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Hiding baseboard piping

Saggs
Saggs Member Posts: 174
in THE MAIN WALL
Ive got to do an install in a nice older cape style home 1930's with one zone of BB on the 2nd floor. Very limited with where to run feed and return from basement. Is there anything other than blank enclosures that would work to conceal the piping as it travels from one room to another. The enclosures look kinda cheesy when you get too much of it. Thanks

Comments

  • Joe Brix
    Joe Brix Member Posts: 626
    Not easy

    If you're using PEX, you might fish the return behind a wall or under a floor, but you know a stud or floor joist will get in your way. Not worth cutting up a wall to fish PEX through. Maybe tuck the tubing behind some nice tall baseboard moulding? I've also looped back within the enclosure so that feed and return loops through the same hole in the wall or floor.
  • Saggs
    Saggs Member Posts: 174


    I'm using copper to connect on BB to another in series from room to room. I didnt know if there was somthing different on the market to cover or hide this piping as it goes from room to room. I know we could build a "soffit" of sorts to hide it but that can be alot of work.
  • toearly_2
    toearly_2 Member Posts: 78


    What kind of floor covering on the second floor ?

    David

    > I'm using copper to connect on BB to another in

    > series from room to room. I didnt know if there

    > was somthing different on the market to cover or

    > hide this piping as it goes from room to room. I

    > know we could build a "soffit" of sorts to hide

    > it but that can be alot of work.


  • Saggs
    Saggs Member Posts: 174


    Its all old hardwood flooring with a few area rugs if I can recall correctly. What are you thinking?
  • toearly_2
    toearly_2 Member Posts: 78


    What we have done in the past in homes that have carpet.

    Remove carpet.Cut subfloor as needed. Install all needed pipes and tstat wires. You can reach the floor you are working on as well as the floor below. With the floor below you will drop down into existing walls.

    Reinstall subfoor and have the carpet guys come in and install new padding and reinstall carpet.

    You can use soft copper or pex. A fishtape and any other means you can think of to push and pull pipe.

    I have converted about a dozen homes from electric to Hot Water this way. It takes a little time but when you are done there are no exposed pipes and no blanks on the wall.

    David

    > Its all old hardwood flooring with a few area

    > rugs if I can recall correctly. What are you

    > thinking?


  • Joe Brix
    Joe Brix Member Posts: 626
    BB purchased already?

    Yo might want to look at some low profile BB from sterling. I don't find it as glaring to the eye on a long open wall.
  • Saggs
    Saggs Member Posts: 174


    That's a good suggetion Dave, I may try that route, now I will need to figure in the added labor and parts needed to do it that way.
  • toearly_2
    toearly_2 Member Posts: 78


    Saggs

    Saggs
    Heat for one level of home

    Fold back carpet

    Cut sub floor down center of home. We would fish to the outside walls

    Remove electric heat

    Cut molding

    Install BB

    Fish ,Pipe and and trim BB

    Two zones

    Two Tstats

    All piped to boiler location

    Would average two men for 40 hours for a total of 80 man hours.

    We would complete one room at a time and then move on to the next. Subfloor was always placed back at night and carpeted was folded back down.

    Drop me an email if I can be of further help

    David

  • Saggs
    Saggs Member Posts: 174


    What would you suggest if there's no carpet or its all exposed hardwood flooring?
  • toearly_2
    toearly_2 Member Posts: 78


    Can the flooring be removed ?

    Can you drop down from the attic into a partion ?

    Can the existing base moulding be removed ( If it is high enough ) lines run behind and then have the moulding reinstalled to cover ?

    Sometimes there is not much one can do

    David


    > What would you suggest if there's no carpet or

    > its all exposed hardwood flooring?


  • Saggs
    Saggs Member Posts: 174


    removing the existing base molding may work then rout out a slot for the piping if its thick enough. Do you think freezing may be a problem if it's minus 20 outside? Maybe I could just run them around 3-4ft high and call them clothes dryers/window security bars.
  • toearly_2
    toearly_2 Member Posts: 78


    Saggs

    If the pipe is exposed to freezing temps you will have to insulate and antifreeze..



    > removing the existing base molding may work then

    > rout out a slot for the piping if its thick

    > enough. Do you think freezing may be a problem if

    > it's minus 20 outside? Maybe I could just run

    > them around 3-4ft high and call them clothes

    > dryers/window security bars.


This discussion has been closed.

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