Dealing with baseboard heaters
rudgekatherine
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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Melissa Gallagher
6 years agorudgekatherine
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Pantry/baseboard heaters issue
Comments (1)You will want the pantry cooler. Enclosing it will make it warmer than the kitchen. I would move it to the new pantry wall. If it will be in the way there, there are other options like installing a toe-kick heater....See MoreIs there any reason to get new electric baseboard heaters?
Comments (38)I was in a similar situation. Old home from the 60's. Installed a new woodstove, fixed chimney etc to keep my baseboard heating costs low. Whats the most efficient depends on the times. Natural gas if available, Propane, and oil prices fluctuate. It's a roll of the dice. Wood is always the cheapest but labor intensive. Coal if its easily available. Pellet is an option too, but you need to store enough, wood, coal, or pellets somewhere easily accessible. You need to either hire, or clean your chimney and stove yourself. Here's a tip. You ain't getting' any younger. Choose your battles wisely. What if you throw your back out? Then what... Mini splits. Here's what I found. Efficient? To a degree. -20? Nonsense. More like 36. Real world numbers here. You have to run an electric heating element to the coils so when they freeze, you can melt the ice. $$ Then if you're smart, you make sure you build or have built, a shield of sorts to keep the elements off it. If there's a snow drift, you better get out there and clear it by hand. Some will bolt it to the walls to keep it off the floor, but you can't go that high and awnings only do so much. Think about it. The machines need to be serviced. Lets talk a 10 year ROI here. Warranties, such as offered by Mitsubishi, require a licensed professional to come out and service it once a year. $$. If you don't pay, you lose the warranty. How nice. You could gamble and risk it all...There goes my savings over a 10 year period. You either need to buy, or clean the filters. Anywhere form 1 to 3 of em annually depending on model. Replaced eventually if you clean them yourself. Cost of installation? Ridiculous. Run electric, upgrade your panel, run ugly line sets and condensate pipes all over the place? Bah. THE ONLY WAY you could save money is if you knew someone in the biz to cut you an install deal. Other than that you'll pay 10K on average. I got quoted $5k for a single 18K unit. $10K on a split system running off a 36K unit. Run the numbers and you'll see its just not worth it. How much money can you save over a 10 year period will yield an ROI that just about equals out. Clearly a waste of time and effort. That's whats its about. Peace of mind. Baseboards = zero maintenance other than a vacuum cleaner or a coat of paint. Heck. My wife can do that. Companies/Businesses/People can and will say ANYTHING to convince you to empty your pockets. Its unethical yes, against the law, no. Leave the baseboard and have some peace of mind. You'll pay inflated costs over time or drop thousands at once and HOPE that you found a contractor worth his spit. Mini Splits. BAH. You can't escape paying. No one can. One way or the other they're gonna get you. The smartest guys in the world have run the numbers. The system has been set up. Its the working class that pays. Not the poor, Not the rich. Remember that. Choose the path of least resistance and don't' let these jerks fool you. Everybody hates math. You just have to do it. When was the last time you heard someone say they love math...That's how they get you. "Coil size, amperage, etc will fall on sadly deaf ears - with math involved I won't follow it. If possible, please, descriptions are better such as 'the coils are now bigger' or 'they use a different metal so it does x'."...See MoreBaseboard Heaters: Replacing 30 year old heaters
Comments (6)dough71....take a look at this [thread[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/i-think-i-just-made-the-worst-mistake-help-dsvw-vd~5070404) and the pictures that were posted by the OP. I’m not sure, but it looks like they built something decorative around baseboard heating. You can aske the OP about it....See MoreMidwest basement without HVAC but has baseboard heaters. Weird, or no?
Comments (3)No idea whether it is code where you are but your inspection person should be able to tell you - and note, even if it is allowed in principle, it still has to be done right. Probably not forbidden, but that's what the house inspection is for. But: the general answer is pretty simple. The basement was finished later, and that's why it wasn't in the original HVAC system; most likely the owner who finished it looked into it and it would have been expensive or difficult. You may want to get info and ask the inspector specifically about what kind of insulation was done in the basement when it was finished (and other aspects of how it was 'finished'). That might be more important than the baseboards. Both walls and floor of the basement. Ground around the basement will tend to be warmer than outside air in winter, cooler in summer. That's normal - but you don't want to be heating the ground around the house (like an enormous heat sink) that much in winter, so that's why insulation is important. In summer, the concern is more about walls of the basement being cool when air is warmer and humid - can lead to condensation and mold. This is a pretty complex topic and depends on local conditions, ask around and especially the inspector. They are issues that can be managed but obviously you don't want to find out later (or have to put much money in to fix). In my area, I'd be far more concerned about the potential for moist damp conditions in summer than about electric baseboards - I have to run a dehumidifier in worst part of the summer, but it's manageable. My guess is baseboards could be improved/brought up to code more easily than dealing with a serious mold problem; and a slightly cold basement in winter is, well, just a bit cold....See MoreMelissa Gallagher
6 years agorudgekatherine
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMelissa Gallagher
6 years agorudgekatherine
6 years agoManon Floreat
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6 years agoMelissa Gallagher
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6 years agoOlychick
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agorudgekatherine
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoManon Floreat
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoOlychick
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