Comparing Convection And Hydronic Baseboard Heaters
Baseboard heaters are a common heating solution for smaller homes and apartments that do not have the space or infrastructure to install a central forced air system. Baseboard heaters can be broadly divided into two main categories: convection and hydronic. While both provide heating directly to the area around them in a similar manner, their use of different heating elements means that each has a distinct set of advantages and drawbacks. Understanding what the differences are between these types of baseboard heaters can help you choose the one that is the closest fit for your heating needs.
Convection Baseboard Heaters
Convection baseboard heaters make use of a metal heating element which heats up rapidly when an electric current is passed through it, which then warms up the surrounding air and begins to distribute itself around the room naturally. The main advantage of convection baseboard heaters is the fact that they are extremely inexpensive to purchase initially, making them easy to fit into even the tightest of budgets. Further, since there are no moving parts or any potential components that could leak out, convection heaters are very reliable.
However, convection heaters can be expensive to use, since they tend to be inefficient in their production of heat. Further, the heating element will not hold onto heat for a while after the unit is turned off, which means that they constantly need to be turned on to maintain a stable temperature – further driving up operation costs and offsetting the low initial price point of convection heaters.
Hydronic Baseboard Heaters
Hydronic baseboard heaters are filled with water or a non-flammable liquid which acts as the heating element instead of the metal found in convection heaters. The main advantage of this is that the heating element in hydronic heaters will hold onto residual heat for an extended period of time after the unit has been turned off, saving energy and reducing your overall energy bill over time.
However, hydronic heaters are not very responsive and can take a while to heat up, which can leave you shivering for a while. Further, they are much more expensive to purchase, which means that larger apartments and homes may find that purchasing the proper number of hydronic heaters to heat the entirety of their living space is prohibitively expensive. Finally, physical damage to hydronic heaters can lead to the water or oil leaking out, which means that the entire unit will need to be replaced.
Visit a heating services company like Falcon Fuel to learn more.
Share
