Warm baseboard: what are baseboard heating radiators and how to install them correctly
An unusual heating technology, fundamentally different from the usual systems with radiators under the windows, came to us from European countries recently, although it has been used there for more than twenty years. The name of the innovation speaks for itself - warm baseboard, the demand for it is growing due to its technical advantages and modern design.
You will learn everything about the types of baseboard heating and the features of its operation by reading the article we have proposed. We will talk about the design specifics and rules for constructing all types of baseboard heating systems. Here you will find out where heating baseboards are used and which models are popular among consumers.
The content of the article:
The principle of baseboard heating
A baseboard heater is a heating device 140 mm high and 30 mm thick, which is placed along the walls above the floor around the perimeter of the room.
Imagine that the large heating radiator we all know has been reduced and stretched - the design can be described in a simplified way just like that.
The materials used for production are the most heat-conducting and, accordingly, expensive - aluminum, copper, brass.Externally, the thermoplinth is a box made of aluminum; a heating element is placed inside it - two copper tubes with brass, copper or aluminum plates (lamellas) strung on them.
Depending on the coolant, liquid and electric warm baseboards are distinguished:
- in liquid liquids, water or antifreeze circulates, there is 0.34 liters of liquid per 1 linear meter, the temperature range is from 50 to 85 °C, the temperature is set manually on the manifold or automatically;
- in electric ones, heating elements are connected in parallel; their operation is regulated by a thermostat with a built-in temperature sensor that determines the degree of heating of the air in the room.
The heating modules fit onto a back aluminum plate that is mounted to the wall directly above the floor. From the outside, the structure is covered with a front plate, also made of aluminum.
The coolant is supplied from the distribution manifold. The distribution manifold is equipped with flow meters, taps (drain, shut-off), automatic air vents, thermometers, pressure gauges - all this is needed to control and adjust the heating system. Safe heating of the baseboard surface is 40°C, maximum is 80°C, the air in the room warms up to 20-24°C.
There are slots in the lower and upper parts. The cold air flow enters the housing from below, heats up there, passing between the hot plates, and exits again, but through the upper slot.
Manufacturers of baseboard heating equipment claim heat transfer within 200 W per 1 meter of length, but to achieve this figure in a liquid system, the temperature of the coolant must be raised to 65 ºС, and such heating of the front panel cannot be called safe.
Read the material: How to replace the baseboard.
Features of baseboard heating
From its invention to the present day, heating has been divided into two types - convection and panel radiant. In the first case, the air is first heated from the hot surface of the heating device (radiator battery, convector), after which it circulates in the room and gradually heats it up.
In the second case, objects in the room are initially heated, and the air is heated from them by useful infrared radiation, which does not dry out the air or remove oxygen from it, and this process is secondary.
Among the old examples are stoves in village houses, tiled stoves in ancient mansions, in a modern interpretation - heated floors, but what about baseboard heating and what type of heating does it belong to?
Let us turn again to the opinion of the manufacturers. They unanimously claim that the heat radiated along the perimeter rises from the floor to the ceiling along the walls, warms them evenly and creates a kind of curtain from the cold penetrating from the outside. Once warmed up enough, they themselves begin to give off heat.
In fact, the temperature of walls at different heights fluctuates in the range of 26-30 ºС, and in order for heat to transfer from them, the surface must be heated much more strongly.Therefore, talk about the coveted infrared heat emanating from the walls is not so much the truth as a marketing ploy.
It is more correct to say that thermal baseboards are also convectors with a high surface temperature. It’s just that the room is heated more evenly by warm air currents, both emanating directly into the room and ascending along the walls. Heated walls are a guarantee that you will not find dampness or mold anywhere on them.
It is also fair to note that as you move upward, the amount of heat decreases, and this is good. It is evenly distributed in the room in the lower and middle zones, reaching the ceiling to a lesser extent. For people, such a microclimate is considered the most comfortable - they do not freeze or feel chilly, but at the same time breathe fresh and cool air.
Objectively about all the advantages and disadvantages
The ascending heat flow, according to Coanda's physical law, is pressed against the wall. Without mixing with the rest of the air in the room, it heats the vertical surface. At a height of up to one and a half meters, the wall temperature is several degrees higher than in the room, and this creates thermal comfort for the people in it.
During the heating season, the heating system is used for 6-8 hours every day. By multiplying the total power by the number of hours worked per month, we get the monthly energy consumption indicator.
Do baseboard heaters really save energy resources due to the low temperature of the coolant?
The answer would be this example:
- Room area - 3.5m x 5m (17.5 sq. meters), perimeter - 17 m (minus the doorway - 16 m).
