Stay with oil or change to gas?

[Zola78]

We have an oil tank but have know for the last 6-8 months that it's on it's last legs especially now we can smell oil. We want to long term transfer to gas and have had a gas line from the road brought down to the house. But the tank CANNOT be filled up again as the tank could not take it.

Hubby wants to just replace for now but not proper a sort of cash in hand job and if anything goes wrong the gentlemen is not liable (estimated cost £500). Whereas although money is tight I think we should bite the bullet and fit the gas boiler (last quoted at £4500). What would you do?

Come September I will be working so could potentially get a loan and pay off in 2 years.

[specialsubject]

Using cowboys for these regulated trades is very silly - bye bye house insurance.

Why switch to gas when oil is cheaper?

[Zola78]

Switching for convenience. We need to buy a bigger boiler so we figured gas would be better long term. The current boiler & tank not big enough for our family once they all become teens.

As for 'the Cowboys' it's reputable company just willing to help out short term. But it does make me nervous.

[specialsubject]

Oftec ....

[PigletJohn]

A bodge job on an illegal tank is money down the drain. If you get caught with a leak you will have the vast costs of an environmental cleanup.

Set about getting quotes for a gas line and new boiler. I think your fuel bills will drop noticeably. See what special offers and deferred terms you can get for a summer install, when gasmen have nothing to do because nobody cares about boilers except in winter.

If you have a hot water cylinder with an immersion heater in it, and a reasonable electricity supply, you can get through one winter without a boiler, and just grumble a bit. The fuel might cost three times as much as gas heating, though.