Can I run my natural gas range on propane?

Not as-is. An NG range will only run safely on propane after a proper conversion — a qualified tech changes the burner orifices to the smaller LP size, swaps the pressure regulator, and addresses the pilot. Lighting an NG-configured range on propane without converting it is dangerous and will soot, produce carbon monoxide, or cause flame rollout.

Which is cheaper, natural gas or propane?

Where a natural gas main is available, natural gas is almost always cheaper per BTU, and you skip tank storage, deliveries, and exchange fees. Propane costs more per unit of energy and adds delivery and exchange logistics — but it is the only option when there is no main, which is its real value.

Why are the orifices different sizes?

Because the two fuels are delivered differently. Natural gas runs at low pressure and is less energy-dense, so it needs larger orifices to flow enough gas. Propane runs at higher pressure and is more energy-dense, so it uses smaller orifices. Mismatch the orifice to the fuel and combustion goes wrong in both directions.

Is propane more dangerous than natural gas?

Both are safe when the equipment is configured and maintained correctly. The danger comes from running either fuel through the wrong orifice and regulator — that is what causes sooting, carbon monoxide, and flame rollout. The fuel itself is not the problem; the wrong setup is.

I bought a used unit — how do I know which gas it is set for?

Check the rating plate and the regulator, but do not rely on a guess. A technician can confirm the configuration and tell you whether it matches your fuel or needs converting. Never light a used unit on a fuel it was not set up for, even once.

Does converting void the warranty?

A conversion done by a qualified technician with the manufacturer-correct orifices and regulator keeps you within code and warranty. Running on the wrong gas, or an amateur conversion, is what voids the warranty and creates the safety problem.

Can Berne convert and service both natural gas and propane equipment?

Yes — across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. We convert and service both NG and LP commercial cooking equipment, with the correct orifices, regulators, and a combustion check before it goes back on the line. $89 commercial service call, free with an approved repair, 24/7 dispatch. For burner and range work see our commercial range repair service, and for fryer issues see our fryer repair service.

Decision Guide

Natural Gas vs Propane for Commercial Cooking Equipment

This is not really a "which fuel is better" fight — it is a "which fuel do you actually have, and is your equipment built for it" question. Most fixed South Florida kitchens run natural gas because there is a main at the curb. Propane earns its place where there is no main: food trucks, caterers, remote sites. The part that bites operators is the conversion — every gas appliance is built for one fuel, and switching is a real job, not a knob you turn.

Honest comparisonCommercial service call: $89Built from real service tickets11 years · 18 techniciansUpdated June 2026

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TL;DR

The short version.

Read these five lines if you don't have time for the full comparison below.

Have a natural gas main? Use natural gas — it is cheaper per BTU, with no tanks, deliveries, or exchange costs. That is the default for fixed urban and suburban kitchens.
Choose propane (LP) only when there is no NG main: food trucks, caterers, remote or outlying sites. It is portable and energy-dense but adds tank storage, delivery logistics, and exchange cost.
The two are not interchangeable. NG = low pressure, larger orifices; LP = higher pressure, smaller orifices, different regulator. Equipment is built for one or the other.
Converting NG↔LP means changing orifices/spuds and the pressure regulator (sometimes the pilot) — a qualified-tech job, never DIY.
Running on the wrong gas is dangerous: soot, incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide, flame rollout. It also voids warranty and violates code. Match the equipment to the fuel, every time.

At a glance

Natural Gas vs Propane for Commercial Cooking Equipment — side by side.

The quick comparison. Field-ticket detail and our verdict follow below.

Natural Gas vs Propane for Commercial Cooking Equipment comparison table
Spec	Natural Gas	Propane (LP)
Supply	Piped utility gas main	Stored in tanks, delivered/exchanged
Fuel cost per BTU	Lower where a main is available	Higher, plus delivery/exchange cost
Energy density	Lower per cubic foot	Higher per cubic foot
Operating pressure	Low pressure	Higher pressure
Orifice / spud size	Larger orifices	Smaller orifices
Availability	Urban/suburban with a main	Anywhere a tank can be placed
Storage / logistics	None — utility handles it	Tank storage, delivery, exchange logistics
Conversion needs	Orifices + regulator (sometimes pilot)	Orifices + regulator (sometimes pilot)
Best for	Fixed kitchens with a gas main	Mobile, remote, or no-main sites
Safety note	Must run on NG-rated orifices/regulator	Wrong orifice → soot, CO, flame rollout

The comparison

Why this comparison, written by a service shop.

