radiators to baseboard

wsdave

As a homeowner that has a home with a mix of radiators and baseboard - DON'T DO IT!! Nothin' but troubles that I now have to fix!
Steam is great BUT stay with the radiators or you will surely regret it.
Listen to the pros on this site - I've learned a lot from them!

Dave

scott santos

radiators to baseboards?

Ive just bought a new (old) home that has radiators/steam heat and wish to convert at least some of them to baseboards(to increse living space. Is it even possible to do so? Is the cost great if its a possibility ( I am now resonably poor. Any advice would be graetly appreciated.
Scott

Brad White_55

Why!?

Sorry- moment of denial, anger, bargaining, depression... acceptance is a good ways off, Scott

Cast iron radiators are the past's gift to both the present and future of home heating. Deeply satisfying to bask in their glow, economical to run (the only nice way to go with steam, and great with hot water)...

I urge you to keep them. If you are reasonably poor now, you will be unreasonably poor later. To change this for the sake of floor space (or even for efficiency if that is the only reason) will not yield the payback you may think. Insulating the house, new windows are a better bet by far in that area.

First off, unless the system is falling apart, steam is a great way to go, this from a guy who champions hydronic (hot water) systems. Steam can be made to work reasonably efficiently, fast (I mean fast) and comfortable in a way that I miss from childhood.

Let's fully explore your keeping it steam, floor space issues put aside for now.

Going forward, one thing you do not want to do is mix radiation types (fin tube baseboard and cast iron) on any one zone. Hard to zone steam in most homes. So don't go there yet.

I will stand back, let the shock and grief subside and let others guide you. But steam, if you can keep it, will serve you well.

Plumb Bob

Switching to baseboard would not be an improvement, unless you like your house cold.

ed wallace

steam vs baseboard

please rethink your idea steam radiators is much better then copper baseboard radiators hold the heat for hours baseboard cools off very quickly they have no thermal mass to hold the heat

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Dean_7

steam

As a homeowner with steam heat listen to these guys and keep the steam. It's efficient when operating properly and I have the fuel bills to prove it.