Need prompt Vulcan gas heater repairs?

Our expert technicians can help! With over 30 years of experience, we can identify and fix any issue. Contact us by phone or email to set up an appointment. Don’t suffer through the cold – let us get your heater up and running in no time!

Do you own a Vulcan Gas Space Heater?

Vulcan flued gas space heaters have been popular in South Australian living rooms for a long time. Well-known Vulcan gas space heaters are the Burwood, Heritage and Firestar models.

Proper maintenance enables these heaters to run at their best with most parts available. 

How do I know if I have a gas space heater?

We’ll keep it simple and just describe what a Vulcan gas space heater looks like, so you can recognise it.

• It should be a sideway rectangular shape against the wall

• Some are unflued, but we repair heaters which are flued through the wall or up a chimney

• They feature a metal grille and behind that, when in top condition blue flames along between two to six panels. A dirty yellow flame means the heater needs a service.

Vulcan gas space heaters are notorious for lack of labelling.

Therefore, many owners are unaware of their model – the name isn’t visible from the outside. It can even be hard to detect the brand! They tend to feature this logo though in the older models:

Our advice to customers is usually to look for the heater on our website. If our customers don’t find their heater on our website, they can send a photo via the contact form or email address. They can also call Sharon and she will help them work out what sort of heater they have.

Look at the label at the bottom of this new Vulcan Heritage Gas Space Heater, the model name is right there – how convenient!

Perhaps you own a Vulcan Wall Furnace?

Vulcan flued gas wall furnaces have also been a popular form of gas heating in South Australian living rooms for a long time. Well-known Vulcan gas wall furnaces are the Quasar, Silhouette and Deluxe models.

The rear register options of certain models proved too tempting for those installing new heaters in open plan or dual family living spaces. They were the top-performing heaters then.

Just a heads up, a rear register heats an adjacent room too. So you can get two heaters for a little extra.

How do I know if I have a gas wall furnace?

We’ll keep it simple and just describe what some Vulcan gas wall furnaces look like, so you can recognise them.

• All Vulcan gas wall furnaces are a tall rectangular shape against the wall

• All Vulcan gas wall furnaces are flued

• The older wall furnaces feature louvres from top to bottom, whereas the newer gas wall furnaces have a perforated cabinet and louvres at the bottom

• The burners and heat exchangers of a wall furnace are behind the cabinet, so no flames are visible

• Some Vulcan gas wall furnaces feature electronic modules and some are manual.

The image below shows a Vulcan Quasar Wall Furnace. You can see that it is manual with a time clock, not an electronic panel.

What is a Vulcan Pyrox Gas Space Heater or Wall Furnace?

As a South Australian, you may have heard of the Companies Bonaire, Rheem and Climate Technologies. Perhaps you’re not so familiar with Southcorp Ltd, but that’s where it started.

Pre 2000, Bonaire manufactured Vulcan gas heaters along with ducted air-conditioners.

At this stage, Southcorp Ltd, who owned Rheem Australia, purchased the Vulcan and Bonaire brands.

For a short period, Rheem supplied parts for Vulcan gas heaters, before Southcorp made the decision that Vulcan and Bonaire were not a good fit for the company. They held onto the water heating and let go of the heating and air-conditioning brands to Climate Technologies, which made more sense.

Climate Technologies already owned the Pyrox brand, and they brought a lot of their gas heaters out in both brands after the purchase of Vulcan.

For instance, the Gemini was the Pyrox version of the Vulcan Quasar. It’s the same heater, but with a different cover!

One or two, like in the Heritage Space Heater image, actually say Pyrox Vulcan on the label. Others may say Vulcan Pyrox. Still more are just a Vulcan or just a Pyrox.

So how do I know if I have a Vulcan or a Pyrox?                                               

  You can see the little green badge above for Vulcan. Here is the logo shown on Pyrox heaters.

What are the different models of Vulcan and Pyrox Gas Heaters?

I’ll put them in the order they were made. The heaters shown are all flued, although the manufacturer also offered unflued versions for some. We fix the ones with flues only. But, if it’s super old, finding genuine parts for some Vulcan or Pyrox heaters might be impossible. Non-cosmetic parts are often available from other sources, however.

