electric baseboard question

[garageland]

I have steam heat in my house but during a renovation project two radiators were disconnected, knocking out heat to a bedroom and upstairs bath. I initially agreed to cap off the line thinking it would only disconnect the bathroom . . . Anyway, I would like to get heat back in bedroom and was given a very high price to run new pipe up. The contractor recommended I install electric baseboards but I'm worried about safety. The one in the bedroom can only be installed on a wall that's a foot from my daughter's bed and I'm worried she'll kick off her blanket in the night onto the electric baseboard. The electrician now suggest a hydronic electric baseboard. Would an electric hydronic baseboard be safe in this situation -- could it set fire to bedding? He also wants to put one in the bathroom with about an 12" distance from the tub. I'm worried about electrocution if the kids dumped water onto it or nearby or if toilet overflowed. Any advice??

Thanks

 

[Sixlashes]

Electric baseboard heaters are a major cause of house fires as you know. I would not have one under any circumstances with kids and/or water nearby. It is also very expensive to operate.

What is the installation cost with the fan forced hydronic heat? Where are you going to get the btus? Are your radiators really steam, or hot water? Are they proposing getting the hot water from this source? If not, what will the cost to heat the water be? If you are going to install one in the bathroom, ensure it is rated for WET locations and the manufacturer recommends it to be installed in the manner you are planning. If a licensed installer is tackling it, I assume it would be.

I would weigh all of this with the cost of hooking back up the original line. It may hurt to bite the bullet, but the combined installation/operating costs of the alternative may make more sense in the long run.

 

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[garageland]

Thanks for your reply!

The cost to run two 240 lines, thermostats and install radiators is $800 ($150 if I to the electric hydronic baseboard -- see below for description, it doesn't actually use circulating water). The cost to rerun the steam pipe was approx $1600+ depending on the obstacles found in the walls -- this was just to get the bedroom back on line. I'm in the process of a total gut and redo of my upstairs bathroom so I figured now was the perfect time to do this. When they told me to keep my daughters things away from the new radiator and I expressed reservations . . . they suggested the electric hydronic as a a safer alternative. I had to make a snap decision and I didn't get to do enough research. They'd already run the 240 lines when the fire issues were explained to me -- so I'm guessing I'm just going to have to eat that cost if I change my mind -- my gut is telling me this is a really bad idea. I can always wait and re-hook up the steam radiator later (when I'm not hemmorhaging cash like I am during this bathroom redo) and just get rid of the bathroom one, I don't really need it. Perhaps I can find someone else (besides Contractor's plumber) who can do this for less that $1600+. Can I use these 240 lines for anything else?

ELECTRIC HYDRONIC BASEBOARD description:
"Sit back and relax in the warmth of this worry free baseboard heater is perfect for households with kids and pets. A sheathed electric heating element is totally immersed in a heat-transfer liquid and sealed in a heater-length copper tube. The large diameter reservoir maximizes the volume of heat storage fluid to prolong the thermal constant of the entire heater. Gentle heat keeps radiating even after the thermostat turns off because of the hydronic elements retention qualities. The entire unit mounts flush to any wall and flat on any floor - wood, carpet or tile. The trim, three-inch thick functional design and low operating temperatures allow carpeting to be installed up to and around the baseboard. Heavy-duty welded steel louvered grilles discourage insertion of foreign objects and direct heat outward into the room. Built-in cut-off automatically shuts down the heater should any overheating occur."

 

[garageland]

More input

Any ideas for what I can do with the 240 line that's now in the bathroom?

 

[Jar546]

Any ideas for what I can do with the 240 line that's now in the bathroom?

If you don't need it you can install a nice underfloor radiant heating system.

 

[Jar546]

Electric baseboard heaters are a major cause of house fires as you know. I would not have one under any circumstances with kids and/or water nearby. It is also very expensive to operate.

What is the installation cost with the fan forced hydronic heat? Where are you going to get the btus? Are your radiators really steam, or hot water? Are they proposing getting the hot water from this source? If not, what will the cost to heat the water be? If you are going to install one in the bathroom, ensure it is rated for WET locations and the manufacturer recommends it to be installed in the manner you are planning. If a licensed installer is tackling it, I assume it would be.

I would weigh all of this with the cost of hooking back up the original line. It may hurt to bite the bullet, but the combined installation/operating costs of the alternative may make more sense in the long run.

Where exactly is this information coming from that says properly installed electric baseboard heaters have this kind of history?

BS

 

[garageland]

jar545,

How do you feel about the electric hydronic baseboard radiator so close to a bed? Are there fire safety issues or am I overreacting? What about a ceiling heater on a timer for the bathroom?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Jar546]

Overreacting. Make sure you don't have a receptacle directly above the heater and give some space between the heater and the bed so that the heat will go into the room.

There are millions of them out there.

As far as an overhead heater in a bathroom. They are not very popular and I don't come across many in my area. Those older ones that I do are either broke or have a bit of smell because they are built into the fan unit which collects dust.

I just installed electric radiant heat in a bathroom under the tile (coordinated with the tile guy) and the people absolutely love it. It was to be just to warm the floor but now they don't need another heat source in the bathroom.

 

[garageland]

humor me . . . what would happen if the blankets ended up on the electric hydronic heater overnight?