Riverstone · Sydney Wide · Hawkesbury · Penrith
info@fenechplumbing.com.au
Emergency Plumbing 24/7 — 0422 718 247
If you can smell gas, first work out where the smell is coming from: the cooktop, under the sink, or somewhere else. If it seems serious, turn the gas off straight away at the meter or the bottle to isolate it completely, and don't use any lighters or anything that could cause a spark. Open your windows and doors and air the place out. Then get it looked at: a leak at or before the gas meter is Jemena's responsibility, and anything after the meter needs a licensed gas fitter.
That's the short version. Below is how we handle gas leak calls across The Hills, the Hawkesbury and the Nepean, so you know what actually matters, who's responsible for what, and what to expect when a gas fitter attends.
When someone calls about a gas smell, the first question is where it's coming from. Under the sink, at the cooktop, or out at the gas meter? The location shapes everything that follows.
The next question: can you hear a hissing sound? If it's safe to do so, we'll talk you through finding the isolation valve, or the valve at the gas meter, and shutting the gas off then and there. That makes the situation safe before anyone's even driven to your house.
Two things tell us how serious it likely is, and you can check both yourself:
This catches a lot of people out. Responsibility for your gas supply splits at the meter:
If the leak is after the meter and can't be isolated any other way than shutting the whole meter off, we treat it as a priority and get out as soon as possible, weighing up how bad it is and how long it's been going on.
The risk depends on the gas type.
LPG (bottled gas) is heavier than air. It doesn't drift away; it pools along the floor, creating invisible pockets that only need an ignition source. Natural gas is lighter than air and dissipates more freely, which makes it somewhat less prone to pooling. But both pose a real risk depending on where the leak is, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.
We saw exactly this on a job in Marsden Park. A homeowner could smell gas under his natural gas cooktop. The leak turned out to be minor, at the connection between the flexible hose and the cooktop, but because it was underneath the benchtop, gas was pooling in the enclosed cupboard space below. That cupboard sat directly above the oven: a ready ignition source. A small leak in the wrong spot is not a small problem.
We isolated the gas at the valve under the cooktop, removed the faulty fitting, reinstated it with proper thread tape and sealant, and re-tested with leak spray to confirm it was safe. Before leaving, we showed the client where the isolation valve was so he could shut the gas off himself if he ever smelled it again.
On site, we start where the smell is strongest. Often that's a wall bayonet fitting, where the internal spring and rubber seal wear out over time and cause a slow leak.
In short: the sniffer pinpoints where the leak is, and the bubble or dial test at the meter proves it's actually been fixed. You don't guess with gas; you test.
On cost: it depends on what's leaking and how easy it is to get to, from a simple fitting swap through to pipe repairs. If you want a figure for your situation, call and we'll quote the job in front of us.
Small LPG bottles used indoors. A burner or room heater connected straight to the bottle, inside the house, is a mismatch of appliance and gas type. It can cause incorrect combustion and a carbon monoxide poisoning risk on top of the leak risk.
DIY gas fitting. Without the right knowledge of fittings and gas types, people often make a small leak worse: over-tightening or damaging a fitting to the point it can no longer be shut off at all. And beyond the safety risk, gas fitting work must legally be carried out by a licensed gas fitter in NSW.
Some problems announce themselves early, before you ever smell gas:
All of these disrupt proper combustion, and all of them are worth acting on early rather than waiting for them to progress into a full leak.
Three things keep a property's gas safe:
For landlords and property managers, remember that everything after the meter is the owner's responsibility, along with the duty of care to keep the property safe for whoever lives there.
Fenech Plumbing & Gas services The Hills, the Hawkesbury and the Nepean: Riverstone, Marsden Park, Schofields, Box Hill, Kellyville, Penrith and across Sydney Metro. Licensed gas fitters, available 24/7/365, because gas problems don't keep business hours. Make it safe first, then call us and we'll take it from there.
Call Fenech Plumbing & Gas on 0422 718 247. Licence 386 329C. For the full picture of our gas work, see the gas fitting & gas leak repairs page.
Work out where you can actually smell it: the cooktop, under the sink, or out at the meter. If it seems serious, turn the gas off straight away at the meter or the bottle to isolate it completely. Don't use any lighters or anything that could cause a spark, and open your windows and doors to air the place out.
It depends on where the leak is. If it's at or before the gas meter, including the regulator at the meter, that's Jemena's responsibility, so call their emergency line directly on 131 909. If it's after the meter, at the cooktop, hot water unit, or internal gas lines, that's the property owner's side and needs a licensed gas fitter.
Two things we check over the phone: how loud the hissing is, and how fast the dial on your gas meter is spinning. A slow-moving dial usually means a minor leak. A fast-moving dial signals something more significant, and it's worth isolating the gas straight away while you wait.
No. Gas fitting work must legally be carried out by a licensed gas fitter in NSW. Beyond the legal side, DIY attempts often make things worse: over-tightening or damaging a fitting can turn a small leak into one that can no longer be shut off.
We see this a lot, a burner or room heater connected straight to a small LPG bottle inside the house, and it's a risk. It's a mismatch of appliance and gas type that can cause incorrect combustion and a carbon monoxide poisoning risk. Keep bottle-fed appliances to where they're designed to be used.
We recommend a proper leak check by a licensed gas fitter roughly every two to three years: a dial test or bubble test across visible and hidden fittings, including flexible hoses. It's also worth having isolation valves fitted under cooktops so gas can be shut off quickly in an emergency.
