Creative heating solutions/installation ideas wanted (long)

18 years ago

I am looking to heat what has proved to be a difficult room. When I rennovated the house, the room did not have enough continuous wall space for a complete perimeter baseboard heat(1st floor over crawlspace).

problem 1. I have two sit-in bay windows. The plumber placed a toe kick heater under each bays. The thought was that one would not burn themselves on the baseboard heat and only a gentle heat would hit your legs when sitting there. The wall is bay, door, bay. We are looking to remove the door, so I am now considering putting baseboard along the length and removing the toe kicks. I thought if I could use standard Big Box Slant fin baseboard and install it in wall, then cover with custom wood trim with a gap under and over, that I might get something closer to what I want. The wood would prevent burns, and installing in-wall would make it less intrusive, lower profile.

problem 2. I want to install built-ins along the length of another wall. This wall has baseboard heat. I do not want to use toe kicks. What are some other solutions for heating with cabinets?

Solutions do not need to be out of box, I am handy and could fabricate something if it makes sense.

There is of course the option to tear up the floor and put in Radiant. But the finished floors are 100 year old pine and not sure they would survive. They are beautiful. Staple up won't work as the subfloor is 3" boards. Yup, 3", it's an old barn.

I also looked at low profile heating element, but they do not produce enought BTU (runtal, etc)

Has anyone seen or done anything different for heat? Please share!

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Comments (7)

zl700
18 years ago
Why are you saying staple up won't work with a 3" floor?
Radiant works in 8" of concrete. The right combo of flow rate, temp, tube size, spacing, transfer plates & insulation any floor can be handled.

If 100% of the floor can't meet room BTU requirements, then supplemental could be added of any type, perhaps a radiant panel?
jamesbodell
Original Author
18 years ago
From what I read, wood tends to act as an insulator. I think it would be inefficient to try and heat through it. Concrete passes heat more readily, and is a much better medium. I have briefly thought about pulling the floors, back filling and pouring a slab as the floor with radiant heat installed. I think that is a bit extreme, however. Plus, to many utilities run through the space.
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zl700
18 years ago
Wood is a lousy insulator as compared to padding and carpet that can work with radiant just fine if adjusted for in calcs.

Wood is still a mass as long as heat is transfered properly
fsq4cw
18 years ago
HowÂs about an LG ÂArt CoolÂ mini split system HP, so that the ÂventÂ is disguised as a photograph or a piece of artwork?

SR

Here is a link that might be useful: LG - Art Cool
jamesbodell
Original Author
18 years ago
I have a 2 year old high efficiency boiler. The solution will have to be hydronic.
mr_havac
18 years ago
wianno, are you using either natural or LP gas? If so have you ever heard of direct vent gas baseboard heat? Google Cozy heaters and have a look.
jamesbodell
Original Author
18 years ago
I have not seen those. Thanks for the suggestion. I am looking to hide or decrease the foot print of the heaters elements, not change them out.

For example, using slant fin, lay them around the room perimeter. Where they hit a stud, cut the fins with tin snips so the center pipe lays flush with the studs. Then back each bay with a metal reflector. Use plastic pipe hangers (called mickeys?) to suspend the heaters. Then I could build wood boxes with a gap along the floor and a gap along the wall so the heat can move through them.

I also thought about using a radiator panel.

Again, thinking of something creative. However, if I go through this much effort, maybe installing radiant in floor may be worth the effort...