addon steam vs. electric baseboard
Is there anything decent about electric baseboard heating?
My old house has a steam system with big old radiators(1pipe) that works just fine. But the system skipped 2 small bedrooms(110sq ft) which don’t have radiators. I’m thinking heat would be good.
This is all first floor on basement and I’ve had a plumber take a look at it and it wouldn’t be too hard to add in some steam radiators. The mains can be tapped into and fed to the bedrooms along a joist bay. There is adequate room to pitch the pipes as well. About as “easy” as possible, but ???? He estimated about $1000 plus the radiators.
He didn’t expect any complications, but I remain a little worried about cutting into the old steam main. The boiler is ~7 years old burnham which seems to be healthily oversized. Last winter it never ran terribly long. I’m also a little worried about getting the heat balanced between rooms.
In opposition is electric baseboard heaters. They kinda seem cheap and cheesy compared to the massive iron in the other rooms. It appears the way to go are the hydronic units from Marley/Berko/Qmark. A 46″ unit with 1kW of output runs $190. So that’s a heck of a lot cheaper. And I have electric capacity after converting a stove and dryer to gas. Individual thermostats are nice as well.
Should I even be thinking about the cove radiant heat units(9ft ceilings)? They seem more of a supplemental heat source.
Do these hydronic/electric baseboards work well for many years?
Assuming they do, the difference is maybe $900. Should I be concerned about my plumber cutting into a 100 yr old steam pipe? Will I be able to live with the lowly style of an electric baseboard?
eric
Replies
Electric BB is inexpensive and easy to install. There are no moving parts and it will last a long time. The thirty year old units that I took out of my home were working fine at the time.
There are a lot of steam heating experienced professionals in your area. I would recommend that you take a look at http://www.HeatingHelp.com/ and search on the "Find a Professional" feature they offer. You may be able to find more specific advice on your system and get additional pricing.
The other questions, you'll have to decide on your own. EBB is cheap and ugly. You get what you pay for.
Adding radiators should not be a problem as long as the boiler has the capacity. I worked on a house (large Victorian), where the former owner took out 10 radiators and put in electric heat. Go figure. The new owner had the electric heat removed and steam radiators put back in, end resulting in a much smaller electric bill.
Renaissance Restorations llc
Victorian Home Restoration Services
http://www.renaissancerestorations.com