Options for QUIET heating in a small home remodel

11 years ago

I'm in the process of a mostly DIY home remodel, and as part of that I removed the central electric forced air heater so that I could remove all of the duct work in the basement. This did two things for me that were goals (reclaimed a lot of headroom, removed forced air heat which I really disliked).

I was planning to install under floor radiant heat, but decided against that after reading that it isn't ideal in homes like mine, which have old oak floors on top of old wood subfloors -- probably 2 inches total of wood thickness that the heat would need to travel through, meaning not that efficient, and a lot of wood expanding and contracting (and thus -squeaking).

As temporary intermediate measure, I had my electrician install those electric in-wall heaters (forget the brand right now) but he said they were okay, and most of the local big box hardware stores carry them. They have a horizontal squirrel fan -- and aren't as quiet as I had hoped (and can get quiet loud in fact at times).

So now I'm back to thinking about heating options, as I really dislike random mechanical noise in my home -- its just the way I'm wired I guess but it is what it is.

So I'm wondering what other heating options are there that give a nice, even, and quiet heat? I really wish I could find a way to make the under floor radiant heat work -- but I don't think I'm ready to tear up all that wood and put down new floors just to make it work efficiently.

Do folks have any other suggestions? I've heard of the new split ductless systems, but it sounds like they can still be noisy (a friend has this system).

Even the portable ceramic "ductless" space heaters are too noisy for me -- they buzz and the sheet metal bangs as they heat up or cool down -- I only mention this because I've seen modern "high end" ductless heaters that are meant to mount on the wall -- but I guess they also might hum and or bang when the sheet metal or other parts expand / contract with use.

Appreciate any constructive advice people might have on what works for them.

Featured Answer

SeaRob
Original Author

11 years ago

Geoffrey, Thanks for that link and the suggestion. Looks promising. I'm definitely a fan of cast iron rather than sheet metal.

Comments (8)

ionized_gw
11 years ago
I guess that you don't have or want cooling. I think that you have to either put it in the floor and tear up your floors if necessary, or install baseboard or other visible hydronic radiators. Radiators can be unobtrusive or decorative is chosen and installed well. They can also be very quiet, but not if installed well with the most quiet operation as a goal.
mike_home
11 years ago
How big is the house? A properly installed and sized variable speed forced air system can also be very quiet.
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SeaRob
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Mike, the main floor is 900 sq feet, there is also a basement that I'm in the process of finishing, that will also be 900 sq feet.

I'm really not a fan of forced air, not just because the duct work takes up space I don't want to lose, but I find that I've had far few respiratory issues since removing it -- and I had the ducts professionally cleaned a number of times before removing the entire system. In my view, removing it was the best decision I made, now I'm just looking for a good option to under floor radiant.
SeaRob
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Ionized, I don't have cooling, and probably don't need it. The house is in Seattle, and it is pretty common to not have AC here... at least in the older homes; only a few days a year that you'd really need it... of course I'd probably use it those days if I had it, but I don't need it enough to base my heating decision on AC.

I've been curious about visible hydronic radiators, but don't know anybody that has them and so my main fear is that they'd be noisy as the material in the unit expands and contracts with heat changes?
ionized_gw
11 years ago
Nothing is going to be completely noise-free. Installation techniques are going to be very important. Hydronic has a rep for gurgle, snap, pop and ping, but most of it can be avoided. Do a search for "hydronic radiators" to see what is available. Mod and classic styles will be found.

Isn't high humidity an issue in the Pac NW? If it were me, I would want a way to control that because I have a lot of mold allergies. Forced air will give you a way to implement an efficient whole-house dehumidifier. It is not the only way, but a good way.
SeaRob
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the feedback Ionized. I had a hunch that they might still snap pop and ping. I've slept in places that had pure underfloor radiant heat, and it was amazing, and I never heard a thing... I suspected that in room radiator units might not be as quiet.

I might try harder to see if there is anyway to make underfloor work in my place... but I'd hate to have to remove any of my nice wood floors. One Idea I just had... is if I could remove the top layer... place the heating BETWEEN the top layer and the wood sheeting layer, and then put the top layer back down... and just have it be 1/2 inch higher than it was?

As to humidity in the PNW... it isn't nearly as humid here as it is in he South... even though we have rain and lots of days with overcast weather... but yes mold can be an issue in homes that don't have good ventilation, and my feeling is that in my case, removing the forced central air improved the situation, because it gave the mold fewer places to hide (ducts) and any spores weren't blown around by the forced air. I used to get a bad seasonal cold every fall that was made worse by mold/dust -- and it completely stopped once I removed my forced air and all of the ducts -- and again, I used to have the ducts professionally cleaned and I had a HEPA grade filter in the forced air unit. So, I doubt anybody will ever talk me into putting forced air back into my place :) Plus, I'd lose all that head room in the basement that I reclaimed when I removed all the duct work.

Regards
geoffrey_b
11 years ago
You can get cast iron baseboard. The sections pull together with 'nipples'. No pinging, no cheap metal covers, etc. Paint them the same color as your room (semi gloss).

Below is just an example. Google 'cast iron baseboard'

Here is a link that might be useful: Cast Iron Baseboard