Heating & Air Conditioning Design Dilemma

Electric Heat question

11 months ago

last modified: 11 months ago

We are buying a condo with electric heat. I was told that you can’t have any furniture touching the baseboard heaters at all. But when I look at the listings for this place (and others with electric heat baseboards) people have their beds, dressers, curtains, etc touching the baseboards. Can anybody living with electric heat give me input? Are there covers that I can use? It’s a small place and it’s going to make furniture placement really challenging! (I know not to completely block them to allow the heat to circulate..)

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BeverlyFLADeziner
11 months ago
I have a home in Florida with electric heat, which is a forced-air furnace with ducts and registers that supplies both heat and AC. Are there pictures of the electric baseboards in the condo?????

Most homes do not have 'electric baseboards' because the cost to run them is too expensive and it's not safe.
Olychick
11 months ago
last modified: 11 months ago
My house has electric baseboards and, yes, it's dangerous to have anything touching them. Mine are convection. I copied this from google: "There are two different types of baseboard heaters: convection and hydronic. They have many similarities: Both provide a slow, gentle, and quiet trickle of heat through the room; both are built on the same type of long, metal framework; and both look exactly the same, at least on the outside."

The hydronic are less dangerous, so you will see draperies hanging over them or furniture closer than with convection. I have furniture just inches from mine with no worries about fire, but am careful that nothing touches the baseboards. I've had upholstered furniture accidentally be pushed against a baseboard with no problems, no scorching of fabric, etc. But it's still a danger. Check to see what kind of baseboards they are.

The air circulates just fine; the heated air rises instead of being fan forced outward.
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sktn77a
11 months ago
"There are two different types of baseboard heaters: convection and hydronic. They have many similarities: Both provide a slow, gentle, and quiet trickle of heat through the room; both are built on the same type of long, metal framework; and both look exactly the same, at least on the outside."

Be careful with what you read on the internet...... Hydronic is convection! The two types of baseboard heat are electric and hydronic. Both are primarily convection although some incorporate an element of radiation.

Electric baseboards have the potential to get hotter than hydronic, and that's where the warnings come from. The main concern is flammable fabrics getting to close to the heating elements, but most people don't pay much heed to the cautions because the baseboard covers generally do a good job of preventing foreign objects getting to the heating elements.
Elmer J Fudd
11 months ago
last modified: 11 months ago
" I have a home in Florida with electric heat, which is a forced-air furnace with ducts and registers that supplies both heat and AC. "

Are you describing an electric furnace (which are no more efficient than baseboard electric radiant heating) or a heat pump. Heat pumps are more efficient than resistance radiant heating.
lharpie
11 months ago
the last hotel I stayed at in the mountains had electric baseboard heaters. They were barely warm to the touch. I tried to dry my wet mittens off by them and it was an abysmal failure. The place seemed plenty warm suprisingly. I wouldn't place things touching them still but seems like an inch or two away would be fine...

Electric Heat question

Comments (5)

BeverlyFLADeziner

Olychick

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sktn77a

Elmer J Fudd

lharpie

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