Repair or Replace a Gas Ducted Heater?

Our starting position

We do not push replacement. Most gas ducted heater faults we attend are repairs: an igniter, a flame sensor, a fan, a control board, a thermostat, a gas valve. Where a sensible repair fixes the fault, that is what we recommend. Replacement comes up when the numbers and the condition say so, and we explain why.

What we weigh

1. Age. An older heater is more likely to have worn components and less likely to have parts available.
2. Overall condition. Heat exchanger condition, corrosion, the state of the fan and the electrics, and whether the heater has been serviced.
3. Parts availability. Some older models can no longer be supported with genuine parts.
4. Repair cost. A repair that costs a large share of a replacement, on a heater that is likely to need more work, is rarely good value.
5. Future reliability. One repair is normal. A pattern of repairs on an ageing unit is a signal.
6. What you want the home to do. If you are considering moving away from gas anyway, that changes the answer.

When repair is the right call

The heater is otherwise sound, the fault is a known component, parts are available, and the repair is a fraction of a replacement. That describes most of the calls we take, particularly on heaters that have been serviced.

When replacement is the right call

The heater is old, parts are scarce, the repair is expensive or the fault is in a major component, or it has become the third or fourth repair in a short period. At that point you have two paths:

• Replace like for like with a new gas ducted heater. Brivis is our preferred brand. The existing ducts can usually stay where we inspect them and they are suitable, so it is a contained job. See gas heater replacement.
• Convert to ducted reverse cycle for heating and cooling from one system, with VEU support where gas heating is being replaced. This is a larger job with new insulated ductwork.

We are happy to help with either. Read the gas heating versus ducted reverse cycle comparison if you are weighing them up.

The maintenance point

A gas heater is a mechanical appliance with serviceable parts, like a car. Dirty return air filters, dirty flame sensors and spark igniters, and generally neglected components are behind a large share of the breakdowns we see. A yearly service is the cheapest way to avoid having this conversation early.