Gas bottle safety: storing, connecting and testing
Gas bottles are safe when they’re used the right way. To help protect you, your family, and your business, we’ve put together essential LPG safety tips. These cover everyday handling, transport, storage, and what to do in emergencies.
Need help or smell gas?
The number one rule is: If you smell it, switch it off! LPG is deliberately given a strong odour (similar to rotten eggs) to make leaks easy to detect. If you smell gas:
Turn off the supply at the cylinder valve immediately, if it's safe to do so.
Put out any naked flames and remove ignition sources.
Do not operate electrical equipment, light switches or anything that could spark nearby.
Get everyone outside.
Call 111 if there's immediate danger or TopGas on 0800 421 445 for non-emergency leaks or damaged equipment.
Other warning signs to check for:
a hissing sound near the bottle or fittings
frost or ice forming on the bottle during use
a yellow rather than blue flame, or soot marks near an appliance.
Any one of these is worth stopping and checking before you use the bottle again.
LPG storage do’s and don’ts
Keep bottles upright at all times, in use or in storage — lying a bottle on its side risks liquid LPG escaping through the valve.
Store them on a flat, stable surface, secured so they can't be knocked over or have something fall on and damage them.
Keep them somewhere well ventilated, away from ignition sources, direct heat and prolonged direct sunlight.
Never paint, alter or tamper with a cylinder.
Larger volumes — over 100kg of LPG on a non-workplace site — must be stored outdoors under WorkSafe rules.
Smaller bottles, like a 9kg bottle feeding an indoor cabinet heater, are commonly and legally used indoors.
If you're not sure how much you can safely store or use inside, the EPA's guidance on storing LPG at home has the exact limits.
Connecting a LPG bottle safely at home
Connecting a portable appliance like a BBQ, patio heater or cabinet heater to a 9kg bottle is something you can safely do yourself.
Check the regulator and hose for cracks or wear, make sure every connection is tight, and run a soapy-water leak test on any new connection (bubbles mean a leak).
Released LPG is extremely cold and can cause freeze burns, so if you're disconnecting or changing a bottle, avoid direct skin contact with the valve or any escaping gas. To stay safe when changing or handling cylinders:
Always wear long sleeved anti-static clothing.
Use thermally insulated gloves.
Protect your eyes with safety glasses.
Anything beyond a portable appliance, fixed installations, gas fires, hot water systems, needs a licensed gasfitter.
Good news: TopGas has one on the team, so it's a call you can make to us directly rather than sourcing someone separately.
Who fills your bottle
By law, LPG cylinders can only be filled or purged by someone who's completed approved training — it's not a job to take on yourself. Every refill and swap that goes through TopGas, whether it's done in-store or out on delivery, is handled by trained staff. It's a small detail that matters: it's what keeps the gas you get back safe.
Testing & re-certification
Every LPG cylinder in New Zealand must be tested every 10 years by an approved testing station — the test date is stamped on the neck ring or collar. A bottle that's out of test legally can't be refilled. If yours is due, we'll retest it and get it re-certified, easy, so you're never caught out.
Find out more
WorkSafe NZ “Gas leaks”