Gas Leak at Home? Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Natural gas is one of the most widely used energy sources in Melbourne homes. It heats water, powers cooktops, runs gas heaters, and keeps the house warm through winter. Most of the time it works without a problem. But when something fails, a gas leak can go from invisible to life-threatening in minutes.

This guide covers everything Melbourne homeowners need to know: how to recognise a gas leak, what to do the moment you suspect one, what causes leaks, and how to prevent them. The Gas Doctor specialises in gas fitting — it’s not a sideline service. When there’s a gas problem in your home, this is what we do.

How Do You Know If You Have a Gas Leak?

Gas leaks don’t always announce themselves with a dramatic smell. Some are slow and subtle. Knowing what to look, listen, and feel for gives you the best chance of catching a problem before it escalates.

One more sign that is often missed

An unexplained spike in your gas bill with no change in usage is worth investigating. A slow leak you can’t smell — particularly in an area with good ventilation — can increase your consumption significantly over weeks or months before you notice it any other way.

What to Do If You Suspect a Gas Leak

Speed matters. The actions you take in the first two minutes determine how dangerous the situation gets. Work through these steps in order.

1. Do not touch any electrical switches Do not turn lights on or off. Do not press a doorbell. Do not use a torch or your phone inside the property. Any spark — even from a light switch — can ignite accumulated gas. Leave everything as it is.
2. Extinguish all naked flames immediately Candles, cigarettes, pilot lights you can see — put them out without using anything electrical. Do not strike a match or use a lighter under any circumstances.
3. Turn off the gas at the meter The gas meter is usually located near the front corner of your property, often on the side of the house. The shutoff valve is a lever or wheel on the incoming pipe. Turn it so it sits perpendicular to the pipe (off position). If you can’t find it or it won’t turn, skip this step and move on — do not delay evacuating.
4. Open doors and windows to ventilate Only do this if it doesn’t require you to operate electrical switches. Opening windows allows accumulated gas to disperse. Do this quickly as you move toward the exit — don’t stop to ventilate every room.
5. Get everyone out — people and pets Evacuate the property. Don’t stop to collect belongings. Leave the front door open as you go. Move well away from the building and stay upwind. Do not re-enter under any circumstances until a licensed professional has cleared the property.
6. Call from outside Once you’re safely away from the property, call The Gas Doctor on 0488 800 693. If you believe you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 000 first. If the leak appears to be from the main supply or street infrastructure, also call Australian Gas Networks on 1800 GAS LEAK (1800 427 532).

Gas Leak: What to Do and What Not to Do

A clear reference for the moment you suspect a leak.

What Causes Gas Leaks in Melbourne Homes?

Most gas leaks don’t happen randomly. There’s almost always an underlying cause — and in many cases it’s one that proper maintenance could have caught first.

• Ageing or corroded pipework Melbourne’s older housing stock — particularly homes built before the 1980s — often has gas pipes that are simply past their safe service life. Corrosion thins pipe walls gradually until fittings loosen or the pipe itself fails.
• Clay soil movement Melbourne’s soils shrink in drought and swell with rain. This seasonal movement stresses rigid underground gas lines and connection points, particularly in older suburbs and properties on slopes. It’s a local factor that experienced gas fitters here know well.
• Worn or faulty appliances Gas cooktops, heaters, and hot water systems all have seals, valves, and connections that wear over time. A heater that hasn’t been serviced in several years is a common source of slow leaks from deteriorating components.
• Accidental damage during renovations Drilling, digging, or cutting through walls without knowing where gas lines run is a leading cause of sudden leaks. Any renovation near gas infrastructure requires a licensed professional to mark and protect pipework first.
• Poor or non-compliant installation Gas work done by unlicensed tradespeople — or by homeowners attempting DIY — is a significant risk. In Victoria, all gas fitting work must be done by a licensed gas fitter and certified on completion. Work without a Certificate of Compliance is both illegal and uninsured.
• Impact damage to the meter or external fittings Vehicles, lawnmowers, landscaping equipment, and even fence installation can damage external gas lines and meter connections. An impact that looks minor on the outside can stress fittings enough to create a slow leak.

Can You Smell Gas But Can’t Find Where It’s Coming From?

This is more common than most people expect. Gas can travel through wall cavities, subfloor spaces, and soil before surfacing somewhere entirely different from its source. You might smell it in the kitchen but the leak is in the meter box outside. You might smell it in one bedroom but it’s coming from a fitting under the house.

This is exactly why you do not investigate a gas leak yourself. Even a licensed plumber does not try to locate a leak by smell alone. The correct method is pressure testing — isolating sections of the gas system and checking for pressure loss to pinpoint the source with precision. Electronic gas detectors then confirm the exact fitting or pipe section involved.

Attempting to sniff it out by leaning close to fittings or checking valves is dangerous. It also doesn’t work. The smell of mercaptan lingers long after the source is isolated, which means your nose cannot tell you where the leak is or whether it is still active.

If you smell gas anywhere in or around your property, the response is the same regardless of whether you can identify the source: evacuate, shut off the meter, and call a licensed gas fitter.

Victorian Regulations: What Homeowners and Landlords Need to Know

For homeowners, there is no mandated inspection frequency, but annual servicing of gas appliances is strongly recommended. The cost of a service visit is far less than the cost of an emergency repair or the risk of an undetected slow leak.

For landlords and property managers, the obligation is more specific. Victorian rental regulations require gas safety checks to be completed at least every two years. This includes all gas appliances on the property: heaters, hot water systems, cooktops, and any other gas-connected equipment. A failure to comply exposes landlords to liability if a tenant is harmed.

If you’re buying a property with an existing gas system and don’t know when it was last inspected, a pre-purchase gas safety check is a straightforward way to find out what you’re taking on before settlement.

How to Prevent Gas Leaks

Most gas leaks are preventable. The steps below aren’t complicated, and most of them cost very little relative to the alternative.

• Have gas appliances serviced annually. Heaters, hot water systems, and cooktops all have components that wear over time. A service visit catches deterioration before it becomes a leak. If you can’t remember the last time your heater was serviced, that’s your answer.
• Know where your gas meter shutoff is. Find it now, not during an emergency. The meter is usually near the front corner of your property. Make sure the valve isn’t rusted or obstructed, and that every adult in the household knows where it is and how to use it.
• Never dig or drill near gas lines without checking first. Call Dial Before You Dig (1100) before any excavation, fence post, or landscaping work near where gas lines might run. It’s free and takes minutes.
• Use only licensed gas fitters for all gas work. Connecting a new cooktop, relocating a gas outlet, installing a heater — all of this requires a licensed gas fitter and a Certificate of Compliance. No exceptions. Unlicensed work voids insurance and puts your household at risk.
• Install a carbon monoxide alarm near gas heaters and in sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide is produced by incomplete combustion in faulty gas appliances. It’s colourless and odourless, which means mercaptan won’t help you here. A CO alarm is an inexpensive, potentially life-saving addition to any home with gas appliances.
• Watch your gas bill. A sudden increase with no change in habits is worth investigating. It’s often the first detectable sign of a slow leak that hasn’t produced a noticeable smell yet.
• Act on the early warning signs — don’t wait. A pilot light that keeps going out, an orange or yellow flame on the cooktop, a gas smell that comes and goes — these are all signs that something needs attention. A “wait and see” approach with gas is never the right call.

Frequently Asked Questions