If you have a natural gas main at your building, use natural gas. It is almost always cheaper per BTU, there are no tanks to store, no deliveries to schedule, and no tank-exchange line item on your P&L. Propane is the right answer in one situation: when natural gas is not available — a mobile unit, a caterer working off-site, a remote build, or one of the outlying South Florida locations where the gas main never reached. That is the verdict. Everything else is detail.

Here is the detail that actually matters, and it is a safety point, not a preference: commercial cooking equipment is manufactured for one gas type, and the two are not interchangeable as-is. Natural gas runs at low pressure through larger burner orifices; propane runs at higher pressure through smaller orifices with a different regulator. Feed an appliance the wrong gas through the wrong orifice and you do not get "slightly off" performance — you get sooting, incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide, and flame rollout. Running on the wrong fuel also voids the manufacturer warranty and violates code.

So the real decision tree is short. First, identify what fuel you can get. Second, buy equipment configured for that fuel, or have a qualified technician convert it — properly, with the correct orifices and regulator — before it ever lights. The cheap used range you found is only a bargain if it is set up for the gas you actually have, or if you budget the conversion. Below we lay out the mechanics, who should pick which fuel, and why the conversion is never a DIY job.

Option-by-option

Each path — and what we see in the field.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is piped utility gas delivered to a building through a main at low pressure. For a fixed South Florida kitchen with a main at the curb, it is almost always the cheapest fuel per BTU, with no tanks to store, no deliveries to schedule, and no exchange line item on the P&L — the utility handles supply. Equipment built for natural gas uses larger burner orifices to flow enough of the less energy-dense fuel. It is the default for the vast majority of brick-and-mortar urban and suburban kitchens, and there is rarely a reason to fight it.

Where Natural Gas wins

Lowest fuel cost per BTU
Where a main is available, natural gas is almost always the cheapest way to cook on gas.
No tanks or deliveries
The utility handles supply — no tank storage eating back-of-house space and no delivery schedule to manage.
No exchange line item
Nothing to refill or exchange, so there's no recurring tank cost on the P&L.
Standard for fixed kitchens
The default for brick-and-mortar urban and suburban operations with a main at the curb.

Where this path goes wrong

Wrong-orifice operation
Run an LP-configured appliance on NG (or vice versa) and combustion goes wrong — sooting, lazy yellow flame, and lost heat. The first thing we check on a sooting burner.
Worn or cross-threaded orifices
Orifices (spuds) are genuine service items — they wear and get cross-threaded by amateurs, throwing off the burner.
Regulator faults
A failed or mismatched pressure regulator delivers the wrong pressure, causing combustion problems.
Conversion errors
An amateur NG↔LP conversion leaves the wrong orifice/regulator combination and creates a soot, CO, or flame-rollout hazard.

Parts & service economics

A fixed kitchen with a natural gas main gets the lowest fuel cost per BTU, no tanks eating back-of-house space, and no delivery schedule to manage. Orifices and regulators are genuine service items — they wear, they get cross-threaded by amateurs, and they are the first thing we check when a burner soots up or a yellow, lazy flame comes across the dispatch board. Treat any fuel change as a scheduled service call, not a parking-lot DIY.

Propane (LP)

Propane (LP) is stored in tanks and delivered or exchanged, running at higher pressure and carrying more energy per cubic foot than natural gas — so LP-configured equipment uses smaller orifices and a different regulator. It is the right answer in exactly one situation: when there is no natural gas main. Food trucks, off-site caterers, remote builds, and outlying South Florida locations rely on LP's portability and energy density. The trade is permanent operating overhead — tank storage that meets code, a reliable delivery or exchange routine, and equipment built or converted specifically for LP.

