how safe is a propane furnace, and cost difference in the NY area?

Question

Im considering changing my heating system over to propane, how safe is a propane water boiler and is their a big cost difference in heating my home with it in the ny area

Answer 1

PROPANE IS HEAVIER THAN AIR. IT "POOLS" IN BASEMENTS OR ON FLOORS AND THEREFOR MAY LINGER A LONG TIME UNTIL A SPARK IGNITES IT. YES, IT IS CONSIDERED MORE DANGEROUS THAN NATURAL GAS FOR THAT REASON. THE EQUIPMENT REQUIRES MORE SERVICE THAN NATURAL GAS EQUIPMENT DUE TO AN OILY CARBON BUILD-UP. MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NATURAL GAS BUT PRICES OF BOTH GASES VARY WIDELY. LARGE STORAGE TANK MAKES IT LESS EXPENSIVE BECAUSE OF LESS FREQUENT DELIVERIES. YOU WILL ALWAYS NEED DELIVERY WHEN IT IS VERY COLD AND THE SUPPLIER IS VERY BUSY.

Answer 2

Propane is very safe if you let a professional do the piping. It's also one of the cheapest energy sources. Again, let a professional do the work. We had an incident in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago where a young family was smelling an odor. Mom and the 3 year old stayed somewhere else for the night. Dad died the next morning when the house blew up. Again, it's very safe but let a professional do the work!

Answer 3

Propane is fine, many use it. Natural Gas burns hotter and is more efficient but if you don't have a gas line nearby to hook into... propane is much better than oil or electric from a cost standpoint but still more than natural gas.
Rural properties (without a gas line) generally use propane instead of oil or electric when installing a new heat source due mainly to cost of fuel.

Answer 4

Propane is safe as long as it is installed properly. As to cost difference, what energy source are you using now?

Answer 5

propane is safe as long as it is properly installed. propane is more volatile than natural gas ie. Nat gas has 1065 btus per cubic foot of stored energy while propane has 2500 btus per cubic foot.
Not sure about cost in your area.