no room for radiators...

rocket

We are renovating our kitchen. Galley style with counters on both sides of narrow space with glass doors at one end and open to dining room on the other. Problem: No room for radiators. There is one existing window with an existing radiator that we may/may not keep on the counter wall. Is there a fan convection heater system that works? I've looked at a multi purpose fan convection heater mounted under cabinets in the toe kick area and am considering locating this unit vertically in slots below the counter and on either side of the glass doors to blow heat on the glass. Any other suggestions other than radiant floor heating? Is there such a thing as a below floor radiator?

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Kitchen heat

We once tried a floor convector (finned copper tubing in the floor with a grille over it), but ended up tearing it out; can't get much air flow through the unit, especially when it fills up with dust, marbles and cat food.

Kickspace fan convectors seem like a good idea, but end up not being used because they make so much noise and/or the owners don't like the feel of hot, blowing air.

We usually end up putting a towel warmer in; there's gotta' be room somewhere; perhaps even up high at the end of the galley or secured to the end of the cabinet.

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Mike Reavis_2

Try a radiant ceiling.

They work well.

Robert O'Connor_3

two great suggestions

came up a week or two ago:

Radiant countertops if you're using granite, marble or tile. (Search this site for "radiant countertops")

You can also order custom length panel rads made from just one or 2 tubes from Runtal (2 to 4") and place them under the toe kick area. (www.runtalnorthamerica.com)

If you allow for higher toekick spaces, there are some radiant baseboard that's under an inch thick

http://www.hydronicalternatives.com/html/radiantpanel.html

rocket

great ideas! undercounter radiant heat! I'll have my kids all hanging out and sitting on the counters! thanks

Matt Undy

radient cabinets

I once saw a radiator built into a peninsula cabnet using fin tube baseboard element fed by a slot in the bottom of the back of the cabenets outletting in a gap underneat the front edge of the countertop. Perhaps the same thing could be done routing the air in through the toekick, aorund the back and up the front if the outside wall is insulated and sealed well. Of course this was in the days when site built cabinets were common.

Matt

Rudy

Floor Convectors

They will work but you need to provide for cool air in order to establish a convective current. The dead men knew this. They used under floor radiators to add warmth AND fresh air by ducting them to outside. An element in a sealed up floor box will not create convection. It gets real hot in the box but THE HEAT DOESN"T RISE! I added a baffle to a floor convector in front of a patio door and 'voila'...convection. I sketched this attachment for a guy who wanted to try this with steam.

Toe space heaters really crank the btu's but they are noisy, even on low speed. I always install a shut off switch in the cabinet to bypass the aquastat but it heats up the cabinet with no fan running. On really cold days open the cab and flip the switch. You can even create some convection accross these units by creating some airflow patterns in the toe space of the cabs with some strategically placed intake holes or grilles.