Another Electric Heating Option:

mdshunk

Electric cove heating.

I got a brochure from these guys the other day. It looks like something I'll be able to use a few times a year. Sometimes the customer wants electric heat, but they don't have enough wallspace at the baseboard to dedicate to it. Sometimes in-ceiling radiant heat goes bad. This product might be just what the doctor ordered. Comes in different colors too. The only drawback that I can see at the moment is that it has a slightly lower watt density when compared with typical baseboard.

http://www.radiantsystemsinc.com/

B-MAN

I install radiant cove heating at least twice a week it is an amazing heater. The reason that it has a lower watt density is that they heat the object or person not like the typical baseboard heater which heats the air. Also much more efficient and safer.

mdshunk

I'm glad to hear that. It makes me feel even better about my decision to try to use it if the situation makes it worthwhile.

B-Man, is the one I linked to the one you use? If not, what do you use? Honestly, I never heard of cove heating until I got the brochure the other day.

B-MAN

I've always used Comfort Cove Brand the same one as your brochure. Up here we use them as the primary heat source with a fossil fuel back-up. The nice thing about cove heaters is that they radiate heat to the floor and keep it warm which also makes them great for cold basements. One thing that I have noticed is that the pure white color develops a tan stripe where the element is but I have never seen it on the off white color.

Mike Finley

What kind of horse sh!t is this? (taken from their website)

Unless this is heating with a microwave coil inside it and irradiating everything, how is any different then an electric baseboard heater that is on the floor and uses convection to create air currents to move the heat? I'm not expert on HVAC, but "radiant" heat this isn't. Radiant heat like in a floor creates a huge heating surface. This looks like an electric baseboard heater stuck up under the ceiling.

mdshunk

Mike, a baseboard heater is radiant heat also. There is a difference, in hvac terms, between direct and indirect radiation. Resistance heat is direct radiation.

Mike Finley

Maybe so, but what is the difference between this product and an electric base board heater?

mdshunk

This one is prettier high up on the wall. Otherwise, they are identical, save the noted watt density difference.

Mike Finley

Okay, my misconception then, from the way b-man was describing it and the hype on their website I was under the impression there was something revolutionary in the design of their product.

mickeyco

It looks like it has a magnetron. Not only will it heat the people in the room it could also be an effective form of birth control.

Mike Finley

Okay, so is it something revolutionary or not? And more importantly can you pop a bag of popcorn with it?

mickeyco

Add a capacitor and transformer and it will cook popcorn, but no it's nothing revolutionary, I jut added the magnetron as a joke, I got the same impression as you when I looked at their website, then I found their cut-away and saw it was a standard heater. It's nice looking and the wall mount is a might be good feature , but I gotta think that since heat rises and aside from keeping a hot surface away from kids and pets the only benefit would be if you didn't have space to mount a baseboard lower. I wouldn't use a wall mount in a place with cathedral ceilings.

B-MAN

I feel no need to defend myself over this topic but I think maybe you guys should buy one for yourself to try in your own home before you jump to conclusions and bash a product you know nothing about.

Mike Finley

Mickeyco that's funny! You totally fooled me, I had no idea you manipulated that photo.

B-man, there is no reason to think you have to defend yourself, but it would be helpful if you wanted to explain why these ar better than an electric base board heater. I don't see anybody bashing the product or your choice for using it, just not understanding it.