My wife and I are considering remodeling our kitchen (12'x15' area). Currently, the kitchen is heated by a 6' long 220V baseboard heater with a thermostat on the wall. I'm thinking of pulling out the baseboard heater and installing in-floor heating under a tile floor. My question is this a good upgrade, or am I better off with the baseboard heater? Unfortunately, I would like to put additional cabinets along the wall where the heater is currently at.
Rob
rlz wrote in news:6761ca86-8e27-40cf-855d-f46e45a1e5c1 @o16g2000prh.googlegroups.com:
When we remodeled, we put what is apparently called a toekick heater in 2 places. Hot water radiators with a fan that goes on when there is heat, mounted inside walls, or the toekick space underneath cabinets. I find them very nice and effective, but they do make a fan noise.
Once you have in floor heating you will never go back. Warm floors on a cold day and you can set the stat lower because you feel comfortable at a lower temperature.
Do you have gas for the central heating, electric for most of the US is near double the cost of electric.
Hi, In floor heating using water is best.
It will bring down your electricity bill big time.
I think UFH gives a nicer, more even heat than baseboard - but from cold it takes longer for it to feel like it's "doing something" (most noticable if there's a power failure, or you turn it off to go away etc.), and I've heard some real horror stories about the amount of work involved if UFH ever fails (tracing the fault can be difficult and involve really tearing into the floor).
I'd be tempted to agree with Tony, I think; if you do fit UFH, go for a water-based system rather than electric - I think it's a little more reliable (the bits that are likely to go wrong aren't buried in the floor), and there's scope for heating the water via various means (so it doesn't have to always be electric)
cheers
Jules
That answers the question.
If you *set and forget* your thermostat you will love the radiant floor heating. If you adjust the thermostat a couple times a day, _forget it_. It's never going to give heat fast like the baseboard heat, but it will hold the temp nice and steady.
Thanks everyone for the replies. Unfortunately the house does not have gas, so electric is basically the only option. I think we will be going with UFH with all the input. Thanks again.
Rob
If you go with the underfloor heating option you will need to account for the additional THICKNESS you will need in the area you are going to be laying the heating elements in the mortar bed in... If this is a large area, you could be looking at dealing with a lot of modifications to the floor joists to have the finished floor level match any connecting rooms...
It is not as simple as ripping up the tiles you have on your floor now, laying down the new underfloor heating elements in a new mortar bed and then tiling back over it... The underfloor heating will require a mortar bed of a certain thickness, you will then have to lay your tiles on that when it is cured... That will mean your new finished floor level would be higher than it is now if you do not address that issue...
~~ Evan
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