boost basebaord output with fan?

Chuckles_3

I was looking to increase the radiation in our kitchen, which has no space for any more baseboard. I came across this "hydronic toe-kick fan convector" at
http://www.houseneeds.com/shop/HeatingProducts/heatingunits/fanconvectors/myson/mysontoekick.htm
(photo below).

This got me thinking...if a 18" wide hydronic unit can put out over 10,000 BTU (about as much as 17 feet of baseboard) just by using a fan, why can't I boost my existing baseboard the same way?

Of course, it woud have to blow air along a long narrow baseboard, which may not be so easy. Is there such a thing as a forced-air booster for baseboard (we have Burnham Baseray)?

hr

Seems you will

transfer more btus with forced convection at the point you install the fan. What about the baseboard element down stream from that fan. It will see much lower temperatures and lower output.

No free lunch, increase the flow rate or temperature, or both, to increase output

hot rod

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Weezbo

in Alaska,say in a log cabin with sliders,

in the floor ,just under the space in front of the 6 foot glass door some times we install a piece of tin with base board/convector in it at the carpet or floor level we install forced air grills, this allows you to clean it periodically..i have seen some much older work where they did the same and placed a cheapo fan in the box,reasoning any cold air falling into the box gets whisteled right across the convector...how many btus increase? it would take a pencil and lots of paper to figure:) however it indeed does work much better than a passive designe...perhaps there is something in the information you may apply in your instance.

.

When you say there is "no free lunch", I hope you are not suggesting that if there is a fan, the water temperature will drop downstream such that the BTU output will drop or remain the same!

The total delta-T determines the total output. If the water returns cooler (at some fixed flow rate), there is more BTU output.

hr

My thought

was if you install a forced convection in the beginning or middle of a baseboard zone, you will move more heat off the element. But if you have addition footage on that zone beyond the point where the fan is added the remaining baseboards will recieve a lower temperature and have a lower BTU/ foot output. If, for example, that loop continues on to a dining or living room baseboards, the kitchen will be warmer but you will reduce the output to any baseboard beyond the fan installation, on that loop. So you may increase the output in the kitchen, at the expense of the rooms downstream.

If in fact you only have one baseboard on that zone or loop, in the kitchen,then a fan, if you install it to pull the cool air and pass it over the warm elements will increase the output as you see the kickspace spec show.
Seems rare to see just one baseboard on a loop or zone, but maybe that is what you have?

If it is only one baseboard in the kitchen, on the loop or zone, why not just swap a kick space or wall cabinet heater for the baseboard.

Or add some floor radiant

Kitchens on outside wall pose a challange for baseboard. Hard to find enough footage often times for the baseboard. I suspect the kick space heaters were developed specfically for this.

hot rod

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Boiler Guy

Convector Question

I am looking for a small steam convector with a fan (appx6-8K Btuh) to install at ceiling level in a basement suite. Any Ideas?