Posted by Harold Kestenholz - Hydronic Network on July 26, 2001 at 14:51:29:
In Reply to: How do you decide how much steam baseboard to use? posted by Corina Drozdowski on July 26, 2001 at 13:13:06:
The most accurate way to know how much heat is required in a room is to do a heat calculation estimate. This can be done using the free estimator at http://www.hydronic.net
Then the result of the heat loss estimate would be divided by 650 to know how many feet of baseboard would be required.
Some people guesstimate the heat required by multiplying the cubic feet of an uninsulated 1940's house by 8. Then they divide this by 650 to find the feet of baseboard.
Use 1-1/4-inch commercial baseboard sloped slightly toward the connecting steam pipe and use a steam vent on a riser nipple one foot from the far end of the baseboard run from the connector pipe. Better yet, use a cast-iron baseboard. Even then, it is possible to have a banging baseboard. The standing cast-iron radiator is a better choice.