I am looking for a good baseboard heater recommendation. Right now I see only qmark and Cadet mfg. Both seem to cost about the same.
Im looking for 240v since i hear this will be more efficient? Probably a 4' or 5' unit. I want the kind the the liquid inside.
Any recommendations or warnings?
The ones with the liquid inside cost about 3 to 4 times more than simple finned baseboard units.
Also, the liquid filled ones really offer no benefits- they take slightly longer to heat up and to cool off, sort of a "flywheel effect".
However, they are no more efficient, despite frequent claims to the contrary. Also efficiency is the same, barring minimally increased line voltage losses, regardless of whether or not a unit uses 120 or
240 volts. The 120 v units are generally portable with limited heat ouput - limited by the amount of current a typical 120 v circuit can supply.For example a 2400 watt heater will be as follows:
10 Amps on a 240 volt circuit 20 amps on a 120 volt circuit. Efficiency is the same. The units have to be made for a given voltage, they are not convertible from one voltage to another.You can buy a 240 volt 4 or 6 foot unit at the Depot for around $40-$60, plus thermostat. The more expensive units are no better.
Doug
Doug
Thompsons is bottom rated read Consumer Reports, is the deck dirty.
QMark has a raceway above and below the heater element so it's easier to daisy chain from one to another through conduit. If using the raceway above the element (which is more convenient), you'll need some higher temperature wire. They already have their two wires in there rated at 125 C. I purchased some Teflon insulated wire rated 200 C. The Cadet doesn't have a raceway in their residential units so all wiring would have to be in the wall instead of conduit between heaters unless you buy commercial units. I used the thermostats that mount on the heaters. Line voltage wall thermostats are also available. Mine are 240 volt and I'm satisfied with the result. They are quiet, heat up quickly. I didn't go with the liquid filled. I didn't see that liquid filled would offer any advantage whatsoever, and they cost much more, something to consider not only for the initial installation but also for future replacement.
Bob
But flywheels are useful no? The liquid stabilizes the temperature so it does not swing so fast. Thus you should not have as many on/off cycles. Plus it will keep the area around the heater generally warmer through constant radiation.
a 240 will use less current which is gentler on my fuse panel.
Some can be changed just like some table saws. Yes, the wattage is telling the power consumption. So long as the amperage is in line, the efficiency will be the same i agree.
Interesting opinion. Ill have to consider that.
True and for an area where the temperatures will remain stable, it would tend to even out the temperature a little over the short term, but the overall swing will be determined by the thermostat, so with oil filed you might cycle between 69.5 and 70.6 over 20 minutes and with a standard heater you might cycle between 69.5 and 70.5 over 10 minutes.
The non-oil filled will have the ability to react faster to something like an open door and will have less tendency to overshoot the set temperature.
One *big* advantage of hydronic electric baseboard heaters is that they operate at considerably lower temperatures, greatly reducing (eliminating?) any potential fire risk, as well as the burn hazard to young children. These lower operating temperatures also correct another problem often associated with standard baseboard heaters -- the black streaks or carbon deposits on painted surfaces immediately above the heater. And they do offer greater comfort in that they continue to radiate heat long after the element has shut off, thereby minimizing any temperature swings.
Now, I'm not sure of this next point [hopefully someone can confirm or correct me on this], but I believe you can safely locate these units directly under electrical outlets, something I know you can't do with conventional baseboard heaters.
Years ago, I had liquid-filled electric baseboard heaters in a summer home (they were made by InterTherm, which I believe is now Cadet). If I were ever to install electric heat again, this is the way I'd go; there's absolutely no question in my mind this type of heater is well worth the extra premium.
Cheers, Paul
I thought that "hydronic" meant forced hot water?
You could be right; people might imagine a system driven by a conventional or electric boiler, as opposed to a self-contained "liquid filled" electric baseboard heater. That said, if you were to do a Google search using the words "hydronic electric baseboard" enclosed within quotation marks, you would see a number of hits, including one that takes us directly to Cadet's home page, a major manufacturer of these products. So, in my defence, if I'm misusing industry standard terminology, I'm not alone. ;-)
Cheers, Paul
Thanks for that opinion. Also, the term hydronic is on all the materials I have seen to describe these heaters.
Good info, thanks.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.