Oil to Gas Heat Conversion Quote

10 years ago

In process of getting quotes for oil to gas heat and hot water conversion. Please let me know if the following quote sounds reasonable. Reliability and quality are more important to me than price (I trust this guys work) but I want to pay a fair $$.
Remove old boiler and oil tank, install burnham pvg5 boiler and vent it directly outside install 60 gal superstor indirect hot water tank. I have gas in the house already. The quote = $11,500 (this is after nat grid rebates). Any thoughts/comments appreciated. Many Thanks!!

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Comments (8)

User
10 years ago
With the savings on NG versus oil, how long will it take to save $11,500?
mike_home
10 years ago
How much is the nat grid rebate?

How many days and people will it take to do the removal and installation?

It sound like a lot of money. It is hard for anyone to judge how much work is involved in removing the old equipment and installing the additional gas piping and plumbing.

I am not an expert in this area, but I question the indirect vs. the direct domestic hot water tank. Did you get quotes for both options and were the pros and cons explained to you?

Do you really need a tank to hold 60 gallons of hot water?
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Dear forumites, I live in a condo (one of 3 units in an old house) in the Northeast. We currently have steam heat using oil. We have one tank and one boiler, for the whole house, which is probably 10 years old and in decent shape. The units share the cost of the heat. We're considering changing to gas because of high oil prices, environmental concerns, and U.S. oil-dependency concerns. We can get a new high efficiency gas boiler from our gas company for $799 (or a less efficient for $499). We had an installation contractor come out and he said it would make more sense (cost wise) to stick with one boiler for all 3 units rather than install separate boilers for each unit. He gave a very rough estimate of around $5,000 for the conversion, including the cost of a $799 boiler (I should mention we have a gas line to the house and run our hot water heaters and our stoves on gas.) He also said, given the age of the boiler, that we could put in a conversion burner which would be cheaper but since he doesn't do those he didn't offer any more information. My question is this: should we just add a conversion burner or should we replace the boiler? I understand that using a conversion burner will result in a loss of efficiency but is it safe to do so? It seems to me that the boiler was made to work with oil. We're interested in not just spending less on fuel this winter but also in being environmentally responsible. Is an oil boiler with a gas conversion burner likely to emit more pollution? Thanks for any advice!
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You are making a good move by switching to gas. The savings will be significant. The first priority is sizing the boiler correctly. Has any of these contractors performed a heating load calculation? I realize a 80 year old house may not have the best insulation in exterior walls, but I find it hard to believe you need 160,000 BTUs! Even the 125,000 BTU seems large. Are these contractors replacing the boiler size that already exists? You have to decide what is most important to you. A combination unit takes up the least amount of space, but is more expensive. It may be difficult to find someone who is expert in installing these units. A separate tankless unit is a good option, but you will not be able to run three showers at the same time. A separate 40 or 50 gallon conventional hot water heater would be the least expensive and allow you to take showers at the same time. It takes up more floor space, but depending on the layout it may not have much impact on the overall space.
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ionized_gw
10 years ago
OTOH, a 60 gallon tank might mean that it is a big house with a big oil burner and tank there being replaced with a correspondingly big gas boiler.

No way anyone can even come close to guessing a price without more information. What is the size of the home? Where is it located? Is there gas to the house already? Where is the oil tank, in the basement, buried in the yard, or sitting outdoors above ground? Is there any chimney work involved? How good is basement access if this plant is in the basement? ...?...?...?

I'd say the surest way to gauge price is to get a couple of competitive bids.
jpeana
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts on this. The 275 gal tank in in the basement and will go out through the garage. The chimney would require a liner and we do have gas. The second estimate was approx $500 less vs the first (and 12 months no interest). The Alpine 150 burner is strongly suggested (95%eff). Other option being Burnham PVG5 (85%) and Burnham 205 (82%). Do you guys have any thoughts given the choice of these (reliability, etc) ? Third estimate being set up. Thank you again !!
tigerdunes
10 years ago
I agree about getting other quotes. And I must point out that there are 90+% eff nat gas boilers. If making this change, I want the highest efficiency available that fits your budget.

IMO
fsq4cw
10 years ago
I would agree with other posters but even without knowing all the details IÃ¢ÂÂd say that the price quote is not necessarily too high. In addition to the highest efficiency possible IÃ¢ÂÂd also want a system with an Ã¢ÂÂOutdoor ResetÃ¢ÂÂ, so that the water temperature is only whatÃ¢ÂÂs needed based on outdoor temperature. Make sure boiler temp is based on the type of radiator you have. Sometimes lazy installers wonÃ¢ÂÂt take this into account during set up and set the water temperature too high for your type of radiators, wasting energy and money.

A lower efficiency boiler may later be deemed as Ã¢ÂÂnot up to codeÃ¢ÂÂ penalizing you at time of resale and cashing out when your home is inspected by a perspective buyer.

IMO

SR
jpeana
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks guys.. Im trying to decide whether Im better off with a less complex burner. I've read how the Alpine can be costly to repair vs a "cast Iron" boiler which may even last longer.
jpeana
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks all. Im going with the Burnham PVG5. I found a reputable dealer thats more reasonable $$ wise. The Alpine worries me too much. Thanks again!

Oil to Gas Heat Conversion Quote

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Oil to Gas Heat Conversion Quote

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