Electric Baseboard?

realolman

that an electric baseboard thermostat would usually be line voltage... it breaks the voltage and the current that comes from the breaker and actually operates the baseboard... probably 220 volts ac.

probably a good indicator is the size and type of wires. 24 volt thermostat wires would be a little larger, but similar to telephone wires.

220 volt wires would probably be about the size of a wooden pencil lead.

I hope you have some idea what you're doing, as the 220 would knock you on your anus and burn you.

Bill Burbage

Electric Baseboard?

We just moved into a house about a year ago. The house was built in the 1950's and has three heating zones, cooling is via window units.

My question is in regards to the family room, which seems to be a fairly new addition and has it's own zone. We initially thought it was electric baseboard but are now questioning that. It's currently regulated via an old mercury thermostat and we're looking to replace it with an electric programmable thermostat.

The first thing I did after taking off the existing faceplate was to test for electric current, which I didn't get a reading on. Then I turned off the circuit and removed the old unit, so now I just had wires. I flipped back on the circuit and tested for electricity again... nothing. I even tested with a couple other standard meters and still got nothing. Then I took a leap of faith (I had a few people around) and touched the wire with my hands and even touched them together... nothing. So I just put the old one back up and here I am writing this posting.

My question... is there a specific form of electric baseboard thermostat I should be looking for (millivolt?)?

Any help would be appreciated.

Unknown

It may

have one of these on it somewhere. They take a little time to "make".
As realolman stated, be very careful!
Relay

Dave

Ken_40

Take a flashlight...

And look down near either end of the fins within the baseboard "cabinet." If you see a dark copper pipe at the center of all those ultra-thin aluminum "fins," and the dark copper tube is about the diameter of your thumb, it is probably hot water baseboard.
A really simple testwould be to turn it on during a warm day when there is no hot water use in any sink/tub.

If the boiler fires up or things near the boiler go "click-click" within 90 seconds of pushing the 'stat up to very high - yo have hot water baseboard.

If however you look at the electric meter and while someone turns the 'stat down - and then up on cue from the meter observers yell, and you see a dramatic increase in "spin rate," you have electric baseboard.

Do both so you'll know for sure.

When you find out, report back here and we'll hold your hand for the next part.

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Bill Burbage

It's definitely electric. I turned up the thermostat, the boiler didn't turn on and the heat started coming up pretty quick. After that I shut it back down, took a look inside the end of the baseboard cabinet and there's only electrical contacts feeding into the heating cabinet, no copper tubing for hot water.

If it helps, the baseboard unit is a Fahrenheat, model #F2546NWC.