When you already have a gas line providing natural gas to your property, Installing a new pipe or upgrading an existing appliance will often be more affordable since you can connect to the meter that is already there or tap into an existing gas pipe.
But this is not always the case if the existing gas piping system does not have the capacity. Every gas powered appliance you have inside your home needs a minimum amount of fuel to provide adequate performance. If your pipes are too small to provide enough fuel to all of your different appliances, the cost of gas pipe installation will usually be higher.
Determining the Necessary Volume for Gas Pipes
The amount of gas an appliance needs is calculated in BTUs, or British thermal units. These correspond to the heat output and, subsequently, the amount of fuel needed to achieve that heat output. BTUs vary from appliance to appliance. While some, like water heaters, are more standard, different gas ranges can operate on a wide variety of BTUs. Some of the average BTU uses per hour for different appliances include:
- Gas Range – 500 to 15,000 BTUs
- Clothes Dryer – 22,000 BTUs
- Boiler – 80,000 to 200,000 BTUs
- Hot Water Heater – 35,000 BTUs
When calculating installation costs for new appliances and gas pipes, it is important to know what your existing gas lines can handle. This involves determining the BTU requirements of appliances that are already in place, determining which of those appliances draw from the same branching lines that a new appliance will, and how many BTUs each pipe has the capacity for. Pipe capacity depends on the diameter of the pipe, the pipe material, and, in some cases, the brand.
When existing pipes do not have the diameter to support a new appliance, customers will either need to choose a smaller appliance where possible or included in the budget the costs for running new gas pipes from your meter to the planned location of your appliance.
As you consider a renovation that will add new gas appliances to your home or you want to upgrade existing units, the best way to get started is by contacting Empire Plumbing Inc. We offer gas piping installation and appliance installation in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. We can help you determine what is necessary for your gas pipe installation and provide a quote for the cost before we get started. Reach out to Empire Plumbing to start the process.