A Homeowner’s Guide to Baseboard Heater Types

When it comes to baseboard heaters there are a few things that you should familiarize yourself with. A baseboard heater has several benefits over other systems. These benefits can be found in the most popular types which include electric baseboard heaters and hydronic baseboard heaters.

A baseboard electric heater has several benefits. The fact that no ventilation is required to run a baseboard heater means that you have a lot of flexibility regarding where you place it in the room. You are not relegated to placing the unit near a window so if you have another free space, you can use that area instead. In addition, a baseboard heater only needs an electric socket which makes it suitable for any room or office space. Lastly, baseboard heaters do not have any moving parts so maintenance will be kept to a minimum. There are two types of baseboard heaters that are popular.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

Electric baseboard heaters are a popular choice amongst consumers. What makes them popular is that they run off readily available electricity. All you need to do is plug them into a wall and you can start heating the room. Their heating element can be made from either aluminum or stainless steel. Both are effective. Aluminum heats up quickly but also cools off quickly. Stainless steel takes longer to heat up and is slower to cool down which means the room will stay warm for longer. Hypdronic baseboard heaters are energy efficient and will consequently help you save money.

Hydronic Baseboard Heaters

Hydronic baseboard heaters are another popular type of heater. They heat the room by warming up water or another liquid inside the unit. They draw in cool air and convert it to warm air which is what heats the room. They can either be hooked up to your home’s plumbing or alternatively to the electric system. The later is less complicated. Portable electric hydronic baseboard heaters are the most versatile as they simply need to be plugged into a wall and can be moved from one room to another. The advantages of hydronic heaters is that they are usually quite efficient and they are also quiet. Hydronic heating keeps the air moist as opposed to other types of heat that dry out the air and spread unhealthy particles.

Now that you know something about baseboard heaters, you will be able to choose a type that is most suited to your circumstances. Keep in mind the benefits of no ventilation required and portability if you buy a portable unit that only needs to be plugged into an electric socket. Electric baseboard heaters can have an aluminium or stainless steel heating element. The later stays warmer longer. Hydronic baseboard heaters come in varying types, the easiest to use is a portable unit that can be moved from room to room and is energy efficient. Keep this basic information in mind and you will have the background required when shopping for a baseboard heater to heat your home.

There are many advantages to having electric baseboard heaters in your home. Not only are they quiet, but they make it easy to vary the temperature of your home on a room-to-room basis. Electric baseboard heaters can be retrofitted into homes that originally had a different type of heating system, such as boiler heat, without the need for adding duct work to the home. While traditional boiler heating systems must be connected to the home plumbing system, because they heat and circulate hot water throughout the house, hydronic electric baseboard heaters do not need to be connected in this fashion. An electric hydronic baseboard heater has both the heating element and the liquid sealed within the heater, which makes them more convenient and easier to use.

While some homes have an electric baseboard heater element in every room of the house, there are other ways to use them in conjunction with a different type of heating system. You might have forced air heat, but require additional heat in some rooms of the house, such as the bathroom. It is easy to add auxiliary heat to a room by adding an electric baseboard heater. In fact, a portable electric baseboard heater might be just the answer for this situation. Although many people like the old fashioned warmth of a fireplace and choose ventless gas fireplaces when they don’t have a real fireplace in their home, others have switched to electric baseboard heaters due to ventless gas fireplace safety concerns.

If you are considering adding electric baseboard heaters to your home, you will want to save energy by making sure you are running them in the most efficient manner possible. There are special automated thermostats that are designed to work with baseboard heaters. While installing these thermostats is not a job for the average do-it-yourselfer, they can definite help regulate electric baseboard heaters efficiently. If this is not an option because you are renting your home, another energy efficient heating option is electric halogen heaters which don’t require any installation whatsoever. You will want to make sure not to block the baseboard heaters with furniture, so that the airflow is not restricted in any way. You can also help keep the heaters working efficiently by keeping them clean from debris.

Another advantage of electric baseboard heaters is the ability to turn down the heat in rooms that are seldom used, to save money and electricity. While turning the heat down too low is not recommended, since it can because cold drafts in the home, you can certainly turn the temperature down lower than in the rest of the house. You can also adjust the level of heat within individual rooms, which makes it easy to accommodate different heating preferences. Electric baseboard heaters are able to quickly raise the temperature within an individual room, while the rest of the house stays at the normal temperature. There are several brands you can consider. Cadet baseboard heaters are an example of a reliable system that is not expensive to install.

When it comes to heating your home, you have a number of options to look at. Different heaters work in different ways, and each of them have their benefits. Some heaters just make more sense than others given the application. A whole house furnace does not make sense when you just want a low cost solution to a problem room. Combination heating solutions offer you the flexibility and efficiency you are looking for as well.

A simple solution to household heat is the use of baseboard heaters. A baseboard heater is a heating system that uses convection in order to circulate air from the room. When placed appropriately, the superior design of a baseboard heater can effectively and naturally circulate the air to give you a natural flow. Thermostats are still used, and installed in a per room basis. This room by room installation lets you control every room in your house individually to help conserve energy costs associated with home heat.

The baseboard heater works on a simple principle. The cold air is denser than warm air, thus falls to the lower areas of the room. Usually the air flows in from a windows and drops down to the floor. The baseboard heater is placed in the path of this falling air, and warms the air. This warm air then rises and intermingles with the colder air, and acting as a buffer against the cold. As the air mingles, it tumbles gently across the room, and the final result is a natural feeling warm touch of air rather than a bitter cold slap of air from a drafty window.

Electric baseboard heaters are the most common type of baseboard heater installed in houses today. The low cost installation, and energy consumption of the electric model heater makes it a perfect solution for most people. An electric power cord attaches to a socket in the room, or ties into the electric in the wall or order to power the unit. A small current runs through the device generating a small amount of heat, and emits the heat slowly. The baseboard electric heater is the number one choice for bedrooms due to its quiet operation, low cost installation, and efficiency.

Many homes find that using hydronic baseboard heaters offers a viable solution to home heat as well. Hydronic heaters use water to help hold the heat, and then emit this heat slowly using the same convection principles of an all-air heater. When combined with other heating solutions, homeowners found that the number of times the whole house furnace came on was drastically reduced. Homeowners reported that they felt warmer, and significantly more comfortable with much less energy cost. Because the air is heated as it comes into the house, you can feel an immediate difference between the cold air chill followed by a warm blast of air, and a sudden change in air temperature. The artificial feel of the furnace driven air, or electric radiant heater leaves an unnatural feel and smell to the room.

With low cost of use, installation, and equipment, it’s no wonder baseboard heaters are a common household heating solution.