Hydronic Heat Convector - Wall Mount Position

Redrum

Hi;
Follow up to this post: https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/186693/hydronic-panel-with-fan-good-idea-need-recommendations#latest

Quick summary - Western New York - I removed rusted hydronic baseboard radiators from a wet basement, and have since replaced the drain tile, repaired a few cracks and the basement is now dry

The basement is mostly storage and my workshop. In the winter it ranges between say 57-62F without heat. I purchased a Toyotomi HC-190 (hydronic heat convector with fan) to replace the baseboard, for the sole purpose of "taking the chill off" the basement while down there working. So, maybe elevating the temp to 62 or so.

My question/quandry is the vertical position (heigh above floor) to wall mount it. I know ideally from a heat standpoint it would be near the floor. However, when considering work benches, woodworking tools, wood stock on saw horses, things against the wall, etc. It would be much better to mount it up much higher, say above work bench height which would be about 32" - 36". I have alot of stuff in there, too much actually...

Since it has a fan, and is really just to blow hot air into the workspace (not maintain a real constant temperature in, say a living room), I can see nothing wrong with this, but I thought I would reach out to you all to see if I am missing anything

If nothing else, efficiency loss due to height would go to the living area above....

I can send a pic of my messy basement is needed

Jim

hot_rod

If you think of typical unit heaters in shops, they mount T the ceiling. With large enough fans the can circulate. Yours will be limited as the fan is not so powerful, and probably cannot mix the entire space. So I think you know the answer already 😉

Big Ed_4

Yes you have the idea , you can always extend the return down to the floor and divert the supply downward to get closer to ideal ...

EBEBRATT-Ed

Think about filtration and protecting the fan motor from sawdust and regular cleaning

hot_rod

Do you want warm feet, or a warm head?

Redrum

Thanks for all your thoughts. I am thinking that the 3' above the floor is not going to make allot of (noticeable) difference. To begin, with the existing heat in the basement is from above (house). The main cold infiltration is through the basement walls (above the frost line), and I am only trying to bring the temp up a few degrees, so even a space heater would accomplish adding a few degrees to a work area.

I agree with Edebratt-ed's comment on protection. I have a dust collection system for that, but the main reasons for placing it up higher is both so I can have things against the wall below it, and, to protect the heater itself from getting banged into.

An as Big Ed says, I can always move it down.

Thanks all, I was looking for a sanity check, appreciate it.
Jim

retiredguy

I have a 2000 sq ft basement area that is about 60% below grade that is finished with wall insulation and drywall. The winter temp is around 65 degrees all winter long. I have to say that I am adding a little heat using a few ceiling registers from my forced air furnace. That said, if I want to raise the temp of the basement, I plug in 2- 1500 watt portable heaters and run them a couple hours to get the temp up to about 70 degrees F. They sit on the floor but the temp between the floor and ceiling seems to be about the same. I live about 30 miles north of Pgh., Pa so my winter temp is probably similar to yours. I do not think that having the heaters sit on the floor or at 3-4 feet above the floor will make much difference.

If that were my basement I would consider insulating the walls with about 1" of a styrofoam type material and add either some baseboard radiation or a couple of cast iron rads that I picked up from an HVAC company or a recycle yard. Set the zone thermometer at the setting of your choice. this will not raise your heating bill very much and will also ad a little heat to the upstairs since the floors will now be a little warmer.

Redrum

Thanks rg,

I think we are a bit colder, but no matter. Yes, I do not have any insulation below the sill plates actually, and it would make sense to add some, but how I got to where I am kind of dictates my path forward minimizing work and expense.

I had a crudely "finished basement" that I ripped out due to moisture damage due to leaking cracks, and primarily leaking between the foundation footer and basement floor. I also had (seperate zone) baseboard runs that did the job, but the enclosures were destroyed from the moisture. So I pulled everything out (what a mess) and addressed the basement moisture problem with crack repairs, new drain tile, sump and pump.

When I did this I added a supply and return ball valve on the basement zone to basically turn off that zone until I added something new (without taking down boiler). As you know, hydronic isn't exactly on demand, so I decided on the toyotomi because of the fan, and also the "single unit" design (I have used panel radiators elsewhere, and like 'em).

The work ahead is to mount it to the wall, run the pex, hook up to the ball valves, done.

I realize that adding insulation would be a smart thing, but the thought of the work and associated expense is intimidating (I believe that you have to cover the foam with something like cement board, drywall, etc??)

Jim