Boat Gas Safety
Marine & Caravan Gasfitters Wellington
Boat Gas Safety shoud not be taken for granted
Your boat or caravan isn’t a house — and the gas rules that apply on land don’t transfer directly to a hull or a chassis. Southern has been certifying LPG appliances afloat and on the road for 40+ years, and we’re on the Chaffers Marina approved contractor list — meaning we can walk straight onto the berth and get to work which also depends on the boat length as boats over 10m need additional insurance.
Call 0800 484 353 for a free quote on gasfitting or plumbing for your vessel or caravan.
Gas Safety Certificates for Boats & Caravans
LPG on a boat or caravan is held to a different standard — NZS 5601.2 covers gas installations on Caravans and Boats, and the appliance safety rules differ from the residential code. Insurers on boats over 10m will often require written proof the installation is compliant.
Every job we finish is signed off with a Gas Safety Certificate from one of our Certifying Gasfitters — the document your surveyor, your insurer, and marina may want to see.
What We Do On Your Boat
From the cockpit to the galley, we handle every gas and plumbing system on the vessel:
- LPG cylinder connections, regulators and solenoid valves
- Gas sensor / alarm install and solenoid wiring
- Marine gas cooker, oven and grill installation
- Gas-fired cabin heaters with through-hull flue venting
- Hot water heaters and engine-cooling coils to cylinder
- Marine toilets, holding tanks and macerator pumps
- Fresh water tanks, pressure pumps and shower mixers
- Bilge pumps, blowers and through-hull fittings
Caravans, Motorhomes & RVs
Caravans and motorhomes are repaired to the gas installation standard
LPG cylinder brackets and bottle lockers (vented to outside)
- Regulator replacement and pigtail hoses
- Gas cookers, ovens and 3-way fridges (12V / 240V / LPG)
- Califont / instant hot water and cabin heaters
- Leak testing, pressure testing and annual servicing
- Issue a Gas Certificate for compliance, marina, and insurance
Chaffers Marina Approved Contractor
Most marinas insist on an approved-contractor list before you let a tradesperson on your vessel — insurance liability is checked, hot-work permits are usually not permitted at marina or harbours. Southern Plumbing and Gasfitting Ltd works regularly at Seaview Marina, Chaffers and Evans Bay Marina.
We inspect your boat before working on anything and issue you a price to bring it up to standard first. We look at flueing ventilation and clearances to combustibles. We check the bottle location and vent holes and how the bottle is secured. What regulator is installed. Is there a controller in the cabin powering solenoid valves and sensors under the appliance and in the bilge checking for leaked LPG gas.
Salt Air Eats Cheap Fittings
The marine environment is brutal on fittings. Galvanised steel corrodes inside a season; regular brass valves go green and stick. On every marine job we specify:
- Marine-grade copper or 316 stainless for rigid gas lines
- UV-stable, LPG-rated flexible hose for vibration zones
- Bronze or nickel-plated regulators (not painted brass)
- Stainless cylinder brackets and vented lockers.
It costs a little more on day one — and it’s still working five seasons later when the cheap fit-out is on its second replacement.
When you think about it boats vehicles are unique in that there can be a lot of bouncing up and down so it pays to get them checked regularly for damage. Flex hoses are also prone to corrosion.
Your Job On Time, Or It’s Free
If your haul-out slot is Tuesday, you need the gasfitter Tuesday — not “sometime next week”. Southern has been doing this since 1982, roughly 29,000 jobs completed, and we back every booking with our own promise: Your Job On Time, or It’s Free.
We service boats and caravans from Kapiti through Wellington city and across to the Hutt and Petone marinas.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Any gas work in New Zealand — residential, marine or caravan — must be done by a licensed gasfitter. Many plumbers are also gasfitters.
