Boiler vs baseboard heating
Boilers vs Base board heating; I have seen almost every MF I was in contract or purchased in Cincinnati and Cleveland has Boiler compared to baseboard heating in Columbus. Which one is better? I am planning to shift to baseboard heating in one of my MF in Cincinnati whose boiler is about 50 yrs old. Please share your thoughts.
#2 Contractors Contributor
- Severna Park, MD
A boiler either runs baseboard radiant heating or radiators . And baseboard heat can be either electic or boiler . A 50 year old boiler , depending on the make still could be a good one . Thats when quality sold products
Prefer baseboard because the heating cost can be covered by the tenants compared to the boiler system which results in the owner paying for heat more often than not. Installing baseboard heating usually is more cost effective than the additional modifications need for a boiler system that would result in the tenants being responsible for heat.
#3 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
- Cincinnati, OH
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#3 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
- Cincinnati, OH
@Sitaram Koppaka, I own a house that used to have boiler baseboard. Thankfully it is a ranch and single family, so I could switch to furnace in attic, because boiler was getting to point that repairs were unsustainable. A) I only ever found 2 HVAC companies that would still work on my particular boiler, and B) they wanted a lot of money. When the option became $2k repair quotes vs $3k for furnace and ducting through attic, it was an easy choice.
Generally, as a landlord, I would install electric baseboards. Probably higher upfront cost today, but as others noted, typically electric is separate, so you can make tenants pay heat, and I found these were easier to service when needed.
The electric baseboard heaters can be finicky just make sure each panel or the circuit can handle the amps otherwise you will get a lot of tripped circuits and annoyed tenants. One thing I like about converting to the baseboard in MFs is that that common area gas bill is shifted to tenant electric so you effectively eliminate an owner paid bill. If the cost / benefit is there then I say do it