Emergency hot water & gas repair Melbourne, what to do first

This is the short version, save this article for the day you actually need it, which is usually a Sunday morning with three kids and a shower queue.

No hot water, the 60-second diagnosis

Before ringing us, check three things:

• Is any hot water coming out? Even lukewarm? (Points to element or thermostat failure vs total unit failure)
• Is there an error code on the display? (Rinnai and iStore both have code lookups, snap a photo and text it to us)
• Has the electrical breaker or gas isolation tap tripped? (Reset once, if it trips again, don't reset again, ring us)

Text the answers to our main number and we can usually tell you inside 5 minutes whether it's a same-day fix or a same-day replacement.

Gas smell, do this in this order

If you can smell gas anywhere in or around the house:

• Do not turn any electrical switches on or off, sparks ignite gas
• Open every window and external door
• Turn off the gas meter (isolation valve, quarter-turn) if you can reach it safely
• Get everyone outside
• Ring us and, if the smell is strong, ring 000

We respond to gas smell calls day or night inside the Pakenham + 75km radius. On-call tradie, not overseas call centre.

Carbon monoxide alarm, take it seriously

CO is colourless, odourless, and kills. If your CO detector alarms:

• Get everyone outside immediately
• Do not turn any gas appliance on or off
• Ring 000 if anyone has headache, dizziness, or nausea
• Ring us for a same-day CO test and appliance shutdown

Ducted gas heaters are the usual culprit, cracked heat exchanger dumping CO into the return-air path. We can test on site with a proper analyser.

What we do same-day (and what we don't)

Same-day (usually within 4 hours in the Pakenham-Berwick-Cranbourne belt):

• Hot water leak repair or unit shutdown
• Gas leak isolation and repair
• Ducted gas heater CO test and shutdown
• Emergency plumbing (burst pipe, blocked drain if it's causing flooding)

Not same-day (need parts or council permits):

• Complete heat pump replacement, usually 1-3 days for a fixed-price quote then 5-7 days for install
• Complete ducted heater replacement, 3-7 days
• New gas connection or meter upgrade

Loaner units: if you're without hot water for more than 24 hours we usually have a temporary electric loaner we can run until the new unit's in. Ask.