I've done plenty of plumbing over the years, but haven't worked on my boiler other then to bleed off the air years ago.

I want to remove the kitchen baseboard and not replace it.
I want to know if it's safe to remove it and hook it back into the return.

Picture 1 is the feed (on top) from the bathroom to the kitchen and the return to the boiler (on bottom).

Picture 2 is the feed up to the kitchen (on top) this is a straight pipe from picture 1. Bottom is the return and it's just a straight pipe to picture 1.

Picture 3 is the return from the kitchen to the return to the Boiler. It has a drain and a shutoff. Should I move both of these (shutoff and drain) to were I want it to be in picture 1?

Also, does it matter that the return will be closer to the boiler it's about 12' closer?

http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture1.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture2.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture3.jpg

Thanks,
Joe

 

Joe, I haven't looked at your pics yet, but...

If you remove the baseboard from the kitchen, how are you going to heat the room ?

going to look at pics now...

Is this system ZONED ?

If so, is the kitchen on a zone all by itself ? OR are there other baseboards installed that are in SERIES with the ones you wish to remove ?

If there are no other baseboards that depend on this piping being connected together and coming back to the boiler, you might just be able to cut and cap the pipes.

In other words, if the kitchen baseboard is the only thing on that particular heating loop, you might not need,or even WANT to return it to the boiler...

Need more info ... and more pics of the whole system would be a good idea also.

 

Joe, if I correctly interpreted the labels in your pictures you will need to connect the supply that you cut off of the kitchen heater to the line that was connected to the return from the kitchen heater. It appears to me that the kitchen heater IS in series with some other heater and if you don't supply the next heater down the line you won't have any heat on that heater.

 

NJ Thanks,

I'll get more pictures later today.
It's one zone (one thermostat). Taking out the eat in kitchen and replacing with just cabinets. There is a kick plate heater going in under two cabinets. They are electric.
I can see the feed from the boiler to the back bedrooms (1st floor) Looks like it splits and goes in two directions (picture to come) from the back bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen to the return. That is how it looks to me. Again I 'll take more pictures...

Thanks again, Joe

 

Joe, trace out the piping, and just make sure that you won't be 'short circuiting' anything by tying the supply and return together, and that all the other heaters will still get their water. Otherwise, I don't think you will have any problem with what you propose.

What you _might_ have a problem with is heating the kitchen. You are installing two electric toe kick heaters to replace the baseboard...

How much baseboard are you removing ?

How many BTU are the toe kicks rated for ?

You need to install enough BTU to replace what you remove.

Pendo, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to move your thread out to it's own ... this could get confusing fast ...

 

From what it looks like to me the feed comes out of the furnace goes to the outer wall of my bedrooms and splits one goes to the front bedroom the other to the back bedroom.
I've only traced out the back bedroom. From the back bedroom it goes to the bathroom. From the bathroom it comes from the outer wall of the house to the center of the house where the return is (Picture 1) from there it goes up to the kitchen (picture 2) then returns to the return (picture 3).

Here are more pictures:
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture4.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture5.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture6.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/picture7.jpg

The electrician that is installing the toe kicks said I only need two heaters. I'm taking his word for it.

 

Personally, I wouldn't ... he's an electrician, hot a heating designer ! (you can say that in McCoy's voice if you want to...)

How many feet of baseboard are you removing ? Figure 550 BTU/FT for the baseboard.

Look at the specs on the toe kicks and see if the BTU's match.

 

Just to be sure, I'm removing 12' so that is 6600 BTU's -- correct? Thanks for all your help.

 

Yep, that's what I get ... so as long as the two kickers combined give you at least that much, you shouldn't feel any difference. I'm not real sure why you didn't choose hydronic toe kicks though, since the piping is already there... and it wouldn't kick up yer electric bill ... but it is what it is ...

 

NJ,
I'm getting the electric toe kicks and installation free... he owes me. Also, my wife like the idea of being able to turn off the electric heater when she cooks. She always complains it's too hot in the kitchen in the winter.

Thanks for all your help,
Joe

 

Hi, this forum was from a while ago but I found it looking for information on moving, removing or finding an alterative for my hot water baseboard heating system that's in my kitchen.

The heaters are 'L' shaped along two walls - connected. They prohibit me from adding needed cabinets and re-configuring the placement of my appliances. I need the heat in there (I think - it's a small condo with heaters right outside the entrance, it's an alley kitchen style) so I found your discussion about replacing with hydoponic toe kicks.

What are those and how are they installed with the cabinets? Who do I need to hire to take care of all of this? My sted dad is amazing and could install of the kitchen cabinets, etc. Do I need a plumber to convert the baseboard heaters to toe kicks? Just looking for some direction to get this project started...