How To Remove Electric Baseboard Heater

Baseboard heaters are a prevalent house heating method, however they at present lack high free energy efficiency. If you have them in your domicile, you may want to consider moving them or getting rid of them entirely. They were once mutual in earlier structures and are still popular now because of their low cost and simplicity of installation. Baseboard heaters can be relocated or removed if necessary. Yous can remove baseboard heaters on your own if you accept a basic understanding of electric and plumbing.

Moving baseboard heaters can be tricky, and the complexity can vary depending on whether the heater is electric or hydronic. Moving your baseboard heaters volition demand the assistance of a professional. Agreement how to move or remove a baseboard heater is critical as you don't want to stand up any chance of carbon monoxide poisoning just because y'all're making wall repairs.

In our guide, you can larn more well-nigh removing a baseboard heater. By the end, you lot'll run across all you demand for condom baseboard heater removal for decorating or to upgrade your habitation heating systems. (Read Tin can Yous Exit A Space Heater On All Night)

Is Information technology Easy To Remove Baseboard Heaters?

Before you fifty-fifty remove the baseboard, heater covers, it's ameliorate to understand what you are dealing with for your baseboard heating systems.

Baseboard heaters come in ii varieties. Aluminum fins surround the heating element in electric and hydronic baseboard heating systems.

These heaters are typically positioned under windows and on a "cold" or "outside" wall.

As the cold air falls, it is heated below the baseboard heater and rises into the room equally the temperature rises. This heating process is repeated until the room or zone reaches the desired temperature.

Radiant baseboard heating systems installation is beingness phased out since they are no longer an efficient way to provide heat.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

The most bones of baseboard heaters are electric heaters. The metal heating element inside is heated by electricity and is wired into your home'southward electrical organisation.

Except for the aluminum fins and structure that allow common cold air to become through and be heated within, the inside of an electric baseboard heater is identical to that of a space heater.

You lot will need basic electrical understanding to piece of work with an electric baseboard heater for removal likewise as installing in a room.

Hydronic Baseboard Heaters

The mechanics of a hydronic baseboard heating system or hot h2o heaters are similar electric heaters, except they are continued to the home's boiler system.

These heaters work by flowing hot water through copper pipes surrounded by the aluminum fins that are the trademark of these heating units, rather than heating the cadre with electricity.

All the plumbing associated with these old heaters returns to your abode'south boiler, so yous'll demand plumbing feel and an understanding of the electrical elements to remove baseboard heating of this blazon.

How to Remove an Electric Baseboard Heater

one. Turn Off Power

Turn off the heater circuit breaker located in the principal console. Turning downwardly the thermostat isn't enough; it could turn on while you're working, which could be fatal.

2. Remove Electrical Admission Cover

The access cover is attached to i terminate of the heater by i or two screws. Remove the screws and the cover with a Phillips screwdriver.

3. Disconnect Wiring

You must locate the breakers on your power console that feed electrical power to the radiant baseboard heaters before you start removing baseboard heating units.

Wearing a pair of rubber gloves for insulation. Carefully unscrew the wire caps while keeping pairs of wires together and pull the wires apart.

If the heater is 120 volts, you lot'll run into a pair of white wires, a pair of black wires, and a pair of basis wires. (Read Ceramic Heater Vs Oil Heater)

If the ground wire is fastened to a spiral on the heater, loosen the spiral and remove the wire. There will be an boosted pair of blood-red-hot wires if the machine operates at 240 volts.

Disconnect them as well. Please do not impact any exposed wires unless they've been thoroughly tested.

iv. Test the Wires

Make sure the wires are dead with a voltage tester. The black excursion wire should be connected to one probe, while the ground or white excursion wire should be continued to the other.

The meter should read nil, and whatsoever lights on the tester should be turned off. Cheque the breakers if you obtain a reading or if the low-cal comes on. It's possible that you lot turned off the wrong one.

5. Remove Heater From the Wall

In that location should be iii or four screws holding the heater housing to the wall if you look inside information technology. Using a screwdriver, unscrew these and keep them prophylactic.

Gently pull information technology from the wall with a putty knife if the heater is stuck. Feed the circuit wires through the back hole every bit you pull the heater abroad from the wall.

6.Secure Circuit Wires

You lot'll have wires hanging out of the wall after removing the heater, which you can't go along in that location. So, 1 pick is to pull the cable out of the wall and disconnect the wires from the panel (this needs an electrician for safe).

If the wires are connected to a thermostat, you'll need to disconnect and remove it and the wires it'due south connected to.

