Task 87 Plumber Long Island NY

Gas meter locked or red-tagged? We're gas operator qualified for the work National Grid requires: leak repair, pressure testing, meter piping, and restoration.

Get Gas Restored

Call us 24/7: 631-591-2289

★★★★★ Trusted by Long Island homeowners since 2004
  • Gas Operator
    Qualified (Task 87)
  • Licensed Master
    Plumber Work
  • National Grid
    Coordination
  • 24/7 Gas
    Emergency Response

Task 87 Plumber on Long Island: Qualified for the Work at the Meter

If you're searching "Task 87 plumber," odds are National Grid just shut off your gas, locked the meter, or told you that only an operator-qualified plumber can do the work you need. Here's the short version: since April 1, 2023, National Grid requires anyone performing Northeast Gas Association Covered Task 87 work on Long Island, isolating and purging gas piping, reconnecting de-energized piping to live gas, and building or repairing meter headers, meter bars, and regulator vent piping, to hold Gas Operator Qualification under the federal pipeline safety rule, 49 CFR Part 192. A plumbing license alone is no longer enough for that work.

All Island Comfort performs Task 87 covered work across Suffolk and Nassau: gas leak repair, pressure testing, meter piping, purge and reconnection, and the National Grid coordination that gets a locked meter turned back on. One call covers the repair, the test, the inspections, and the restoration. Family-owned in Wading River since 2004, with full plumbing and heating departments behind every gas job.

  • Locked & Red-Tagged Meter Restoration
  • Gas Leak Detection & Repair
  • Gas Pressure Testing (Utility & Town Witnessed)
  • Meter Header & Meter Bar Construction/Repair
  • Piping Isolation, Purging & Reconnection
  • Regulator Vent Piping
  • Gas Meter Relocation Coordination
  • New Gas Line Installation & Appliance Hookups
  • CSST Inspection & Bonding
  • National Grid Verification & Paperwork

Call 631-591-2289 any time, or request service online.

Smell Gas Right Now? Safety First.

Leave the building, then call 911 and National Grid's gas emergency line at 1-800-490-0045 from a safe distance. Once the utility has made things safe, call us to repair the problem and restore your service.

Then Call 631-591-2289

What "Task 87" Actually Means

Operator Qualification comes from the federal pipeline safety regulations (49 CFR Part 192, Subpart N): anyone performing a "covered task" on utility-jurisdictional gas piping must be qualified for that specific task. New York's utilities adopted the Northeast Gas Association's task numbering, and two tasks matter to homeowners:

  • Task 86 — Inspection: Examining jurisdictional interior gas piping for corrosion, damage, and code compliance. Primarily an NYC program requirement.
  • Task 87 — Construction & Repair: The hands-on work: isolating piping systems, purging interior piping, connecting de-energized piping to live gas, and constructing or repairing meter header assemblies, meter bars, and regulator vent piping. This is the qualification National Grid requires on Long Island.

What counts as "jurisdictional"? Everything from the gas main to the outlet of your meter, the service connection, the meter bar and header, and the regulator vent. Your ordinary house piping downstream of the meter is regular licensed-plumber territory, but the moment a job touches the meter assembly or requires disconnecting and re-energizing piping, Task 87 qualification is mandatory. National Grid verifies a plumber's operator qualification number before covered work, and field crews can scan the qualification card on site. The requirement grew out of the gas incidents of the last decade, and it exists for a good reason: the work at the meter is where mistakes turn dangerous.

