Electric Baseboard Heaters

• 1). Locate all of the outlets on exterior walls in the rooms where you want to add electric baseboard heaters.
  
  
• 2). Rearrange furniture and purchase shorter curtains if necessary to provide an unobstructed airflow for the heater at or near one of the outlets located above. Furniture can sit to either side and curtains can be at least two feet above the heater, but nothing should be directly in front of it by at least four feet.
  
  
• 3). Remove the baseboard heater from its box and assemble the case if necessary. Some baseboards ship intact, whole others you must snap on the outer casing.
  
  
• 4). Use a stud finder to locate at least two studs within the area of the outlet. This and the following step are optional if you want to leave the baseboard heater mobile. If you have small children, it is best to secure the heater.
  
  
• 5). Nail the heater to the wall at the studs. Mountable heaters have pre-drilled holes in the back of the heater casing.
  
  
• 6). Plug in the heater.
  
  

Water Baseboard Heaters

• 1). Examine your water heating options. When switching to multiple water baseboard heaters, you need a larger boiler. Either contact a heating contractor to perform a heat load calculation to determine the size of your new boiler or purchase a tankless water heater. The tankless water heater has the added bonus of not heating water during the warmer months when you do not need it.
  
  
• 2). Contact a plumbing contractor with experience installing baseboard heaters. The capable contractor recommends the best placement of the heaters to minimize the amount of pipe to be used in the construction while also supplying satisfactory heat to the room.
  
  
• 3). Look at the current placement of your furniture in relation to the recommended placement of the new baseboard heaters. You may need to rearrange the furniture to provide at least four feet of clearance in front of the heater. In addition, any floor length curtains above or near the heater need to be shortened to at least two feet above the heater.
  
  
• 4). Contact your homeowner’s association or city government before beginning construction. Homeowner’s associations may have rules prohibiting installation of water baseboard heat on common walls or limit the times when work can be completed. The city government may require a home inspection before or after the work is complete to verify the home still meet code.
  
  
• 5). Consult your insurance agent. Because you will have significantly more plumbing inside your home, you may need to increase your insurance to protect against water damage. The homeowner’s association may require you to carry additional insurance as well if you live in a condominium or duplex where a ruptured pipe will cause damage to your property and possibly the property of your neighbor.