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Hot water baseboard heating systems
circulate hot water through heating circuits in the home. Hot water baseboard
heating systems provide steady warm heat to a room via convection / radiant
heating and are ideal for people with allergies. Unlike hot air heating systems,
hot water baseboard heating systems, a.k.a. hydronic heating systems, do not blow air around the room. Instead hot
water is quietly circulated through hot water baseboard heating elements that
radiate heat outwards into a room.
Hot water baseboard heating systems
consist of several key components. |
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At the heart of a hot water
baseboard heating system is a hot water boiler. The boiler heats up water and via
circulator pumps the hot water is circulated through hot water baseboard
heating circuits, or zones. On each circuit, or zone, there is a ring of
copper tubing with hot water baseboard heating elements interspersed around it.
Typically the baseboard heating elements are located under windows and along
exterior walls. The circulator pump, along with a zone valve and a
thermostat control the flow of hot water though the heating zone.
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When the thermostat is set to a
higher temperature, the zone valve opens up and the circulator pump turns on and
begins to circulate hot water through the hot water baseboard heating system.
Depending upon the size of the
home, and the amount of heating control desired, there can be one to several
separate heating zones in a home. With a hot water baseboard heating system,
each heating zone has its own thermostat control and zone valve.
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In some cases each zone may have
its own separate circulator pump, and in other cases there may be just one
common circulator pump for multiple zones.
Hot water baseboard heating systems
are powered by oil, natural gas, propane or electric.
Hot Water
Baseboard Heating System Drawbacks
Hot water baseboard heating
systems have a few drawbacks. First, hot water baseboard heating elements
have to be installed all around the exterior walls of the home. Besides
taking up space, they can also be non eye appealing to many.
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Second, they take time to warm
up. It can take several minutes for the hot water to circulate around the
heating zone and warm up the hot water baseboard heating elements.
Third, if in the rare event a
leak occurs in the hot water baseboard heating system, e.g. a heating
element, water damage to the home is possible.
Fourth, if the hot water
baseboard heating system’s pipes were to freeze, due to a loss of power for
example, the pipes could burst causing water damage to the home.
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Photo By Mark Donovan |
Finally, a hot water baseboard
heating system is more expensive to install than a hot air heating system.
Hot Water
Baseboard Heating System Benefits
Though there are some drawbacks
to a hot water baseboard heating system it is still one of the most common
forms of home heating today. Unlike hot air heating systems they do not
create drafts, circulate dust and allergens, or dry out the air in the home.
Secondly the warmth radiated from hot water baseboard heating elements is
steady and uniform so it is a much more comfortable heat. Third, hot water
baseboard heating systems are quite. Unlike hot air systems there are no
loud fans and blowers or whooshing sounds of air blowing around a room.
So if you are contemplating a new
home heating system spend some time looking at hot water baseboard heating
systems. For many the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
For information on
Restoring Baseboard Heating Element Covers, see the
Restoring Baseboard Heating Element Covers Ebook from
HomeAdditionPlus.com. The Restoring Baseboard Heating Element
Covers Ebook provides easy to understand, step-by-step instructions, on how to
restore Baseboard Heating Element Covers so that they look new again. Pictures are included for every key step in the process.
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For information on maximizing your
wood stove’s home heating efficiency see
the “Installation
of Hood over Wood Stove Ebook”.
Books on Hot Water Baseboard Heating Systems from Amazon.com
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