- Room volume with a ceiling height of 2.7 m: 17.5 * 2.7 = 47.25 cubic meters. meters
- The outside temperature in winter is on average -10 ºC.
- To maintain +20-22ºC in a room with normal thermal insulation, 1.5 kW/hour is required. The heating will operate 7 hours a day.
Taking into account 200 W per 1 meter of length when heating the coolant to 65 ºС (see above), we get 200 W * 16 m = 3200 W or 3.2 kW. Since this flow rate is twice as high (3.2 kW/1.5 kW = 2.1), it is possible to reduce the coolant temperature in the same proportion: 65 ºС / 2.1 = 31 ºС.
Let's calculate the monthly electricity consumption: 1.5 kW/hour * 7 hours. * 30 days = 315 kW. More reliable results are obtained by detailed thermal engineering calculations based on complete initial data on the object.
If we compare the efficiency of heated floors and baseboards, then we can argue, if only for the reason that convectors from the floor immediately heat the air, and part of the warm air from the baseboard is taken over by the outer wall, which is constantly fed by the cold outside.
The heat spent on constant heating of cold external walls is a kind of loss. Is their dryness, lack of mold, and dampness a compensation for this? There is also debate on this issue: some say yes, others point out that the humidity in the room is regulated supply and exhaust ventilation, not heating.
As for the appearance, the baseboard boxes that cover the heating really look beautiful in the interior, but when there is cabinet furniture in the room, problems arise - it is not possible to go around it in front, and behind it the warm air does not have freedom of movement.
And regarding the absolute absence of dust in the air, it is worth objecting - perhaps there is less of it than with air circulation in traditional heating systems, but it is there, since convection is present.
In general, we can conclude that baseboard heating radiators already have buyers, and over time their number will increase. The limiting factor is the excessively high cost of equipment, which is explained by the use of copper, brass, aluminum in production, i.e. expensive materials.
And installation, if you order it from professionals, is not cheap. Skirting pipe routing is the most complex of all available water heating circuits, but there are also many nuances in the assembly of electric baseboards.
Installation of warm baseboard
For installation you will need tools: adjustable wrenches in a set, a drill with an impact function (or a hammer drill), a hammer, wire cutters, pliers, scissors (to cut plastic). A baseboard heating system can be quickly installed if the connection points are prepared in advance.
Even before purchasing the necessary equipment, you need to plan, what power do heating elements need? and how to place them around the perimeter of the room.
Assembling a water heating system
Stage 1. We measure the distance from the point where it will be located distribution manifold, to the location of the plinth. We cut two lengths of the protective pipe and two with an allowance of 20 cm for the connecting pipe. We insert the connector into the protective one, and seal the ends with adhesive tape to protect it from dirt.
Stage 2. We pull the pipes along the floor without tension so that if extensions are necessary, one or more can be laid nearby. We fix it with mounting tapes, cover it with a protective solution, protecting it from damage, and place it in the right place on the wall 6 cm above the floor and 10-15 cm from the edge of the wall or corner, fix it with cement.
Stage 3. After laying the finished floor, we continue work. We glue an insulating strip along the entire length. We stretch the aluminum edge (also along the entire length of the heating), covering the junction of the wall and the floor. Screw it or secure it with adhesive tape or silicone.
Stage 4. We lay a special profile along the top line, put holders on it at a distance of 15 cm from the corners and every 40 cm along the wall.
Stage 5. To connect heating pipes and heating elements, we use couplings with nuts, bushings and gaskets, 90º corner rotary tubes in the corners, 180º end rotary tubes and plugs at the ends. We connect the thermal sections with adapters.
Stage 6. We carefully press the connected heating sections into the holders.We put on decorative panels (attach with screws or snap on) and decorative corner elements. We connect the system to the manifold, fill it with water, and test it at operating and maximum pressure.
Like all collector systems, the heating baseboard requires circulation pump, stimulating the movement of coolant. Without a pump, it is difficult for heated water to circulate along an extended circuit. However, the use of technical devices affects the overall cost of the system.
The plinth will work if all technological operations were performed without violations. If there is a leak, the problematic connections must be tightened with a wrench. The coolant is supplied through the collector by a circulation pump from the boiler or from a general (centralized) heating system.
Electric heating system assembly
For a warm baseboard in the electrical panel you need to make a separate one circuit breaker. Its power is determined by the number of heating modules.
Stage 1. We supply power to the distribution box, which should be near the location of the system at a height of 4-6 cm from the floor.
Stage 2. Apply insulating tape to the wall.
