What’s the Right Size Hydronic Baseboard Heater?
When hydronic baseboard heaters make up the heating system of your home, knowing the right heater length needed for warming up each room can sometimes be a mystery.
Or maybe you’re replacing hydronic baseboard heater covers in a historic home and having trouble finding the right sizes.
What's the right size hydronic baseboard heater to heat your space?
We’re here to take the mystery out of hydronic baseboard heat. Finding the right hydronic baseboard heater size is simple with a few calculations and the right resources.
How Much Heat Do You Need?
According to expert plumbers, when installing new hydronic baseboard heat, you’ll need to plan for about 34 BTUs per square foot. That number can change slightly depending on how well the space is insulated and ventilated.
Each linear foot of hydronic baseboard heating puts out about 600 BTUs when the water temperature is at 180 degrees F (see note).
Note: Please contact a plumber experienced with hydronic baseboard heat for further questions.
Calculating the Right Size Hydronic Baseboard Heater
Start by calculating the square footage of your space. Next multiply that by 34 BTUs to determine how many BTUs you need to adequately heat the room. Then divide that by 600 to find out how many linear feet hydronic baseboard heater you need in the room to produce that heat.
For example, a 10 x 10-foot bedroom is 100 square feet, (10 multiplied by 10 = 100) which requires 3,400 BTUs (100 multiplied by 34 = 3,400). You’d need 5.6 feet of baseboard heater to heat the space (3,400 divided by 600 = 5.6).
That’s it! You’ll want to install 5.6 feet of hydronic baseboard heater in the room (see note).
Note: Please contact a plumber experienced with hydronic baseboard heat for further questions.
Sizing for Baseboard Heater Covers
Once you've got the plumbing installed, it's time to turn your attention to the covers. These come in several styles and sizes. Baseboarders® slip on covers are built to fit standard hydronic heat systems.
If you have older hydronic heating, look for a taller cover that accommodates their loftier profile. Baseboarders® offers a tall cover just for this purpose.
There are two categories of sizes, standard and custom:
Standard Size Baseboard Heater Covers
Most baseboard heater covers come in standard lengths, but can be cut to a custom length if needed. At Baseboarders®, our standard sizes are 2, 3, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-foot lengths. For the best results, purchase a cover that is longer than what you require, then cut to the exact length you need. You can also request custom cuts directly from Baseboarders® so all you have to do is install.
For instructions on how to cut Baseboarders® in just a few easy steps you can do yourself, check this out.
How to Cut Baseboard Covers
If you need a baseboard heater cover that is longer than 7 feet, rather than purchasing a 7-foot piece and another shorter piece, we recommend splitting the difference. For example, if you have an 8-foot-long baseboard heater, order two 4-foot pieces.
The two pieces will need to be joined by a coupler and we think it looks best if that coupler falls directly in the middle instead of closer to one end or the other.
Non-Standard Cover Sizes
If you’re retrofitting your home for new covers, and you have non-standard sizes, it might seem like a challenge to find a good fit. However, Baseboarders® is designed to fit over most baseboard heaters, no matter how old. It’s the perfect retrofit solution.
Tall Covers
Our Premium Tall covers have the original styling of our Premium cover, but taller—2 inches to be precise. They come in 2-7' lengths and can be used for straight, inside, or outside corner applications.
Custom Covers
Our Basic, Premium, Elliptus, and Premium Tall styles offer different designs, but each can be customized in color and length. There is no extra charge for cutting custom lengths, but the lead time is a little longer and these panels are not eligible for return.
Ready to replace those baseboard heater covers? Even the difficult sizes are no problem with Baseboarders®. Start shopping today.