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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Hello Ed, I have a heating question. The old part of my home is oil forced-hot-water heat while the new area is electric heat. I want to remove the electric heat and install hot-water baseboards connected to my boiler. What are the major issues that I need to think about? Harry (Pennsylvania)
A: Well, Harry, the first issue is that if you don't know the major issues, your best bet will be to call a licensed heating technician for a little help. Your problem is not uncommon when additions are put on to existing houses. Electric heat can be costly to operate in cold climates, but electric heat is fairly inexpensive to install. Many homeowners fall into that trap of keeping new-addition costs down rather than spending the extra money to do things right. That's why you may see many homes with split heating systems.
But, as you know, after a few winters of very high electric bills, the decision to correct the heating system is an easy one. But I digress. The major issue you need to address is to make sure your current boiler can handle the extra heat load; your technician will determine that. If the boiler is too small, you may be looking at a new boiler along with a new heating zone, and that can be costly. However, don't make the same mistake twice. As the old saying goes: You can pay me now or pay me later!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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