Natural Gas vs. Propane.

[BillSmith]

The $470 quote I got was for a guy who would not pull a permit and install a T fitting at the meter and run the line on the exterior of the house. Then I got a quote for $2,500 for a guy would pull a permit and install the fittings inside and run through the exterior wall of my house. The higher quote sounded more professional and legit, but I can buy a lot of gasoline, charcoal, and propane for that price. The more expensive plumber pointed to my Performer and said, "That's the best way to grill."

$2500 sounds high to me. That’s like 2-3 days of work. Around where I am, the rate is about $140/hour for one guy and the materials are cheap. For my job, he ran the line from the nearby boiler. Had to remove some existing piping to insert a T and then the new piping. About four hours of work in an unfinished basement out to a stub outside.

I suggest getting another quote.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Not to mention the gasoline you use in the car to get them filled. You have to figure the cost of at least 1 gallon of gasoline into the mix to fill the tanks. Around here that is close to $3.00

That's about the same for gas here. When we went to California for my daughters BD the cheapest I could find was $4.25 a gallon.... Ouch. One Standard station on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach was charging $5.19 for regular.

 

[Brian B Atlanta]

$2500 sounds high to me. That’s like 2-3 days of work. Around where I am, the rate is about $140/hour for one guy and the materials are cheap. For my job, he ran the line from the nearby boiler. Had to remove some existing piping to insert a T and then the new piping. About four hours of work in an unfinished basement out to a stub outside.

I suggest getting another quote.

Bill just curious the guy who was 140 bucks an hour did he pull a permit.

 

[Joshua L]

$2500 sounds high to me. That’s like 2-3 days of work. Around where I am, the rate is about $140/hour for one guy and the materials are cheap. For my job, he ran the line from the nearby boiler. Had to remove some existing piping to insert a T and then the new piping. About four hours of work in an unfinished basement out to a stub outside.

I suggest getting another quote.

The more expensive guy said that the permit process in the District of Columbia is would take him as much time as the actual installation. He'd have to file in person, get plans reviewed and meet in person with the inspector. He said this is the reason for the high cost. I feel like unpermitted gas work could burn me in the future.

 

[BillSmith]

Bill just curious the guy who was 140 bucks an hour did he pull a permit.

Yup, the owner of the company is one of the town plumbing inspectors although he does not inspect his own company’s work.

The more expensive guy said that the permit process in the District of Columbia is would take him as much time as the actual installation. He'd have to file in person, get plans reviewed and meet in person with the inspector. He said this is the reason for the high cost. I feel like unpermitted gas work could burn me in the future.

In my case, yes, they pulled a permit and had to meet with an inspector for approval. There are no plans. I could see plans being required in order to ensure you have sufficient capacity. I’m guessing they looked at the size of the pipe and could see that it is sufficient.

Anyway, I still would get another quote. Make sure this company knows that you want to pull a permit.