First for Vulcan Heater Models:

Concept 2/GB-GC Series/ 09 Series/ 49 Series “Burwood” Space Heater

• Started manufacture in late 60s and manufactured until late 80s

• Woodgrain Exterior with either grey or almond

• Console Style Cabinet

• Natural Gas or LPG (Bottled Gas)

• The amount of Burner Tiles in the heater is between 3 and 6, based on the heater’s production date. Options changed as time moved on.

Vulcan Heritage 48 Series

• Started manufacture in the early 90s but ceased sale for a time when it became subject to a recall

• Updated Heritage was re-released and you can see an image of it right at the top of this page in a cosy scene with a glass of red. Ceased production recently

• Natural Gas or LPG

• Also released as Pyrox Heritage or Pyrox Vulcan Heritage

• Coloured Woodgrain, Silver Beige, Beige, Black and Almond

• Semi-inbuilt or console

Firestar HE Series (Vulcan & Pyrox) Space Heater

• Released as a stop-gap, along with the Executive as a substitute for the Heritage during its recall

• Rebadged Pyrox

• Coloured Woodgrain, Coffee or Capital Grey

• Natural Gas or LPG

• 3 or 4 Burner tiles

Vulcan Classic/ Quasar Wall Furnace

• Semi inbuilt or Console style

• Natural Gas or LPG (Bottled Gas)

• Has either manual or electronic timer

• Coloured Woodgrain and silver beige, all silver beige, almond or grey

• Made between approximately 1984 and 1997

• Many minor variations made

• If you have one, keep it and take care of it as they are the quietest made by this company (The one shown in the picture further up with the Bird Cage, is a well maintained heater belonging to a client of ours)

Vulcan Silhouette Wall Furnace

• Semi inbuilt or Console style

• Natural Gas or LPG (Bottled Gas)

• Electronic Only

• Coloured Almond only

• Perforated cabinet instead of louvres

• Rear Register Kit gives 2 heaters for price of 1

Second, Pyrox Heater Models:

Pyrox Executive/ Executive Plus Space Heater

• Also released as Vulcan

• Natural Gas or LPG

• Coloured Bronco, Coffee and Grey

• Has four burner tiles

Pyrox Executive HE Series Space Heater

• Released as a small heater for small rooms

• Natural Gas or LPG

• Coloured Bronco and Grey Haze

• Has three burner tiles

Pyrox Executive Plus HE Series Space Heater

• Released in a larger size for larger rooms

• Natural Gas only

• Coloured Bronco only

• Has four burner tiles

Pyrox Gemini 1 & 2 Wall Furnace

• Vulcan Quasar internals with Pyrox Cabinet

• Natural Gas and LPG

• Semi-recessed and console

• Variations in louvre type during period of release

Pyrox Silhouette Wall Furnace

• Vulcan Silhouette internals with Pyrox Cabinet

• Natural Gas and LPG

• Semi-recessed and console

• Retains Louvre front instead of Perforated Cabinet like Vulcan

Pyrox Vulcan Deluxe/Series 20-22/WBFL Wall Furnace

• Released around 2000                                                                                                                                           

• Natural Gas and LPG

• Semi-recessed and console

• Perforated Cabinet like Vulcan Silhouette

• Electronic Only

• They didn’t manufacture many of these

• Coloured in Almond body with Grey bottom louvres and top moulding

Why should I repair my Vulcan or Pyrox Gas Heater?

People often say to get rid of older gas heaters. Actually, that’s how we feel about any appliance once the warranty’s up!

When you repair something, you’re stopping waste and getting more out of what was spent on the appliance.

Here’s a few more reasons to repair a Vulcan Gas Heater:

• They manufacture the appliances and spare parts in South Australia, so no long wait for parts

• When regularly serviced Vulcan and Pyrox flued space heaters are both fuel efficient and safe, plus they make your room look cosy.

• Environmental impact comes mainly from the eastern states production of electricity for manufacturing, not from gas for your home.                                                                          

• Your Vulcan, Vulcan Pyrox, or Pyrox gas heater has been around for so long, which means it’s reliable and trustworthy. Don’t let it down now!

  When shouldn’t you repair your heater?

  That’s an easy one! When it’s going to cost you as much as a new one, or pretty close!

If you’re interested in keeping your Vulcan Gas Heater or your Pyrox Heater up and running, and your home warm, cosy, and inviting, call us on (08) 8168 1770, or email us at info@patrickthermal.com.au because, for our family, we’re committed to the comfort and safety of yours this winter.

Or, you could just click on the button below and go to our Repairs page for more information!