Baseboard heaters are a great alternative or supplement to other heating
sources. They can be installed along the baseboard of any individual room
and work by heating the air near the floor. This warm air then rises and
circulates through the room, pushing cold air back down to the floor.
Because
they require little space and are energy efficient, baseboard heaters are the
ideal room-by-room heating solution. For more buying advice, see
our
recommended baseboard heaters or take a look at our
baseboard heater guide.
A Brief Explanation of Optional Thermostat Accessories and Other Relative Terms
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Single Pole: Single pole thermostats break only one side of the
power line to your heater and cannot be turned "off." Therefore, power is
continuous to the heater even if it is not running. The control knob will have a
low temperature setting without an "off" position. These thermostats generally
have a temperature range of 40 to 90 degrees.
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| Double Pole: A "Double Pole" is an older term for a switch that
allows you to turn both sides of the filament on and off - actually turning it
completely off making it much safer than
leaving it always energized. Double pole thermostats should be used for zonal
heat systems such as electric fan heaters, baseboard heaters, and radiant
heaters.
Double Pole Wall Thermostat: The same as a double pole, but is
able to be wall mounted.
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 Two Pole Tamper-Proof Thermostat: A standard
two pole thermostat but with a tamper proof guard that resembles a small disc
covering, which is only removable with a screwdriver. Once it is off, an inside
stem is clearly visible. This is then rotated with a screwdriver or with your
fingers. |
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Inside Corner: Allows two baseboard heaters to be set up next to
each other on walls that are at a right angle to each other. If you were
standing in the corner, the point of the corner would point away from you.
Outside Corner: If you were facing the point of this corner, it
would be pointing towards you.
Hardwired: Must be wired directly into the power source. This is
a permanent heating solution. These are usually significantly cheaper than the
units that come with a plug installed. Should be used with a thermostat,
otherwise there is no way to control the flow of power to the unit. Thermostats
do not automatically come with these units.
Radiant: Has a heating element which air must pass over, does
not have an internal device to move the heated air.
Plug in: Will connect to an outlet, it is designed for
supplemental heating due to the ability to move and reconnect the unit as
needed.
Fan Forced: There is a fan inside the housing of the unit which
helps to disperse the heated air throughout the room.
Hydronic: The inside of the heater contains chambers that are
filled with oil, which helps the heater to retain heating in a more efficient
manner. The drawback is that hydronic heating methods do take a little longer to
come up to maximum efficiency, and the heat will disperse longer after turning
off the energy source.
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 Duplex Receptacle: An optional accessory that
attaches and makes an additional two plug outlets for several baseboard heater
models.
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