permit is approved before 31 December 2026 may still be able to connect gas, according to AusNet’s guide. A knock-down rebuild counts as a new home and cannot reconnect to gas.
• Existing appliances. AusNet’s explainer on the new rules says you can keep using existing gas appliances while they work, have them repaired, and replace cooktops and heaters with gas models if you choose.
• Hot water. From 1 March 2027 an end-of-life gas water heater in an existing home has to be replaced with an electric one. The detail, including rentals, is on our 2027 gas hot water rule guide, and choosing a replacement unit is covered on the hot water systems page.

On bottled gas, AusNet’s page notes that regional homes can keep running LPG for cooking and water heating, and for the barbecue. Whether a particular LPG hot water replacement is allowed after March 2027 is a question to put to your gasfitter, who should check the current rule before quoting.

Lakes Entrance has a separate issue: its compressed natural gas network is one that Solar Victoria says is closing, and the options for those households are on the Lakes Entrance area page.

Natural gas or LPG: what does the gasfitter need to know?

Natural gas and LPG are different fuels with different pressures, so an appliance is set up for one or the other. A cooktop built for natural gas cannot simply be connected to an LPG cylinder. It needs to be converted, or bought in the right version, and the conversion is gasfitting work in its own right. Before buying a new appliance, check the rating plate or the box says it suits the gas you have.

Question	Natural gas	Bottled LPG
Where the supply starts	Meter on the property, fed from the street network	Cylinders or a bulk tank on site
Where to turn it off	Valve at the gas meter	The cylinder valve
Appliance setup	Natural gas jets and settings	LPG jets and settings
Who supplies the gas	Your gas retailer through the network	Your LPG supplier, who swaps or refills cylinders
Extra checks	Meter and regulator condition	Cylinder location, clearances and regulator condition

What licence does a gasfitter need?

Gasfitting is its own class of work in Victoria. A plumber licensed for drainage or water supply is not automatically licensed for gas. Look the gasfitter up on the BPC’s practitioner search using a name or licence number, then make sure gasfitting is one of the listed classes and no condition excludes the work you need. The BPC says not to rely only on advertising, business cards or quotes. Our plumber hiring checklist covers the other checks in more depth.

When do you get a compliance certificate for gas work?

Under Part 12A of the Building Act 1993, the BPC’s compliance certificate page lists gas jobs that need a certificate whatever they cost:

• installing, relocating or replacing a Type A gas appliance
• converting an appliance to run on a different gas
• installing, modifying or relocating consumer gas piping

The licensed gasfitter must give you the certificate within five days of finishing and lodge it with the BPC. Complex gas installations and Type B appliances are not covered by the BPC certificate scheme and are overseen by Energy Safe Victoria, so ask the gasfitter which path applies if your appliance is unusual. Gas installation work is done to AS/NZS 5601.1, the standard for gas installations, and a gasfitter who works to it will test for leaks and check the appliance runs correctly before leaving.

What does a careful gasfitter do on every job?

• confirms the type of gas and checks the appliance matches it
• tests the installation for leaks before and after the work
• checks burner flames and the operating pressure at the appliance
• checks ventilation and flue arrangements for heaters
• shows you how to turn the appliance and the supply off
• leaves the compliance certificate, or tells you when it will arrive

They will refuse to connect an appliance that does not suit the gas supply, to reconnect one with a damaged flue or failed safety device, or to leave a leaking installation turned on. If a heater is condemned as unsafe, ask for the reason in writing.

How much does gas fitting cost?

The Quote Yard’s Victorian gas fitting guide gives two bands that cover common household jobs. Connecting an appliance to an existing bayonet runs about $150 to $350, and a gas cooktop installation about $250 to $600. New pipe runs, moving an appliance and work in a tight cavity cost more, and travel to towns well east of Bairnsdale adds to any price. When you request a gas fitting quote, ask whether the certificate is included in the figure.

Next step: tell the gasfitter about the appliance

In your enquiry, name the appliance and whether it is new or existing, give the brand and model from the rating plate, and say whether the house is on natural gas or LPG. Mention whether there is already a gas point where the appliance will go and add a photo of it, plus your town. Then describe your gas job in the enquiry form so a licensed gasfitter can tell you what it involves.

Send a job enquiry