Do I need a gasfitter just to move my gas cooktop along the bench?

Yes. Relocating a gas cooktop means relocating a Type A appliance and usually altering the gas pipe that feeds it. Both are on the Building and Plumbing Commission's list of jobs that need a compliance certificate regardless of what the job costs, and only a licensed gasfitter can issue one.

Can a natural gas appliance be changed over to run on LPG?

Some appliances can be converted, but only where the manufacturer provides a conversion for that model, and the change is done by a licensed gasfitter. Converting an appliance to a different gas is certificate work in Victoria whatever it costs. Check the appliance manual or data plate for the gas types it supports before you ask for a quote.

Will a new house built in Traralgon in 2027 be allowed a gas connection?

In most cases no. The Victorian Government says new homes, including full knock-down rebuilds, cannot be connected to gas from 1 January 2027 except in specific circumstances. A gas network guide to the rules says a home whose building permit is approved before 31 December 2026 may still be able to connect. Your builder or building surveyor can confirm where your project sits.

How can I check that a gasfitter is properly licensed?

Ask to see the licence when the gasfitter arrives, which Energy Safe Victoria encourages, then look the person up on the Building and Plumbing Commission's practitioner register. The register shows whether the licence is current and which classes of work it covers, so make sure gasfitting is one of them.

What paperwork should I get after a gas appliance is connected?

You should receive a compliance certificate within five days of the work being finished, and the gasfitter has to lodge it with the Building and Plumbing Commission. Keep it with the appliance manual. It is the record a buyer, an insurer or the next gasfitter will want to see.

Gas fitting and appliance connection in Traralgon

Connecting, moving or disconnecting a gas appliance in a Traralgon home is licensed gasfitting work, and in Victoria most of it needs a compliance certificate no matter how small the bill is. That covers cooktops, ovens, space heaters, new bayonet points and the pipework from LPG cylinders on rural blocks. Enquiries sent through this site go to an independent gasfitter in the Latrobe Valley, who quotes the job and carries it out under their own licence; the about page explains how that referral works.

Illustrative photo for Gas fitting and appliance connection in Traralgon

Which gas jobs does this page cover?

This page deals with gas work other than water heaters. If your question is about a gas hot water unit, repairs and like-for-like swaps are on the hot water systems page, and the change in the law for gas water heaters from March 2027 is set out in the 2027 gas hot water rules guide.

The jobs that usually come through for a gasfitter in the valley:

connecting a new gas cooktop or upright cooker, or swapping an old one for a new gas model
installing or replacing a flued gas space heater in a lounge or family room
adding a gas bayonet so a portable heater or an outdoor barbecue can plug in
disconnecting and capping a gas line when a kitchen or heater goes electric
running new gas pipe to a renovated kitchen or an extension
setting up, moving or replacing LPG cylinders, the regulator and the pipe into the house on properties with no mains gas
servicing a gas heater that has started to smell, flicker or trip out

Can I still connect a gas cooktop or heater in an existing home?

Yes. The March 2027 rule is about gas water heaters. The Victorian Government’s page on existing homes says there is no requirement to replace gas space heating or gas cooktops, that existing gas appliances can keep being used, maintained and repaired, and that a gas supply can be increased or extended to serve new parts of an existing building. So a renovated kitchen in an older house in Morwell or Traralgon can still have a gas hob fitted.

New buildings are different. From 1 January 2027 new homes, including full knock-down rebuilds and new detached buildings on the same block, cannot be connected to gas except in specific circumstances, according to the same page. A gas network’s guide to the new rules adds that a home whose building permit is approved before 31 December 2026 may still be able to connect, and that bottled LPG can still be used in regional homes for cooking and hot water. How the LPG point sits with the water heater rule is a question for the rules guide, not this page.

Which gas jobs need a compliance certificate?

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) runs the compliance certificate scheme under Part 12A of the Building Act 1993. Its compliance certificate page lists the gas triggers, and the table below sets them out for a homeowner.

