Replacing Radiators with Baseboard Heat

[sweetmog]

Can anyone tell me how big and messy of a job this is? I'm renting in a brownstone (approx. 100 years old) and the landlord didn't maintain the boiler unit, so it rusted out. He is replacing all the radiators in each unit with baseboard heat, and has just given me 3 days notice until the work begins.

I've done some home repairs myself in the past and I love working on projects, but this is way beyond me, so I can't even begin to imagine how long it will take to complete or what is entailed in removing the radiators and installing the baseboard heateing units. I've got 2 cats as well, and will be home while they are working, so I am mainly concerned about health hazards with breathing in paint dust and chemicals from the potential sawing, sanding, drilling, etc.

This seems to be a job better left until the unit is vacant, but my husband disagrees and doesn't think it will be as big of a project as I do. If anyone has done this, and can offer some answers, I am very thankful.

J.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Boilers rust out in 100 year old buildings no matter how well they are maintained. What do you think he should have done differently?

As for changing to baseboard, there are many considerations. It will make some mess but it also depends on what he is putting in. Taking out the old units is easy enough.

There is cast iron and there is tube and fin styles of baseboard. Step one is to determine what size radiators you have and what is the correct equivalent size of replacement baseboard is needed. Did he do that?

The old pipes, if exposed, are easily removed. Cut them to smaller sections and just carry them out to the scrap truck. The new baseboard has to be piped a bit different as the inlet is on one end, the outlet on the other. It may go in a loop around the house on each floor and holes in the floor will probably be concealed by the housing. Any dust and dirt should be concentrated in a few areas.

Overall, it is not all that messy unless other problems come up. You'll want to paint or paper where the old radiator was.

Personally, I'd take a big old radiator over baseboard heat any day. My preference is steam heat. When I was in Italy a week ago, the villa we rented had just that setup. I like to heat up the bread on the radiator as it was easier than lighting the oven. I was also paying $5.20 a gallon for heating oil so we kept it a bit lower than we do at home.

[Pete C.]

In all probability, the old full building boiler and heat included in the rent are going to go out the proverbial window in favor of cheap electric baseboard heat which will of course show up on each tenants individual electric bill, with no reduction in the rent to compensate for this. Likely the building is also poorly insulated and given today's electric rates, the tenants will be in for quite a shock even if the rent were to be reduced to compensate for heat no longer being included.

[dnoyeB]

I just put one in my basement. Not a big deal at all unless your old house has lead paint. Even then, it should not be to big an issue since likely they will cut the trim outside.

Are they installing gas or electric baseboard heat?

[mm]

She doesn't say it's NYC, but if it is NYC, any boro, I doubt it is that easy for the ll to palm off what had been his responsibilty.

Even if the lease doesn't specify that he pays for the heat, the fact is that he was when the lease was signed, and NYC and NYS have laws that protect consumers, inclding tenants.