Homeowner question - oil heat conversion

Paul Fredricks_9

It can be done that way, or separate pipes coming up through the floor into each room, though on the second floor that really isn't feasible. Either way it would still be one loop, one zone. Yes, it is possible to zone each room separately, but the cost is much higher without any real advantage, in my opinion.

Note that only some of the baseboard will have heat producing fins in them. The rest will have a dummy baseboard casing to hide the pipe as it travels to the next room. This is done quite often and is fine.

Plowguy

homeover needs advice

Is it acceptable to run single loop of piping to satisfy hotwater baseboard on the second floor of a cape cod style home? We are hoping to switch from electric baseboard to oil fired hot water baseboard. The contractor came over last night and said he would run a single line up into one bedroom around the whole room, through the bathroom into the second bed room and back down. Basically a single loop. Does that raise any red flags? I am only a homeowner and need some help. Thank you.

Plowguy

Thank you. That makes perfect sense now.

joel_19

1 loop

We have alot of electric homes here and do that all the time it works fine as long as you follow two rules.

1. The water temp drops going around the loop so you have to compensate for that by having more finned pieces in the last rooms on the loop. Particuarly true if it works out that the last rooms are the coldest rooms to begin with. (your contractor won't know this if you don't tell him!!! Gotta be a team effort.

2. You do not exceed the maximum amount of length/heat carrying capability of the pipe. Unless your cape is gynormus standard 3/4 pipe will do handles most of them around here.

Sissy

As a general rule of thumb, don't exceed 65 feet of ELEMENT in a single 3/4 baseboard loop. Most standard capes don't.