LPG Installations — Wellington, Hutt Valley, Kapiti & Porirua
9kg bottle for the BBQ, twin 45kg cylinders for whole-house heating and hot water, or a large commercial install — Southern Plumbing designs, installs and certifies the lot. We size cylinders to actual MJ/hr demand, not to whatever fits the cabinet.
Licensed Certifying Gasfitter on staff issues your Gas Safety Certificate on completion. Master Plumbers member 25+ years. Call 0800 484 353.
Sizing Your LPG Installations
One 45kg LPG cylinder delivers roughly 53 MJ/hour of continuous vapour output. A modern continuous-flow water heater plus a gas fire can easily demand 108 MJ/hr — so you’ll need twin cylinders with an auto-changeover regulator, not a single bottle.
Under-sized installs freeze up in winter, starve the appliance, and get yellow-tipping flames. Southern Plumbing does the maths before we quote — and sizes with headroom for the days you need it most.
Need bottles? See LPG bottle supply Wellington.
Is Your LPG Cylinder Installation Safe & Compliant?
- There are a lot of rules about bottle locations and enclosures that depend on what its use is for eg boat, workshop, residence, caravan, food truck and what its use is eg residential gas burning appliance or a tool like soldering iron in a workshop which is normally turned off.
- The size of bottle is a factor too as some locations only allow up to 10kg connected.
- Cylinders are best installed outdoors or in a fully ventilated housing. If residential only one bottle up to 10kg is to be connected and not using a change over valve if inside. Out side is fine. But only up to 100kg of LPG gas on one site unless it has a special certificate.
- Upright on a stable, flood-free surface.
- Minimum 200 cm² of ventilation in any enclosure
- Well clear of ignition sources (windows, vents, electrical meters, BBQs) 500mm to 1.5m from ignition sources.
- Clearances from door and window openings per NZS 5601
- Twin-cylinder installs can have an auto-changeover regulator with over-pressure protection.
Unsure if your install meets spec? We do LPG compliance inspections across Wellington and issue a Gas Safety Certificate if it passes — or a fixed quote to bring it up to code if it doesn’t.
LPG Changeover Regulator Replacement
Regulators have a finite life — around 10 years. After that, diaphragms perish, pressure drifts, and the auto-changeover stops switching cleanly between cylinders. You’ll notice it first as a gradual drop in heater performance, or the “empty” cylinder light that doesn’t match reality.
We carry twin-cylinder changeover regulators on the van. Straight swap, pressure-test, re-certify. Typically under an hour on-site.
LPG Cabinet Heaters — Sales, Service, Fault Repairs
Portable LPG cabinet heaters are quick warmth — but they’re also flueless, which means the combustion moisture and any spillage goes into your room. That puts strict limits on use: adequate ventilation, room-size calcs, and a well-maintained unit.
Common faults: weak ignition, yellow flames, spillage from ventilation failure, regulator issues. See cabinet heater fault diagnosis or call 0800 484 353 to book a service.
Critical safety note: never leave a flueless heater running overnight, and never use in a bedroom. Use a room sealed appliance in a bedroom.
Why Choose Southern Plumbing for LPG
- Certifying Gasfitter on staff — same-day Gas Safety Certificate
- 40+ years experience — around 29,000 jobs since 1982
- Ignition system expertise — we understand why things won’t start
- Spillage diagnosis — we never leave appliances connected if spillage persists
- Master Plumbers Guarantee — your deposit and workmanship covered
- Your Job On Time, or It’s Free
Serving Karori, Johnsonville, Khandallah, Lower Hutt, Paraparaumu and every Wellington suburb.
Go to our gas water heating page https://southernplumbing.co.nz/gas-fitting/gas-water-heating/
Go to Parmco for LPG friendly appliances https://parmco.co.nz
Frequently Asked Questions
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Depends entirely on your appliance load. A single 45kg cylinder stores about 2340 MJ of energy. A gas hob used daily plus a continuous-flow water heater might burn through it in 4–8 weeks. We’ll size to your actual usage so you’re not swapping bottles every fortnight.
