Oil-to-Gas Conversion in Bay Shore, NY

The houses still on oil tend to be the older ones: Victorian and early 1900s homes near the bay, many first built as summer cottages and later winterized, and some of the 1920s to 1950s colonials and Cape Cods. Most run a boiler feeding radiators, converted steam or baseboard. Because these systems sit on old piping, a conversion is a good time to look at how the boiler connects to it, not just at the burner.

Several streets south of Montauk Highway sit in mapped flood zones, where basement boilers and oil tanks are exposed when water comes up the canals. Removing the oil tank takes one flood risk out of the basement, and a conversion is a natural point to talk about where the new equipment should sit. Older masonry chimneys in these homes also deserve a close look, since gas venting has different needs than oil.

• Gas availability. Start by asking National Grid whether gas is on your street and what it takes to bring a service line and meter to the house.
• Assessment. We inspect the boiler, chimney, near-boiler piping and the home's gas load, then quote either fitting a gas burner to a sound boiler or replacing it.
• Chimney liner. Gas exhaust is cooler and wetter than oil exhaust and can damage an unlined chimney, so a liner is often required.
• Gas piping and start-up. We pipe from the meter to the boiler, install or convert the equipment, leak-test the piping and commission the system.
• Tank removal or abandonment. A licensed tank company handles the oil tank under town and fire marshal rules.

K2 does not file town permits; confirm requirements with the Town of Islip Department of Planning and Development at 655 Main Street in Islip. The utility controls its own service line schedule, so we do not promise install dates. If gas is not practical, a cold-climate heat pump may fit better; read how heat pumps handle a Long Island winter. Heat pump rebates are applied for through PSEG Long Island; check current terms at psegliny.com.