Where Propane (LP) wins

Available anywhere a tank fits
No main required — LP follows a food truck to a parking lot or an event tent where piped gas can't go.
High energy density
More BTU per cubic foot than natural gas — exactly what mobile and remote work needs.
Portable
Tanks travel with the operation, enabling full commercial cooking capability off-main.
Full commercial capability off-grid
Gives a remote or temporary kitchen the same cooking power as a fixed gas line.

Where this path goes wrong

Wrong-orifice operation
An NG appliance lit on LP without conversion soots, produces carbon monoxide, or throws flame rollout — a fire and poisoning risk.
Tank storage / code issues
LP tanks must be stored to code; a non-compliant setup is a safety and inspection problem.
Delivery / exchange logistics
Not a breakdown but a permanent operating cost — refills and exchanges must be scheduled reliably or the kitchen runs dry.
Regulator / orifice mismatch
LP's higher pressure and smaller orifices must match; the wrong regulator or spud throws off combustion.

Parts & service economics

Propane gives full commercial cooking capability without a gas line, but the tank infrastructure and delivery logistics are a permanent operating cost, not a one-time setup. Budget tank storage that meets code and a reliable exchange or refill routine, and run equipment built or converted specifically for LP — with the correct smaller orifices and matching higher-pressure regulator verified before it ever lights.

Which operator picks which

Operator profiles — and our honest recommendation.

No platform is universally better. The right pick depends on your account type, ownership horizon, and operating style.

Fixed urban or suburban kitchen with a gas main
Natural gas, configured from the factory for NG. You get the lowest fuel cost per BTU, no tanks eating back-of-house space, and no delivery schedule. This is the default for the vast majority of brick-and-mortar South Florida kitchens.
Food truck, mobile unit, or off-site caterer
Propane, full stop. There is no gas main following you to a parking lot or event tent, and LP's higher energy density and portability are exactly what mobile work needs. Plan code-compliant tank storage, a reliable exchange routine, and equipment built or converted for LP.
Remote build or site with no NG main
Propane is the practical answer. When the utility main never reached your location, LP gives full commercial cooking capability without a gas line. Budget the tank infrastructure and delivery logistics as a permanent operating cost.
Operator buying used equipment of the wrong gas type
Slow down before you buy. A used range or fryer set up for the gas you do not have needs a professional conversion (orifices plus regulator, sometimes the pilot) before it lights even once. Price the conversion into the deal — a "cheap" unit on the wrong fuel can cost more than buying the right configuration.
Multi-site operator running mixed fuel
Standardize where you can, document where you cannot. Keep a clear record of which fuel each piece of equipment is configured for, and never swap units between sites without a proper conversion first. The fastest way to a CO call is moving an NG range to an LP site and lighting it.

Cost of ownership

What it costs to actually own each one.

Both fuels qualify for the Berne $89 commercial service call, and the ownership realities track the mechanics. A fuel conversion is a professional job: a qualified technician swaps the burner orifices (spuds) to the correct size for the new gas, changes the pressure regulator, adjusts or replaces the pilot orifice where applicable, and then verifies the flame and combustion before the equipment goes back into service. Orifices and regulators are genuine service items — they wear, they get cross-threaded by amateurs, and they are the first thing we check when a burner sooting up or a yellow, lazy flame comes across the dispatch board. Running an appliance on the wrong gas is the failure we least want to see: incomplete combustion deposits soot, robs you of heat, and produces carbon monoxide, and it voids the manufacturer warranty on top of the safety exposure. The takeaway for owners is simple — match the equipment to the fuel, and treat any fuel change as a scheduled service call, not a parking-lot DIY.

Berne's perspective

We service both. Here's what we think.

We will say this plainly: converting commercial cooking equipment between natural gas and propane is a qualified-technician job, and it is never a DIY project. The orifice change and regulator swap look small, but they control whether the burner gets the right amount of gas at the right pressure — get it wrong and the appliance soots, produces carbon monoxide, or throws flame rollout out the front, and you have a fire and a poisoning risk in a room full of people. The right way is the only way: correct orifices for the fuel, the matching regulator, the pilot addressed, and a combustion check before it cooks. If you have a main, run natural gas and keep it simple. If you are mobile or off-main, run propane and respect the tank logistics. Either way, when the fuel changes, the equipment has to change with it — and that change belongs to someone who does it for a living.

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