mud room heating feedback

7 years ago

My HVAC guy is recommending an electric toe kick heater for my 10x6 mud room. It would go in bottom stair riser ( electric coming from behind the stairs where the crawl space is accessed). Carpet would have to come off the bottom riser to make it safe. Any thoughts ? I have struggled with what to do to make this space off GR kitchen that leads to basement/garage/backdoor less miserable in the winter. Keeping the toe kick on 50 degrees is the best option it seems but would love to see what others think of his idea.

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PRO

Austin Air Companie

7 years ago

But he wanted to put it at the bottom step of the first set of stairs down. So it would blow on the landing.

How do you plan to control it? Most of these have controls on the physical unit so having it that low in the toe kick of the stairs would mean having to bend over all the time. If you're young no big problem, but you won't be young forever. (I know some of these may come with a remote of some kind, but you'll lose / misplace the remote if that's the case.)

Heat rises naturally so while you get heat on the landing it mostly gets trapped on that upper level. (you said your goal was to operate this at 50 degrees) If the unit is on the side wall at the lower second stair level it has the benefit of drawing colder air into the unit. (cold air falls)

Plus putting it in the toe kick requires more work. The carpeting for one... then the look of it every time you come in the door. Always have to think about the day in which you plan to sell it.

If you're concerned with the amount of heat you could spend around another $20 and go for the 1500 watt model. Given your goal of 50 degrees I think the 1000 watt should be fine under most conditions.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Austin Air Companie
7 years ago
I think this model of wall heater would work well for this space. I would place it on the lower wall on hand rail side. It looks like it would fit well. At just under 18" X 18".

If electrical run is prohibitive on handrail side you could always place it opposite the handrail on the wall.

1000 Watt Electric Wall Mount Heater
- 120-Volt 1000-Watt model
- Must be hard-wired into a 120-Volt circuit with 15 Amp circuit breaker and 12 AWG wire
- Heat output is 3412 BTU/hour approximately equivalent to 4 ft. of baseboard
- Operation is silent and draft-free
- Built-in overheat protection
- Frost protection setting maintains room above freezing temperatures
I think 1000 watts should be more than enough to do what you want for this space. But... where is this located? What are the outdoor temps?
laurienj9
Original Author
7 years ago
Does that mean you think the toe kick heater is a bad idea? This in in the northeast, and it gets pretty cold in there. Mu HVAC guy does not like the wall heater idea because of the electrical and the location. He felt neither were great for a wall mount.
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sktn77a
7 years ago
Didn't you post this same question recently? None of those answers worked?
laurienj9
Original Author
7 years ago
yes I have posted on this before, I've been trying to fix this issue for a while. (last time around people suggested storm doors & better window.. But I'm looking to add some sort of heat source). That's why I'm hoping for specific feedback on this proposed solution-- the idea of a toe kick heater. Does that raise any red flags for the pros on this site?
mike_home
7 years ago
"My HVAC guy does not like the wall heater idea because of the electrical and the location."

I don't understand the logic behind this comment. The toe kick heater also needs an electric wire connection. If you have to run a new electric service, then what difference does it make?

Which you install the toe kick at the very bottom of the stairs? If you did the warm air would blow into the door. Not a very efficient way to distribute the heat. The wall heater would be mounted higher and do a better job heat distribution.
mtvhike
7 years ago
How about an electric radiant heater pad, such as for a bathroom?
laurienj9
Original Author
7 years ago
Doing radiant heat would mean tearing up the floor, right? And I really don’t want to do that. I’m asking HVAC guy to come back for another consult about why toe kick versus wall. Something about the tie kick doesn’t feel right to me. But he wanted to put it at the bottom step of the first set of stairs down. So it would blow on the landing.
sktn77a
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
If it is compatible with your local and national code requirements, then I'd say go for it. I would put it on the bottom most stair toe kick, down by the door. The heat will rise up the stairwell to the ceiling - you might want to add a small ceiling fan to circulate it back down.

Alternatively, you could put a wall heater in the middle elevation, under the mirror.