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29 Comments

I just read the MoM story on fire safety, and thought I’d add my little bit.
This time of year, as it gets colder, we start to use heaters again.
Now is the time to get your gas heaters serviced, as they can gather dust etc over summer.
An average service should take around an hour, and cost roughly $120- 140, as long as nothing is wrong.
95% of plumbers will not charge for a CO test, but make sure you ask for one when you book the service.
For a CO test to be accurate, the heater needs to be serviced first, and you need to make sure no one has been smoking near the heater for at least 2-3 hours prior.
I have heard of plumbers charging to do the test – don’t pay any more than $15 or so extra, and if there is a reading, don’t be afraid to get a second check done, as a reading means either a new heat exchanger or a new heater, depending on what is wrong, and that can be expensive.
I cannot stress this enough though – get it all sorted BEFORE you start using it, as there is a reason CO is called the silent killer.


Posted by katelt, 2nd May 2014


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  • My mum nearly had a bad accident with her gas heater because she didn’t realise they needed regular servicing. Scared stuff!

    Reply

  • Great Advice … it could save lives.

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  • this is a great reminder! it is not something that many people think of to do

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  • nice story i enjoyed it

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  • We get our gas heaters checked but have never thought of CO test before.

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  • Good advice, something I really never think about.

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  • We had a gas heater in our last house, and had it serviced regularly. A friend of mine made fun of me for this, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Now our house is all electric, so I make sure all our heaters are cleaned and checked each year before we use them.

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  • Always good to get your heaters checked. A simple check that means your family is safe.

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  • this is some smart advice

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  • Thanks for your timely advice.

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  • Thank you for your good reminder :)

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  • we had ours checked when it was repaired. thankfully all was ok

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  • this is very important info :)

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  • yes defiantly a good reminder to everyone

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  • Unfortunately we still hear so many heater related deaths each year!

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