Oil to Gas Boiler Conversion

[Cameron Iarrobino]

Hi everyone -

Recently acquired a SFH which I'm occupying for now and intend to potentially rent out in future. The current heating setup is FHW via an oil-fired boiler. Hot water is also provided by the boiler (via a tankless coil inside boiler). There are gas lines at the street, and the gas co is willing to bring gas into my house & install a meter for a $1000 refundable deposit (refunded if I hook up my heating system within certain amount of time, I think 6 months).

I would really prefer to get this house on gas, but the boiler itself is relatively young and good-quality and I've concluded it does not make sense to walk away from it anytime soon. I've gotten quotes on a whole new gas-fired boiler and it's just too much to replace something that's working fine and has plenty of life left

One option I've been proposed by a plumbing / heating co, is for them to install a gas-fired burner gun on the boiler, replacing the oil-fired boiler and keeping everything else as-is. The price for this project would be worth it to me based on the fuel savings, less maintenance / cleaning, the options / value that it adds for having gas in the house (stove, dryer, etc), and also saving on insurance from not having to insure the risk of oil spill / leak from the tank

Does anyone have experience with these conversion kits? I've heard from some that it can cause a maintenance headache and long-term issues for the boiler. The plumbing / heating co seems decent & they've done this project to an extensive number of boilers they say.