Gas Water Heating — Wellington, Hutt Valley, Kapiti & Porirua
Endless hot showers. No storage cylinder in the cupboard. Lower running costs than electric. Gas continuous-flow is the most popular water heating setup we install — and Southern Plumbing has been doing it in Wellington for 40+ years.
Certifying Gasfitter on staff. Gas Safety Certificate same day. Call 0800 484 353 — Your Job On Time, or It’s Free.
Gas vs Electric — Why Gas Wins on Hot Water
- Lower running cost per litre — especially for high-use homes
- No standby heat loss — only heats what you use
- Endless hot water — multiple showers without the tank running out
- Smaller footprint — wall-mounted unit vs 180L cylinder in the cupboard
- Better shower flow — pressure delivered straight from the main
- Higher recovery rate — fill a spa bath without waiting
Considering the greener alternative? Compare with a heat pump water heater or solar hot water.
Southern Plumbing’s Continuous-Flow Hot Water Systems
We install and service every major NZ-approved continuous-flow model:
- Rinnai Infinity — 20L, 26L, 32L — the Wellington standard
- Bosch Hydro Power — no battery, no power supply required (10L, 13L, 16L)
- Rheem continuous-flow range
- Rinnai Symphony temperature-controlled systems
Modern units deliver 20–32 litres per minute compared with the old mechanical units’ 10–13. No pilot light wasting fuel. Electronic ignition, flame modulation, temperature lock.
Sizing Your Gas Water Heater
- 1 bathroom home: 16L/min minimum
- 2–3 bathrooms: 26L/min recommended
- Spa bath or large family home: 26–32L/min
- Commercial / multi-unit: manifold two or more units
Southern Plumbing sizes the system to your household — not the salesperson’s commission. Undersized units throttle flow; oversized ones cost more to buy and take up more space without a benefit.
Installation Requirements — What Actually Matters
Location clearances:
- 300mm from internal or external corners
- 300mm from opening windows
- 1.5m below any opening window
- 500mm from electrical meter-box vent openings
Gas supply sizing: a 26L continuous-flow needs 20mm supply for the first 9m, then 25mm. Get this wrong and the unit starves at full flow — and you’ll blame the appliance when the installer is at fault.
All Southern Plumbing installs are commissioned to NZS 5601 parts 1 & 2 and pressure-tested before sign-off.
Combi Systems — Hot Water + Central Heating In One Unit
One wall-mounted gas unit produces all your hot water and feeds radiators or underfloor heating. Combi systems save space, simplify servicing, and are easier to upgrade than separate boilers and cylinders.
Southern Plumbing designs combi and dual-purpose systems for new builds and major renovations across Wellington. Talk to us early — pipe runs and manifold location are much easier to get right during the framing stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
For high-use households, yes — no standby heat loss and no waiting for a tank to reheat. Light-use households may find a heat pump water heater cheaper to run. We quote both honestly.
Gas Water Heater Repairs and Servicing
Gas Water Heater Repairs and Servicing
Gas Appliance Servicing for Storage Gas Water Heaters
Some gas water heaters need regular servicing to maintain their efficient operation. This is not a repair as things like burner injectors on the main burner and pilot burner need cleaning after a few years. The main burner and pilot burner need cleaning out and ports need cleaning.
Gas Water Heater Repairs for Gas Hot Water Cylinders
Hot water cylinders need new thermocouples from time to time and occasionally the control valve can fail over time. Usually these valve are very reliable often lasting the lifetime of the appliance. If we have to replace one we take into consideration the age of the appliance. Often its not worth repairing them.
If water leaks internally from a cylinder this is not repairable and a new water heater is required.
Rinnai Infinity Continuous Flow Water Heaters and Similar types – Servicing
Continuous flow gas water heaters are fairly reliable. Occasionally the burner sensor and ignition electrode need cleaning or replacement. Overheat sensors can fail and take some time to replace if they fail. Occasionally the main control board can fail, this is a more expensive part to replace. We check the age of the appliance and determine with you if you want to repair it if there are parts available. Often for gas water heaters over 10 years old there are no parts available. Or you may decide its not worth fixing an old water heater and shift to a Heat Pump water heater.
Gas water heating has been over run by the new heat pump water heaters.
See our Gas Appliance Servicing page for additional generic servicing information. Gas Appliance Servicing.
Costs associated with repairs gas water heating, start with a service call which for gas usually lasts for about 1.5 hours and includes GST and the service call. Any parts and labour to fit the parts are on top of the service call. On completion a Gas Safety Certificate is issued.