When You Need a Task 87 Plumber

These are the calls where this qualification is the difference between gas restored this week and a stalled project:

  • Meter Locked After a Leak: National Grid found a leak or hazard, shut the gas, and locked the meter with a warning tag. Repair, test, and restoration all run through a qualified plumber.
  • Meter Removed: The utility pulled the meter entirely. Reinstallation requires verified meter-bar and header work.
  • Failed Leak Survey: A routine utility survey flagged your piping. The clock is ticking on repairs before shutoff.
  • No Gas After an Emergency Shutoff: Storm, flood, or fire department shutoff. Everything must be tested and purged before relight.
  • Meter Relocation: Moving an inside meter outside, common during renovations, means new header piping on the jurisdictional side.
  • New Gas Service or Tie-In: Connecting new house piping to the live service, including during an oil-to-gas conversion.
  • Unauthorized-Use Lockout: A previous owner or tenant tampered with the meter. Restoration requires inspection, repair, and utility sign-off.
  • Regulator Vent Problems: Blocked, corroded, or improperly terminated regulator vents flagged at inspection.
"National Grid locked our meter on a Friday after finding a leak at the header. These guys came out same day, repaired the piping, ran the pressure test, and had the utility back to unlock the meter within two days. They knew exactly who to call and what paperwork the utility wanted."
Josh H. — Riverhead, NY ★★★★★

Getting Your Gas Back On: The Restoration Process

A locked meter feels like bureaucratic limbo, but the path back is well-defined. Here's how we run it:

  • 1
    Diagnosis

    We locate the leak or hazard with electronic detection and pressure isolation, and scope exactly what the utility flagged so nothing gets missed at re-inspection.

  • 2
    Repair

    Piping repaired or replaced to the NYS Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54). Meter header, meter bar, or vent piping work is done under our operator qualification. Town or village plumbing permits pulled where required.

  • 3
    Pressure Test

    The repaired system is pressure tested, commonly around 3 psi held for 30 minutes on residential systems, to the standard your town inspector and National Grid require, and the results documented.

  • 4
    Utility Verification & Meter Reset

    We notify National Grid the hazard is corrected and coordinate the visit. For a typical home, the utility restores service within one to two business days once everything passes, no more than five by policy.

  • 5
    Purge & Relight

    Lines are purged of air, every appliance is relit and checked for proper combustion, and you get the documentation folder: permit, test results, and utility sign-off.

Licensed Where It Counts: How Long Island Gas Licensing Works

Long Island has no single county-wide plumbing license. Nassau licenses through town examining boards in Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay plus individual cities and villages; Suffolk licenses town by town, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Smithtown, and so on, and Suffolk's county "restricted plumber" license specifically excludes natural gas work. That means gas piping legally requires:

  • A Licensed Master Plumber in Your Town or Village
  • Task 87 Operator Qualification for Meter-Side Work
  • Plumbing Permits from the Local Building Department
  • Pressure Tests to Utility & Inspector Requirements
  • 811 / Dig Safely New York Markouts Before Excavation
  • Proper CSST Bonding per NFPA 54

If a contractor shrugs at any item on that list, keep dialing. Unpermitted gas work doesn't just risk a redo, it's the kind of thing that surfaces at closing when you sell the house, or worse.

What Gas Work Costs on Long Island

Every job is diagnosed first and priced in writing before work begins. Typical ranges we see:

  • Gas Leak Repair: Most residential repairs run $200 to $1,200; complex or buried-line repairs $300 to $3,000+.
  • Pressure Test: Roughly $75 to $150 standard; extended-duration tests more.
  • Meter Header / Meter Bar Work: Scope-dependent; quoted after we see the utility's requirements for your restoration.
  • Gas Line Replacement: Roughly $350 to $2,000+, more for trenched exterior runs or full repipes.
  • Appliance Hookups: Ranges, dryers, grills, generators, and pool heaters, priced flat after a look at the run.
"Bought a house where the previous owner had 'creative' gas piping. Failed the leak survey a month after closing. All Island repiped the bad sections, redid the meter bar to National Grid's spec, passed the test on the first try, and walked the inspector through everything. Absolute pros with the utility."
Mary M. — Rocky Point, NY ★★★★★