Gas job	Certificate needed?	Who oversees it
Installing, relocating or replacing a Type A appliance (cooktop, oven, heater, barbecue on a fixed line)	Yes, whatever the cost	BPC certificate scheme
Converting an appliance to run on a different gas, such as natural gas to LPG	Yes, whatever the cost	BPC certificate scheme
Installing, modifying or relocating consumer gas piping (the pipe on your side of the meter or cylinders)	Yes, whatever the cost, unless done for a gas company	BPC certificate scheme
A repair with no appliance replaced and no pipe changed	Only when the total value of the job is above the set value	BPC certificate scheme
Complex gas installations and Type B appliances	Outside the BPC certificate scheme	Energy Safe Victoria

Two details catch people out. The BPC says a separate certificate is needed for each separately metered premises where gasfitting is done, so a house and a granny flat on their own meters get one each. And the plumber must give you the certificate within five days of finishing, and lodge it with the BPC in the same time. If a quote does not mention the certificate, ask whether its cost is included before you ask for a gasfitter’s quote from anyone else.

What should I do if I smell gas?

Energy Safe Victoria’s gas emergency advice is short and worth reading before you need it. In plain terms:

If it is safe, turn the gas off at the meter, or at the cylinder or tank if you are on LPG.
Put out any flames. Do not smoke or strike a match.
Leave light switches, power points and other electrical devices alone.
Open doors and windows, and keep people away from the area.
Ring the emergency number printed on your gas bill. For LPG, use the supplier’s emergency details shown on the cylinder or tank.
If there is a fire, get out and call emergency services.

The enquiry form on this site is read during business hours and is the wrong place to report a leak. Once the gas is off and the emergency line has dealt with any danger, a gasfitter can be booked to find and repair the fault.

What does a careful gasfitter check before connecting anything?

A good gasfitter spends more time checking than connecting. Before quoting or starting they will usually want to know, or look at:

the appliance’s make, model and installation instructions, including the clearances it needs from walls, benchtops and rangehoods
whether the appliance is set up for natural gas or LPG, because the injectors and regulator differ
the size and condition of the existing pipe, and whether it can carry the new load along with the other gas appliances in the house
the flue route for a space heater and the ventilation the instructions call for in that room
where the meter or cylinders are, and how far the new point is from them
for LPG, how the cylinders sit, what they stand on and how they are restrained

Expect a careful gasfitter to refuse a few things. Many will decline to connect a second-hand appliance they cannot identify or that has no instructions, to reconnect a heater that has failed a safety check, or to finish off pipework someone else started without first inspecting and testing it. The BPC rules back that last one up: a licensed plumber may only certify work they did, supervised or inspected and tested before completing it.

How is a cooktop swap usually done?

A straightforward gas-for-gas cooktop change in a Traralgon kitchen tends to follow these steps:

Confirm the new cooktop’s gas type and cut-out size against the old one.
Turn off the gas and disconnect the old cooktop.
Check the existing connection and pipe, and replace any fitting that is worn or not suited to the new appliance.
Fit the new cooktop with the connector and regulator its instructions specify.
Test the joints for leaks, light each burner and check the flame.
Issue the compliance certificate and show you how to isolate the gas.

A heater install adds the flue and wall or roof penetration. A new bayonet or an extension adds a pipe run, which may mean going under the floor or along an outside wall.

How much does gas fitting cost?

A Melbourne price guide from What’s The Damage puts gas fitting at $260 to $680 per point, including GST. That is a city figure for each point connected, so treat it as a guide only. Labour for a licensed plumber in normal hours across Gippsland runs at $90 to $148 per hour, according to The Quote Yard’s regional tables, and longer pipe runs, flues and LPG setups take more of it.

Costs move with how far the new point is from the meter or cylinders, whether the pipe can go under a timber floor or has to be run outside a slab home, and whether a flue has to go through the roof. The Traralgon plumbing cost guide compares the price bands for other plumbing jobs.

Which licences and rules apply?

Plumbers and gasfitters in Victoria are licensed by the BPC, while Energy Safe Victoria looks after electrical workers and certain gas work. Energy Safe’s advice on working with tradespeople says to always use a licensed gasfitter for any installation, repair or renovation that involves gas, never to do your own gasfitting, and that you can and should ask to see the tradesperson’s licence. You can then check the licence and its class on the BPC register.

Keep the compliance certificate with your house papers. It records what was installed, and it is the document a buyer, insurer or later gasfitter will ask for.

Next step

Put these details in your enquiry: the make and model of the appliance, whether the house runs on natural gas or LPG bottles, roughly how far the new point is from the meter or cylinders, and whether the floor is timber or slab. Attach a photo of the existing connection and one of where the appliance will go. Then send a gas fitting enquiry and a licensed gasfitter can tell you what the job involves.

Send a job enquiry