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Kitchen addition -cast-iron radiators to kick space/baseboard

Nancy, It's hard to say for sure without seeing layout of room.Most of the time thier isn't enough wall space left for baseboard.Most jobs I have done like yours would be a kickheater, or a nice wallmount cabinet with a blower which is quieter than a kickspace and big enough for space and yes it would be a new zone.Did a $10000.00 kitchen rehab.last year this way and works great using two wall mounts. Hope this helps!

Comments

  • John_3
    John_3 Member Posts: 6


    We have added an addition to our kitchen. We live in CT, and our home is heated by a fairly new gas-fired hot water system and cast-iron radiators. We do not want to keep the radiator and want to go with either a kick-space heater(s) or baseboard.

    My question is: Can you mix cast-iron with baseboard/kickspace without adding a second zone?
    If so what do we need to do?

    Are there products that would make this feasible?

    The area is approx 290 sq.ft. with 9' ceilings. (2)2x3
    Velux skylights ,(2)3x4 insulated windows, (1)2x4 window and (1)36" exterior door. Walls, floor and ceiling have an R-30 rating,

    If anyone would like to give me a bid for this work, I am all ears.

    Thanks,
    Nancy
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
    No copper

    Nancy I allways try to not match cast iron radiators with copper finned tube or toespace heaters, we try to keep these different materials apart. Some times it can't be done. In those situations we make sure the owner knows that they have different characteristics that make them heat differently.

    What I am saying Nancy is that in my opinion if you want to use copper or a toespace heater, make it a seperate zone.

    The Rads will heat slowly and retain heat longer and that is not how copper finned baseboard works. It's more of an on/off style. In the trades its called bang/bang, as in bags its on, bang its off.

    Toespace heaters have a thermostatic switch thats turns on the blower when the hot water reachs the unit. If the rads before it suck up all the heat it takes to long to turn on, or never at all. A good heating man can order a lower temp switch and that may do the trick.

    Now if you have the room , panel radiators ( Runtal, Buderus or Myson are a few ) will much better on the same zone as cast iron. They have a little more mass and will retain heat better.

    Just my opinion, Good Luck.

    Scott

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  • would anything stop a really nice looking panel radiator from

    being mounted on the cieling the way old steam wall radiators were sometimes done when there was no other space available? just curious, never tried it but it would be a handy trick to have available. anyones thoughts?
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