Heating oil to Gas conversions (apartment, buying a house, water heater)

[RMS_07]

Hi anyone recently changed from oil heating to gas heating. I am new to this, would like to have some people who have done this to give me an idea of the cost and what may be involved. We have an above the ground tank and has oil in it which the oil company doesnt want to take back!

HELP

[BobKovacs]

Depends on your current boiler/furnace- some can just have the burner and gun swapped out, in which case you're looking at less that $1,000 plus the cost of gas piping and getting rid of the tank and oil- maybe $2,000-2,500 all in. If you need to replace the entire furnace/boiler, you're looking at more in the $5-6,000 range.

[RMS_07]

The contractor said the furnace was compatible for gas as well so we dont need to change the furnace. and its above the ground tank . So is there anything they have to do with the chimneys? But we do have ot water radiators, should I retain them for cost savings ?

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Depends on your current boiler/furnace- some can just have the burner and gun swapped out, in which case you're looking at less that $1,000 plus the cost of gas piping and getting rid of the tank and oil- maybe $2,000-2,500 all in. If you need to replace the entire furnace/boiler, you're looking at more in the $5-6,000 range.

[emanon]

Originally Posted by RMS_07

Hi anyone recently changed from oil heating to gas heating. I am new to this, would like to have some people who have done this to give me an idea of the cost and what may be involved. We have an above the ground tank and has oil in it which the oil company doesnt want to take back!

HELP

Where are you located, I will buy that heating oil from you provided it is clean.

E

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by RMS_07

The contractor said the furnace was compatible for gas as well so we dont need to change the furnace. and its above the ground tank . So is there anything they have to do with the chimneys? But we do have ot water radiators, should I retain them for cost savings ?

You may have to do some work on the chimney- some gas furnaces burn hotter than oil and need a different flue- depends on what type of flue you currently have. You could just leave the tank in place and have someone take the oil, but it'd be better to have it cut up and removed to help with resale later (plus it'l free up 10-12 sf of floor space). The radiators can stay- they'll work the same whether the water is being heated by oil or gas.

[Sergio M]

When converting to gas, you should install a flue liner in the chimney. This is because gas emissions produce water vapor, that will get into the brick mortar. This is bad because it will freeze, and start to deteriorate the chimney. This is not required by code, but should be, as many are not aware.

[sligogirl]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Depends on your current boiler/furnace- some can just have the burner and gun swapped out, in which case you're looking at less that $1,000 plus the cost of gas piping and getting rid of the tank and oil- maybe $2,000-2,500 all in. If you need to replace the entire furnace/boiler, you're looking at more in the $5-6,000 range.

Mr. Bob Kovacs
We are also thinking of an oil/gas conversion.
Since you seem knowledgeable in this area, do you believe we would need to replace our furnace, it is burning at 85% proficiency, Weil system, installed 1990. ( we just don't want to be overwhelmed by hard sell salesmen without
proper information)
Thanks for your input and knowledgeable posts
Much Appreciated!
Sligogirl

[doerayme]

I heard that there are state grants that help defray some of the costs of converting or maybe some assistance through the gas company. Is that true. I'm buying a house with an underground oil tank (everything tested out fine) but I'd like to convert to gas as soon as humanly possible. Thanks for your input. I'm a new "home" owner (currently own an apartment) so alot of these things seem so daunting...

[wileynj]

Originally Posted by doerayme

I heard that there are state grants that help defray some of the costs of converting or maybe some assistance through the gas company. Is that true. I'm buying a house with an underground oil tank (everything tested out fine) but I'd like to convert to gas as soon as humanly possible. Thanks for your input. I'm a new "home" owner (currently own an apartment) so alot of these things seem so daunting...

Tank tested fine???...still get it removed! Those tests are crap! That's why most tank testing companies only give you a 99.9 percent guarantee that it isn't leaking. The other 0.01 percent is called CYA! I've removed many tanks that had been tested and passed only to find holes in the tank once it's removed. Now..conversion from oil to gas - go with a direct vent system on the new gas equipment - it has a PVC chimney that goes through the wall to the outdoors... much cheaper than lining your chimney : ) The cost associated with the conversion depends on the size and type of unit you currently have - i.e. boiler or furnace..BTUs, etc.. Most conversions are running around 5K average in NJ. Labor costs here vs. down south are much higher. The cost to remove an above ground tank should run anywhere from $300 to $700 depending on the contractor you choose and if the tank still has product left in it to be removed. Most Twps. require a permit for the removal as well which is not a bad idea as a paper trail for the removal will come in handy down the road if and when you sell. If anyone needs more specific information and/or costs, feel free to DM me : )

[NC little foot]

We did this in 2000. When we bought the house their was an underground oil tank that was leaking, thankfully we found this Before we actually bought the house. The owners cleaned up the ground, removed the oil tank, had the DEP write off on it. Then they had to put an above ground oil tank in the yard and filled it. We wanted gas, so the gas company gave us the gas line and meter for free because we were within 100ft of the gas line in the street. We had a furnace company do the pipework, install the new gas furnance and additional gas t's for future gas conversions for the dryer, hot water heater and BBQ grill. This cost us about $4k. Then I randomely called oil people from the phone book and they came emptied the oil and took the brand new above ground oil tank away for FREE! Maybe I could of made a couple bucks but it was unimportant at the time. We just wanted no part of Oil Heat or tanks.