Convection Vs Hydronic Electric Baseboard Heaters

Hydronic electric baseboard heaters vs standard.

Convection vs hydronic electric baseboard heaters.

Electric baseboard heaters provide an economical secondary heat source for primary hvac systems. Hot water baseboard heaters are a more cost efficient alternative to electric baseboard heaters. The liquid might take longer to warm up than the regular electric heating elements but once it does it stays warm for a long period of time with minimal energy. If you are thinking about getting a hot water baseboard heater you should consider its pros and cons.

After that we have an extensive list of important features to look for in a baseboard heater. The element spreads heat to the surrounding air through metal fins attached to the element. A standard electric baseboard generates heat when electricity passes through a heating element. These baseboard heaters employ hot water instead of electricity.

Or they can act as the primary heat for peripheral spaces like cabins basements or additions. Convection heater the greatest advantage of convection baseboard heaters is the low purchase cost. Hydronic baseboard heaters like the fahrenheat plf1004 use a liquid heating element that keeps the surface of the unit cooler compared to conventional baseboard heaters. Luckily these features can be found on both kinds of heaters.

Measuring 46 inches long with 1 000 watts of power this baseboard heater is a reliable heat source. This is a hydronic heater so it s filled with liquid. In the first part of this article we ll go over a few differences between hydronic and standard electric baseboard heaters. Hydronic baseboard heaters have the encased electric heating element completely submerged in water a heat transfer liquid that provides thermal mass.

While both may run on standard ac electrical current hydronic heaters use radiant heat while electric baseboard units are of the convection variety. With softheat the heating element is enclosed in a copper tube that s filled with a non toxic mineral oil. Hydronic heaters will cost about four times more than the corresponding convection baseboard heater. Rarely are they used as the only heat source except in some warmer climates where additional heat is rarely needed.

Marley s hydronic baseboard heater is capable of producing 1 250 watts of heat and it needs a 220 volt electric circuit.