removing a radiator from a kitchen -- alternate heat source

[Anonymous]

I want to remove an old radiator from my kitchen. It doesn't give off as much heat as I'd like, but (more importantly), it's taking up some valuable space that could be converted into a breakfast nook. Any suggestions for alternate heating sources? (Radiant floor heating is out, as that is too intensive -- I'm looking for an easy fix.)

[Anonymous]

Can you put in a baseboard radiator or something more modern/slim?

Another possibility is a toe kick heater. Some people complain they are loud but I don't think all of them are.

[Anonymous]

We removed an old radiator when we renovated our kitchen so we could put a dishwasher, sink, and countertop in its place. We replaced it with a modern, low-profile runtal radiator. Highly, highly recommend. They are slim and can be run horizontally or vertically. http://www.runtalnorthamerica.com/

[Anonymous]

Are you sure your kitchen would need it? We removed a radiator and went several years without any heat source in our kitchen and didn't really miss it. In our case, the kitchen is the center of the house and cooking put off enough heat that it wasn't an issue. (We eventually moved to a whole house HVAC system...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We removed an old radiator when we renovated our kitchen so we could put a dishwasher, sink, and countertop in its place. We replaced it with a modern, low-profile runtal radiator. Highly, highly recommend. They are slim and can be run horizontally or vertically. http://www.runtalnorthamerica.com/

can you tell me more about the runtal radiator that you put in? (What size and how much did it cost?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure your kitchen would need it? We removed a radiator and went several years without any heat source in our kitchen and didn't really miss it. In our case, the kitchen is the center of the house and cooking put off enough heat that it wasn't an issue. (We eventually moved to a whole house HVAC system...)

OP here again. Good question. It's never seemed to me that the radiator gives off *that* much heat (for one, it is located right next to the fridge), but I am a little gunshy about taking it out without lining something else up. For what it's worth, we also have a baseboard heater in the kitchen, but I never use it because it's one of the old ones that doesn't turn on or off automatically, so I'm pretty sure I would just accidentally leave it on all the time.

By the way, did you remove the radiator yourself? If so, how hard was that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure your kitchen would need it? We removed a radiator and went several years without any heat source in our kitchen and didn't really miss it. In our case, the kitchen is the center of the house and cooking put off enough heat that it wasn't an issue. (We eventually moved to a whole house HVAC system...)

OP here again. Good question. It's never seemed to me that the radiator gives off *that* much heat (for one, it is located right next to the fridge), but I am a little gunshy about taking it out without lining something else up. For what it's worth, we also have a baseboard heater in the kitchen, but I never use it because it's one of the old ones that doesn't turn on or off automatically, so I'm pretty sure I would just accidentally leave it on all the time.

By the way, did you remove the radiator yourself? If so, how hard was that?

Yes, we removed it ourselves - well, my husband did - but he's handy. If I recall correctly, he just had to cap the pipes, but it was obnoxiously heavy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We removed an old radiator when we renovated our kitchen so we could put a dishwasher, sink, and countertop in its place. We replaced it with a modern, low-profile runtal radiator. Highly, highly recommend. They are slim and can be run horizontally or vertically. http://www.runtalnorthamerica.com/

can you tell me more about the runtal radiator that you put in? (What size and how much did it cost?)

Sure. It is narrow, like maybe a foot wide, and sticks out about 1.5 inches from the wall. It is 7 feet tall, which sounds enormous, but it's tucked away between where the back door opens and some cabinetry. These radiators are often run along baseboards, too, but in a kitchen it's hard to find a long, uninterrupted stretch of wall! So we went for tall and skinny. If I remember right, it was about $700, plus another several hundred to reroute the water line and install the new radiator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure your kitchen would need it? We removed a radiator and went several years without any heat source in our kitchen and didn't really miss it. In our case, the kitchen is the center of the house and cooking put off enough heat that it wasn't an issue. (We eventually moved to a whole house HVAC system...)

OP here again. Good question. It's never seemed to me that the radiator gives off *that* much heat (for one, it is located right next to the fridge), but I am a little gunshy about taking it out without lining something else up. For what it's worth, we also have a baseboard heater in the kitchen, but I never use it because it's one of the old ones that doesn't turn on or off automatically, so I'm pretty sure I would just accidentally leave it on all the time.

By the way, did you remove the radiator yourself? If so, how hard was that?

We also do not have one in the kitchen, it was removed altogether (sounds like a similar setup potentially) It was located under the window by our fridge - galley kitchen. Don't miss it at all - the kitchen is still 10000 degrees when I get a pot of water boiling

[Anonymous]

We did a toe kick heater and I love the hot air on my feet. Having that, I know it would have been too cold without it. I suppose it can be considered loud, but it has a thermostat and turns on and off. I prefer the heat and kitchen layout to the noise.

[Anonymous]

I would just put in forced air

[Anonymous]

We did a toe kck heater as we'll. haven't had a chance t use it yet so don't know if we will like it but seemed like the right solution.

[Anonymous]

We have this set up and my dream is to put in radiant heating in the floors when it's time to redo the kitchen.