Guide to Baseboard Heater Covers
There are millions of homes across the US and other places in the world that are heated by baseboard heaters. Although baseboard heaters are a fantastic and unobtrusive way of heating your home they can soon become tatty and rust, and are also a danger to small children and animals.
The answer to these two problems is to fit baseboard heater covers to all your baseboard heaters. There are many different types available, all with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Types of Baseboard Heater Covers
The two main types of baseboard heater covers are ones that install over the top of the whole baseboard heater (these are sometimes called overboards). These are simple and quick to install, however as they fit over the entire unit they tend to be large, and because they are an additional barrier the airflow is reduced.
The second type require slightly more work (which anyone with any kind of home improvement or DIY skills can easily carry out) as they require you to remove the endcaps and front cover from your heaters (the back part which is bolted to the wall stays in place). You then simply measure certain parts of the heater to ensure that you buy the correct sized covers which can be simply screwed in place on the existing back cover.
Whichever style you choose, make sure that they allow proper airflow from the heater to reduce heating costs and they are child safe (i.e. children can not get their fingers inside the cover and touch the hot elements inside).
Alternatives to Baseboard Heater Covers
If you really don’t want to buy baseboard heaters covers for your old baseboard heaters there are a couple of alternatives.
- Put up with the rust and dents in your old factory covers.
- Remove the old covers and replace with factory made, new ones.
- Sand and strip the paint from the old factory covers, then prime and re-paint.
None of these solutions is ideal, however sanding and repainting old factory covers can improve the appearance in the short term. Please remember the dangers associated with hot finned tube heating elements, which are well known. All good retrofit designs should be child safe so they don’t allow for little fingers or even flammable toys to be placed within the heater cover.
Remember if you have any questions about baseboard heater covers you are free to contact us via our contact page and we will get back to you ASAP.
↑ Back to Top