"Hot Air Blower" Heat (New York, York: rental, custom home, allergies)

[MissesFixIt]

Anyone know what the difference between baseboards and hot air blower? Which is better? All the homes I have lived in or been in have baseboard so I am not familiar with blower.

[twingles]

Forced hot air - don't like it. I'm sure you will find others who do - some will probably say - IT'S GREAT! Twingles is CRAZY!!!! But my parents have it and their house is ALWAYS cold unless the hot air is blowing right at that very second. Seriously we lived with in my parents house for a few weeks in February while our house was being renovated and it was the coldest 3 weeks I ever spent.

If you get a house with it, make sure the vents are near the FLOOR, since hot air rises. IF they are near the ceiling, the hot air just stays up there.

[alamarina]

Originally Posted by MissesFixIt

Anyone know what the difference between baseboards and hot air blower? Which is better? All the homes I have lived in or been in have baseboard so I am not familiar with blower.

Baseboard or radiator heat is the best type of heat for a number of reasons. Water flows through the baseboard/radiator which was heater by a boiler. The heat radiates slowly from the baseboard and provides even constant heating from ceiling to floor. Some baseboard heat is electric but that's very expensive to run. The upfront cost for baseboard is significantly higher, which is why hot air is more common. I build my custom home with baseboard and it's worth every dime.

Hot air heat works by a electric or gas furnace heating air which is forced to air ducts in the house by a blower and has lots of disadvantages. It's usually too hot when it's on and too cool when it's off. It's not evenly distributed. It blows dust and allergens all over; not good when you have any allergies. The same ducts are used for air conditioning and can become moist and develop mold. The upfront cost is much less and the dual heat/AC use is a big advantage for builders but not home/apt dwellers.

If you have a choice always go with radiators or baseboard heat.

Hope this helps.

[mathjak107]

baseboard is nice because you can shut down individual rooms at night that arent being used and just heat the rooms that are.... no moving parts gives you great reliability and if one baseboard craps out you still have heat

[Robhu]

My house has hot water radiator heat. The good part about it is that even when the boiler and pump aren't on the radiators still contain and give heat.
Forced air systems only give real heat when the furnace and blower is running. Therefore the heat is not as even as radiator heat or as continuous as radiator heat.
Forced air heat is either off or on. The radiators still contain heat between firing cycles and keeps a more even temperature.

[jpg71]

Newly constructed homes with Central AC ductwork usually go with forced air heat, since it uses the same ductwork system. I've lived with such systems for most of my life in the Midwest and have been living with water-based radiator or baseboard heating for the last five years in the New York area.

Without a doubt, I prefer the radiator/baseboard heating because the air isn't dried out (I had to get humidifier systems for the forced-air heat to keep my nose from bleeding in the winter), the heat is more uniform, the system is silent, and I don't have to worry about dusty ducts and filters.

[scottzilla]

I have forced air heat in my house and have been living with it for 7 years. Baseboard is better, IMO. That being said, It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. I've compared my oil usage to friends & family with baseboard and mine is always cheaper. My house is insulated very well which leads me to another point: The single most important thing you can do to make your house nice and cozy is properly insulate it.
As Jpj noted, many newer homes have combo hot air/AC units that any person with knowledge will tell you is not the way to do it! Technically, AC and Hot air cannot work in the same ducts (For scientific reasons) and these systems are supposed to be set up completely opposite from each other (Again, Science). Hot air rises, cold air falls. Hot air returns need to be at ground air level, AC returns need to be up high. Opposite...
If it came down to choosing between two equal homes, I would take the one with baseboard heat.

[suzook]

over the years i have heard how bad hot air heat is. coming from baseboard hot water, i have no idea what the hell people are complaining about. i now have hot air, and didnt notice anything different between the 2. my system is setup with a humidifier, and a VS blower, so maybe that helps. i never had drastic temp swings, or a dry house. humidity over the winter was always at 30-45%. Maybe older systems have problems? To the OP, dont let a good house go if it has hot air, it is fine as long as it is setup properly. BTW to the poster who said mold will grow in the ducts if you also have ac, this is not true, mold needs "food" to grow. it cant grow on galvanized/aluminum ducting.

[dman72]

I lived with forced air in a rental house for a few years, and it was terrible. I'm sure the place was terribly insulated, so we went from cold to hot every time it turned on, and it was definitely dry as hell. It's a definite negative mark in my book for any house in an area like this where it gets cold in the winter. I wouldn't care if I was living south of Washington DC or so.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by scottzilla

. My house is insulated very well which leads me to another point: The single most important thing you can do to make your house nice and cozy is properly insulate it.
.

Totally agree - after our house was renovated and properly insulated, our gas bill went down by nearly half.