Thursday, October 1, 2026
Q. We want a new boiler and to convert to gas, because oil costs keep rising. How safe are a gas boiler, water heater and stove? We are told it could be very expensive to run a gas line to our home if there isn’t one on the street. We have spoken to a plumber who is looking into this for us, but is this really going to be economical, since we’re retired and just trying to find ways to reduce living costs?
A. Gas is generally safe when the lines are left alone where installed, and not tampered with. We only read or hear news about a gas explosion when something out of the ordinary happens. Years ago, a gas explosion on Long Island turned out to have been caused by thieves who ripped the gas stove out of an empty home, leaving the open gas line spewing gas to the whole house until a spark from the boiler ignited the gas and blew the home up. This is rare, and was caused by ignorance.
You can avoid this by being cautious, and hiring professionals to handle gas appliances. With several steps to convert from oil to gas, you, or your plumber, must verify that gas lines are available on your street. I remember converting to gas, contacting the gas company and, after a week, calling them back and learning that there was no gas, and that the closest location was a block away, on the other side of a busy county road. I was also told that I would have to go door to door to speak to neighbors about converting to gas so that it would be worth it for the gas company to extend the street line into our neighborhood. In other words, the gas company wanted me to market their product if I wanted it for myself.
I did manage to find others around me who were interested in converting. Then we all waited, and wouldn’t you know it, the neighbors started calling me to find out when the gas lines were going to be installed. That prompted me to do what you may also have to do: keep calling. There were issues with getting approvals for the road opening of a county road, which takes months, permits for the gas conversion by the plumber, location of other utilities, oil and tank removal after gas was in.
Plan for summer installation, when the boiler is least needed. As for the expense, it doesn’t pay to buy a less expensive boiler if it’s less efficient, because its operating cost — usually based on how much heat is derived per unit of fuel consumed — will be much more than the money saved at the outset. Incidentally, oil fuel is slightly more efficient than gas, but the cost increases are based on a less stable spot market. Although gas tends to remain more price-stable, for some unknown reason, it tends to increase in cost concurrent with oil increases. Good luck!
© 2025 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
