Running A Natural Gas Line For The Grill

[GeorgeT]

Sorry if this is a repeat thread, I did a search and didn't anything.

Has anyone run a natural gas line to fuel an outside grill? I have a ranch home with gas service.

What is the cost?
Can I do it myself or is a licensed gas person required?
Is natural gas as good as propane?
If you had it done who did you use?
Is it a cost effective idea?

Thanks,

GT

[zcaveman]

Try this for starters:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2188775_convert-propane-bbq-natural-gas.html

I used "hooking a natural gas line up to a propane grill" (without the ") for the search

[GeorgeT]

Thanks caveman.

I don't have the grill yet so if it's feesable to run a gas line without a licensed gas person I'll just buy a Weber S-320 that's already set up to run natural gas. I'm pretty handy and can and have done just about anything around the house i just don't know about the license thing. Maybe I should call the gas company.

[Bryant]

Had ours put in when the house was built in '03 and it cost $300 through the builder.

[GeorgeT]

Thanks Bryant. After further investigation I'm going with propane.

[Sparky-30]

Thanks for the info George T. as far as what type of grill is needed for that.
We just moved in Sept, have the gas pipe sticking out of the slab outside Lanai, havent done anything with it yet, did not know a special type grill is needed for that.

[manaboutown]

I have done this in the past. The grill will probably require different jets than it does with propane. Also check on the BTU content of the local natural gas. Where I lived the BTU content was pretty low and the grill never got as hot as I would have preferred. I do not know if it will save you any money but I found it a great convenience not to have to worry about how much propane I had left or having to run out and refill my tank during a party.

[billethkid]

equiped with the natural gas input for the burners. If you have a propane grill call or look up the manufacturer as most of them have conversion kits to go either way. Significantly less $$ than a new grill....unless you want a new grill.
If you are a do it yourself gas connector, the only real issue is where is the gas source you are connecting to. If there is not already a connection point, it is best to have a qualified person to tie into the gas line in your house/attic/etc....unless you are a plumber do it your selfer (my opinion).

We had ours done at construction. Have been using natural gas grill for at least the last 10 years (5 of them here). It is so convenient to not ever have to mind not running out of gas. Plus it is a nice back up in the event of an electrical utility problem.

btk

[GeorgeT]

equiped with the natural gas input for the burners. If you have a propane grill call or look up the manufacturer as most of them have conversion kits to go either way. Significantly less $$ than a new grill....unless you want a new grill.
If you are a do it yourself gas connector, the only real issue is where is the gas source you are connecting to. If there is not already a connection point, it is best to have a qualified person to tie into the gas line in your house/attic/etc....unless you are a plumber do it your selfer (my opinion).

We had ours done at construction. Have been using natural gas grill for at least the last 10 years (5 of them here). It is so convenient to not ever have to mind not running out of gas. Plus it is a nice back up in the event of an electrical utility problem.

btk

Bill,

I think that there is more to it then that. From what I understand there is a difference in the burners and the regulator. I do get to buy a new grill when we get down there in a couple of weeks. I'm a pretty good plumber and I work with toxic gasses all the time in the semiconductor industry so I also know how to properly leak check a gas line. The only glitch is that I think you need to be a certified contractor to legally do something like this in which case I would have to hire someone.

[punkpup]

Sorry if this is a repeat thread, I did a search and didn't anything.

Has anyone run a natural gas line to fuel an outside grill? I have a ranch home with gas service.

What is the cost?
Can I do it myself or is a licensed gas person required?
Is natural gas as good as propane?
If you had it done who did you use?
Is it a cost effective idea?

Thanks,

GT


Hi,

Question: What is the cost?

Answer: Depends on length and placement of piping?

Question: Can I do it myself or is a licensed gas person required?"

Answer: If you need to have piping installed it is "recommended" that you use a Licensed Plumber/Pipe Fitter.

Question: Is natural gas as good as propane?

Answer: Natural Gas (NG) is lighter than air as opposed to Propane which is heavier than air so as far as safety, Natural Gas is a better choice. When it comes to NG vs Propane appliances though this is where they "getcha". NG ranges are more common than Propane thus they are cheaper but not so when it comes to Grills and other appliances; it's just the opposite. You will find that a NG Grill will run you a bit more and you may even have to special order it.

Question: If you had it done who did you use?

Answer: I would do it myself as I am Natural Gas Technician and a Pipe Fitting Apprentice. lol

Question: Is it a cost effective idea?

Answer: Technically since 1 cubic foot of propane contains 2,516 BTU and 1 cubic foot of natural gas contains 1,030 BTU, it is accurate to say that propane contains over twice the usable energy content per cubic foot (2.44 times more) but the cost of "delivery" of propane make it more costly than NG.

[GeorgeT]

Punkpup,

Thanks so much for your very detailed post. It was way more information then I expected and really appreciate it. I appreciate all the input from everyone else too!

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!