Why Long Island Calls Us for Task 87 Work

Gas restorations stall when the plumber doesn't know the utility's process, or isn't qualified to touch the meter assembly at all. Long Island homeowners call All Island Comfort because:

  • Family-Owned in Wading River Since 2004
  • Gas Operator Qualified for Covered Task 87 Work
  • Licensed Master Plumber Standards on Every Job
  • National Grid Process Handled Start to Finish
  • 24/7 Response for Gas Emergencies
  • Permits, Tests & Inspections Coordinated
  • Heating Techs In-House for Relight & Combustion Checks
  • Up-Front Pricing in Writing

Related Long Island Services

Gas piping calls often connect to bigger projects. The services customers commonly book together:

Return to all services

Task 87 FAQs

Common Questions About Task 87 Gas Work on Long Island

What is a Task 87 plumber?

A Task 87 plumber is a licensed master plumber (or their technician) who holds Gas Operator Qualification for Northeast Gas Association Covered Task 87 under the federal pipeline safety rule 49 CFR Part 192. Task 87 covers the hands-on work on utility-jurisdictional gas piping: isolating and purging piping, making connections between de-energized and live piping, and building or repairing meter headers, meter bars, and regulator vent piping. Since April 1, 2023, National Grid requires this qualification for that work on Long Island.

Why did National Grid lock or red-tag my gas meter?

The utility shuts off and locks a meter when it finds a hazard, most often a gas leak on your piping, a failed leak survey, a defective appliance connection, or unauthorized use. A red warning tag means the condition must be repaired by a licensed plumber and verified before gas can be restored. The utility will not turn the meter back on until the repair is made and the system passes a pressure test.

How fast can gas service be restored on Long Island?

For a typical single-family home, once we repair the problem and the system passes its pressure test, National Grid generally restores service within one to two business days, and by policy no more than five. The overall timeline depends on the scope of the leak repair and town inspection scheduling. We handle the utility notification and meet the National Grid technician at the meter reset.

Who is legally allowed to do gas piping work in Suffolk and Nassau County?

Gas piping work must be done by a licensed master plumber in the town or village where the property sits, since Long Island licenses plumbers through town and village examining boards rather than one county-wide license. On top of the plumbing license, work on the utility side of the meter, headers, meter bars, reconnection, and purging, requires National Grid's Task 87 operator qualification. Handymen and unlicensed contractors cannot legally touch gas piping.

How much does a gas leak repair cost on Long Island?

Typical residential gas leak repairs run $200 to $1,200 depending on where the leak is and how accessible the piping is; complex repairs or partial repipes can run $300 to $3,000 or more. A standard pressure test runs roughly $75 to $150, more for extended-duration tests. We diagnose first, then give you the repair price in writing before any work starts.

What is the difference between Task 86 and Task 87?

Task 86 is the inspection qualification: examining jurisdictional interior gas piping for corrosion and code compliance, mainly required for New York City inspection programs. Task 87 is the construction and repair qualification: isolating, purging, reconnecting, and building meter header assemblies. On Long Island, National Grid's requirement centers on Task 87, the hands-on work.

Do I need a permit for gas piping work on Long Island?

Yes. Gas piping installation, alteration, and most repairs require a plumbing permit from your town or village building department, and the work must meet the New York State Fuel Gas Code, based on NFPA 54. Pressure tests are performed to the utility's and the local inspector's requirements. We pull the permit, run the test, and coordinate the inspections as part of the job.

What should I do if I smell gas right now?

Leave the building immediately. Do not flip switches, use phones inside, or light anything. From a safe distance call 911 and National Grid's gas emergency line at 1-800-490-0045. The utility responds to make the situation safe, which often means shutting off and locking the meter. After that, call us at 631-591-2289 to repair the problem and get your gas restored.

Locked Meter? Let's Get Your Gas Back On.

Repair, pressure test, utility coordination, and relight from one qualified contractor. We know National Grid's process because we work it every week. Family-owned since 2004, available 24/7.

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