If you plan to install some other heater after you remove the baseboard heater, one option is to screw a wire cap onto each wire, push the wires into the electric box, so screw on a cover plate.

If the wires are hanging out of the wall since there isn't a box, you tin can install a remodeling box that connects to the drywall and screw a embrace plate to it. Adding electrical tapes can suffice if installing some other heater but shouldn't be permanent.

Taping a plastic bag to your heating unit of measurement keeps all the screws in identify to remount the baseboard heating unit. (Learn How To Estrus A Hot Tub Without A Heater)

What Do Yous Do With Wires After Removing Baseboard Heater?

If y'all're permanently removing the baseboard heaters, the wires should be routed to the panel or terminated in a metal junction box with a cover. If you tin can get under there, you could pull them down beneath the landing floor and place them in an accessible place inside a junction box.

You may need to relocate your baseboard heaters. It'southward of import to note that the location of your baseboard heaters is crucial to the performance of your heating system.

On an outside wall or under a window, they are the most efficient. Y'all may decide to utilize existing electrical and plumbing systems rather than undertake a major reconstruction job.

Moving Electric Heaters

A hydronic heater is more challenging to relocate than an electric baseboard heater. Withal, if you move the heater within a few anxiety of its original location, you may use the existing wiring while still maintaining the heating organization's effectiveness.

You'll need to add wiring to the electric current electrical arrangement and make sure a new junction box is installed. It'south best to hire an electrician for this process to confirm that you're following the rules and that the repurposed heater is safe to use.

Moving Hydronic Heaters

Your hot h2o baseboard heaters have a complex pipe system. To relocate these heaters, you lot'll need all new return and supply pipes and the heating element pipe. This will necessitate a swell deal of skill and some little construction work.

You may need to open up up floors and ceilings. The materials and pipelines required can be costly. This chore volition necessitate the services of a licensed plumber. Information technology'due south possible that moving your hydronic baseboard heaters isn't the nigh fantastic choice.

Updating Baseboard Heaters

Baseboard heaters are virtually normally found in older homes. As a result, they tin can be inconvenient to employ and unappealing to look at. In addition, they're usually made of metal, which will corrode with time and be challenging to pigment and maintain.

They also dent hands with time and depending on how they vent; this can reduce the efficiency of your heating system.
If you're thinking about moving or relocating your existing baseboard heaters for these reasons, there'southward another pick to explore.

With ready-made baseboard covers, you lot can effortlessly replace and modernize the look and feel of your baseboard heaters.

If removing your baseboard heaters permanently, wires must be removed to the panel, or at least, the wire ends placed in a metal junction box with a comprehend. You could keep them in an attainable identify inside your junction box.

Tin You Remove Electric Baseboard Heaters?

Before removing the heater, brand sure the electricity to it is turned off at the main excursion breaker. This is a crucial stride that ensures both your rubber and the safety of your home.

You'll need to get to the junction box on the heater. The electrical wires that connect the heater to the home'southward electrical system are establish here. The heater's junction box can exist institute on either the right or left side.

Double-bank check that the electric heater has been switched off completely. A voltmeter is a tool that can help you lot do this. Y'all want to make sure your voltmeter reads 0 volts while testing the voltage. (Read Where Are Howard Miller Clocks Fabricated)

The wires must be disconnected from the wire nuts holding the wires.

Look for whatever screws or bolts holding the heaters in place or connecting information technology to the wall. Using the correct tools, remove screws and bolts. If a screwdriver can't do it, try a power drill with the correct flake for more than torque to remove baseboard heating systems.

Pull the elevation of the heater away from the wall with a putty knife or a pocket-sized crowbar, gently tugging until information technology comes free.

Wire covers or temporary electric tape volition exist required to encompass the otherwise live electrical wires.

Can I Remove A Baseboard Water Heater?

You must turn off the power to both the heater and the boiler at the excursion breaker panel. It's critical to wait for the boiler and the water in the heater pipes to cool down.

To get to the boiler, y'all'll need to cut the supply and render pipes. Over again, piping caps should be used to finish the job.

Remove the screws or bolts that concord the baseboard in identify from the wall. To become to these screws, y'all'll have to remove the cover. Keep the heater off the floor as much as possible.

To remove the heater from the wall, use a pipe saw to cutting through the pipes at both ends of the heater.

Pipes should be sawn as close to the flooring as workable and capped with pipage caps. If you are not handy doing this, you'll need a qualified plumber.

Source: https://yardandgardenguru.com/how-to-remove-baseboard-heater/