Stage 3. We install the lower aluminum profile (edge) and the upper one, onto which we place holders at the same distance as for the water system - 15 cm from the corners and in increments of 40 cm along the wall. We install a remote thermostat.It should be located at a height of about 1.5 m opposite the system modules and at a distance of at least 2 meters from them.
Stage 4. We insert electric heating elements (heating elements) into the lower pipe of the heating module, secure the modules in the holders so that they do not touch the wall.
The electrical contacts of the heating elements have a thread, two nuts, a retaining ring on a spring, and a heat-shrinkable tube for additional insulation. The modules are connected in parallel using a heat-resistant power cable coated with silicone and heat-resistant up to 180°C.
Stage 5. We close the system with a plastic box on top.
It is best to entrust the connection of the installed heating system to the power supply to an electrical specialist. He will check the reliability of the insulation with measuring instruments, supply electricity and adjust the thermostats.
Design, scope, price
Thin, elegant heaters that harmonize with the overall decor allow you to implement the most non-standard design ideas.
The peculiarity of the baseboard heating system is that it does not take up any free space from the room at all, and can be placed next to furniture, antiques, household appliances, and musical instruments.
The material from which the flooring and walls are made also does not matter - there will be no damage or harm.
A palette of hundreds of colors and shades makes it possible to choose the appearance of the case to your liking. The texture can be a flat and smooth surface or an imitation of granite stone, marble, or wood.
A baseboard radiator will equalize the temperature in colder corner and end rooms; owners of cottages and country houses who want to create an elegant interior in their homes are interested in this technology. And in high-rise buildings, many people want to heat loggias and balconies, and this task is also easily solved using a similar heating scheme.
Wherever baseboard heating is used - in greenhouses and winter gardens, swimming pools and gyms, in museum buildings, concert halls, etc. Panoramic construction is in fashion, but along the wall, which is solid glass, regular radiators you won't put it.
Traditional heating also loses in rooms with high ceilings. No matter how much you heat them with radiators, warm air will still rush up to the ceiling, leaving the lower zone cool, and with the help of a thermal baseboard the situation can be easily corrected.
As for the price, the purchase and installation of warm baseboards is comparable to the cost heated floors. Both will not be cheaper than installing a classic heating system with batteries.
Unfortunately, all energy-efficient devices cannot be called cheap, but the costs are worth it. In order not to overpay, you need to complete the system in advance - each of its elements has its own price. Only a specialist can do this correctly.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Video #1. How a warm baseboard works:
Video #2. Installation of a baseboard heating system:
Let's summarize: a warm baseboard is a new, aesthetic and reliable type of heating equipment that deserves attention.
Would you like to tell us about how you assembled and installed the baseboard radiator? Do you want to share your impressions of using baseboard heating or ask a question? Please write comments in the block below.
I saw such skirting boards at a friend's place in France. To be honest, their winter cannot be compared with ours, but it still seemed cold in the apartment. They are really terribly economical, so they probably turn them on for two hours a day. I don’t understand, by the way, is it regulated according to the set temperature or can you turn on the heating yourself? In Europe, they are used to 20 degrees being the optimal temperature, but for me it’s too cold. But the advantages are still great - for country houses, where it helps combat moisture in the walls, I liked the idea in this regard.
As far as I understand, it is possible to regulate the temperature; the adjustment is made as on conventional radiators using a thermostat. To do this, you need to install a shut-off and control valve on the supply or return line. This is if there is a liquid thermal baseboard. With an electric one, I think everything is clear - there is a thermostat on which you can manually set the desired temperature.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the creators of the “warm baseboard” heating system and inform readers about its high efficiency in heating buildings in the winter.After all, that warm layer that forms between the wall and the air in your room really reliably protects against cooling and allows the heat to remain inside the room. To be honest, I am very glad that I succumbed to my wife’s persuasion and agreed to install this heating system instead of the classic one. In addition to being easy to install, it is also quite economical. And this allows us to save when paying for heating our home.
Works well, warms up. We bought a resale apartment in Moscow with this baseboard as the main heating system. At first I was a little unfaithful. The apartment as a whole was perfect, we bought it in the summer, and here is this plinth. I had never seen him anywhere before. Therefore, you understand, we waited for the season with a beautiful baseboard, without radiators, but a little on the score.
In the end, everything was ok, the betrayal was false. The air is really fresh in the apartment, the humidity in winter is at the level of 47-49 percent, judging by the measurements of the moisture meter, and somehow we have become healthier)
My experience is the opposite. First I bought it, then I started looking into it. I'm not a fan of writing reviews, but for those who doubt it will be useful. I would doubt it too. Everything works well)