Some LPG cooktops can be converted to natural gas, but only when the exact model is approved for both fuels and has manufacturer conversion instructions.
A full Queensland gas work licence holder must confirm the approval, alter and commission the appliance, assess the supply and issue the required compliance documentation.
How do you confirm the cooktop is convertible?
Start with the exact model and serial details from an accessible data plate. Do not move, disconnect or dismantle the cooktop to find them.
Business Queensland classifies domestic cooktops as type A gas devices, which require approval for supply, installation or use in Queensland.
A natural-gas version with a similar name does not prove that an LPG model can be converted. Approval and conversion components can differ within one product family.
- Exact approval: the model documentation must identify natural gas as an approved fuel after conversion.
- Current instructions: the manufacturer or approval holder must provide directions for that model and conversion direction.
- Specified components: required parts must match the model documentation rather than thread size, appearance or another appliance.
- Qualified work: the licence holder must be authorised to alter, test and certify the gas system.
Compare LPG and natural gas for cooktops before choosing conversion over replacement.
What must the gas fitter assess?
Conversion affects more than the appliance label. The gas fitter must assess the natural-gas supply, total connected load, pipe sizing, isolation, connection and appliance condition.
Existing LPG pipework, regulators, hoses or valves cannot be assumed suitable for natural gas. Their reuse depends on the approved design and the assessed installation.
The guide to extending or branching an existing gas line explains why available capacity and connected appliances matter.
What happens during an approved conversion?
The licensed gas fitter follows the exact manufacturer's instructions and uses the specified components. Required parts and adjustments vary between models.
A Fisher & Paykel guide for one cooktop family specifies model-family injectors, regulator changes, burner adjustment, testing and updated labelling. That sequence does not apply universally.
Do not buy a generic conversion kit, select jets by appearance or copy values from another appliance. Changing injectors alone is not a complete conversion method.
The completed appliance and gas system must be tested and commissioned under the applicable requirements. This is not work for an owner or an unlicensed installer.
Which Queensland licence and paperwork apply?
Business Queensland's gas work licence guidance distinguishes a full type A gas work licence from servicing-only classes.
A servicing-only licence does not authorise changes to a gas system's design, layout or operating parameters. Check the practitioner's current licence class and conditions.
After installation work, the installer must issue the applicable gas system compliance certificate. Queensland's current process generally uses the RSHQ Portal rather than a new physical plate.
For the related gas cooktop plumbing issue, see Can a 9 kg LPG bottle replace a 45 kg bottle, and how long will it last?
What if the model is not approved for conversion?
Do not convert an LPG-only cooktop on the assumption that suitable-looking parts make it safe or lawful. Replacement or a formal device-approval path may be required.
If replacement is needed, plan licensed isolation and removal. The guide to safely disconnecting a gas cooker explains the licensed removal and compliance boundary.
What should you do if you smell gas?
Avoid flames and electrical switching, ventilate if safe, and isolate the supply only when safe to do so. Leave the area if the leak is uncontrolled.
Queensland's gas safety guidance says to contact the gas supplier or a licensed gas fitter. Call Triple Zero for fire, explosion or an uncontrolled leak.
For model approval, supply assessment, conversion and certification, arrange a gas conversion assessment with a licensed gas fitter.