General Information about Fine/Line 30 by Slant Fin Hydronic Baseboard

Fine/Line 30 Hot Water Baseboard
Long acclaimed by contractors for its construction quality and ease of installation, Fine/Line 30 is America's premier hydronic baseboard. Its super strong enclosure features a fully modulating damper and extra heavy support brackets with cutouts for return piping. Double bent aluminum fins won't loosen. Long-lasting self-adjusting plastic expansion cradles eliminate noisy metal to metal contact. End caps are not included with baseboard. Must be purchased separately.

Slant/Fin Fine/Line 30 Specifications
Height - 7-7/8 in.
Depth - 2-11/16 in.   Here is a link to dimensions of Slant/Fin #30 hydronic baseboard 

 Please open this important document and read it - never guess. Let's get it right the first time, measure. Thanks!
 

Available in 2, 3, 3-1/2, 4, 5, 6, ( about *7 and *8) foot lengths. 

 Select "Complete" Baseboard with 3/4" fin tube heating element or "Dummy" Baseboard (less heating element)

2" splice plate - included free with lengths 5’ and longer only, provides continuity between close fitting baseboard sections.

(* Please Note: We do stock 7 & 8 foot sections due to the high probability of damage in shipping we will not ship those two sizes via frieght carriers.)

America's premier baseboard SlantFin - Fine/Line 30 hydronic baseboard - features:
• High quality. Easy to install. Nice Style.
• Precision, piano hinged accessories.
• High performance heating elements.

 Here is a link to additional information about Slant/Fin #30 baseboard.

Model 3075 is Slant/Fin #30 Hydronic Baseboard with 3/4 inch copper/aluminum fin-tube.

For information on how to calculate heat loss and a program that will help you with these calculations, please click here.

We stock plenty of Slantfin at all times so we can always fulfill your needs quickly. We also know how to take extra care to pack your Slant Fin Base Board so it should arrive for your project in perfect condition. Due to potential damage in shipping, we do not ship Slant/Fin Baseboard in lengths longer than six feet. All Slant/Fin products are available through us.

For additional information, accessories, optional equipment and prices for any other Slant Fin products, please contact us. Call us toll free!

FAQ about Hydronic Heating and Home Heating with Baseboard Heat.

FREQUENTLY ASKED HOMEOWNER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOME HEATING

1. I'm ready for a new house. Why should I choose a hot water baseboard heating system instead of accepting the more common hot air ducted system?

Most heating experts agree that a hot water baseboard system will provide your home with significant advantages in comfort, cleanliness, quietness, ease of control, health and safety. Besides what most experts say, hot water baseboard heating is viewed as superior to hot air ducted heating by an average of 88% of homeowners who have experience with both. This high level of preference, was determined through a blind mail survey to 3,000 homeowners in January 1997. The preference percentages for hot water baseboard for each criterion are as follows: Comfortable from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, draft free, 87%; Clean, dust and germ- free, 96%; Quiet 83%; Easy to zone for separate temperature control of different areas, 79%; overall healthy and safe distribution of heat, 94%.

2. Why do so many homeowners have hot air ducted heating systems if hot water baseboard heating is judged to be much better and more comfortable?

Hot water baseboard heating systems, despite their clearly preferred rating over hot air systems, are not installed in the majority of new American homes. Homebuyers are not usually offered a choice by the builder as to which heating system they would like installed. Typically, builders combine hot air heating and air conditioning in the same ducted system to save in their cost of home construction. The ideal, efficient comfort system, however, would have a separate hot water baseboard heating system and a separate cooling system. In Europe, hot water heating is installed in over 95% of homes.

3. Which heating system will cost me less, hot air ducted heating or a hot water baseboard heating system?

The separate hot water baseboard heating system adds less than 1% to the cost of a typical house and proportionately less for higher priced houses. But hot water baseboard can actually save 30% of home heating costs every year for a quick payback. First, hot water baseboard distributes heat more efficiently. Second, you can set your thermostat 2° or 3° lower than with a hot air ducted system and still be comfortable. Baseboard introduces convected and radiant heat at floor level, does not create drafts that cool your skin and avoids excessive, wasteful stratification of air (hot near the ceiling, cold at your feet). Baseboard is also easy to zone so you can vary the heat level from one space to another and choose not to heat unused rooms at human comfort temperatures.

4. Are there any government guidelines on heating efficiency?

Yes. Boilers and furnaces have ratings called A.F.U.E. (Annual Fuel Usage Efficiency). Compare for yourself. There are high efficiency boilers and high efficiency furnaces. But remember that A.F.U.E. only measures how well the boiler or furnace converts fuel into energy to heat the home. The way the heat is distributed throughout your home affects your comfort level and the system efficiency and the operating cost. The true efficiency of a heating system is a combination of the A.F.U.E. of the appliance and the efficiency of the distribution system. Baseboard distributes heat far more efficiently that a ducted system.

According to the U.S. Government, hot air ducted heating is wasteful and less efficient.

Forced-air furnaces, the most common heating system, waste energy, through duct leakage, the system's effects on a building's filtration rate, and thermal conduction. For example, duct leakage accounts for 10% to 20% of the total air infiltration rate when the furnace blower is off. Total infiltration rates typically increase by 200% when the blower fan is turned on. The total infiltration rate can increase by as much as 500% when the return air paths are impeded, such as when interior doors are closed.

November 1995.
Source: Building Equipment Division
Office of Building Technology, EE-422 U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20585

5. Which heating system is cleaner and healthier, hot air ducted heating systems or hot water baseboard heating?

Hot water baseboard. It requires only ordinary household cleaning to be dust-free and will not spread smoke, dust and germs from room to room. Hot water baseboard only moves dust that is already in the house. Many doctors prescribe hot water baseboard heating to patients with asthma.

6. I'm a light sleeper. Is one heating system quieter than another, hot air ducted heat or hot water baseboard heating?

Yes, the quieter system is the baseboard system. With a hot air ducted heating system, a large fan is required to force the heated air from the furnace into the ducts. Ducts carry the rushing hot air and the fan noise to every room. You are disturbed by the frequent start and stop of the fan motor and the "whoosh" of the air itself. With a baseboard system, a boiler circulates hot water silently through finger-width tubing. Since natural convection distributes the warmth, no fan is required. The small circulating pump on the hot water boiler is quiet and uses less electricity than the fan motor on a hot air furnace.

7. As far as my comfort is concerned, heat is heat, isn't it?

No, there are big differences in heat comfort between hot air ducted heating systems and hot water baseboard heating systems. Do you ever feel chilly near a cold window even though very hot air is surging out of a wall register? Ever feel alternately hot and then cold when the furnace cycles on and off? The average temperature of the air in the room is one thing. How comfortable your body continuously feels is something else. Hot water baseboard provides heat through gentle radiation and natural convection starting at the perimeter of the house. This blankets cold walls and windows with warmth, preventing drafts and providing uniform heat from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. You feel comfortable all over and all the time without ever being conscious of the heating system operating.

8. What's the difference between a boiler system and furnace system?

A boiler uses oil, gas or electricity to generate hot water and in some cases steam, which is piped to baseboard radiation systems on the perimeter of the house. A furnace burns oil or gas to heat up air which is forced by a fan through a large ducted system and blown through registers in various parts of the house. Generally speaking, a cast iron boiler for a baseboard system has more than twice the life expectancy of a furnace for a hot air system.

9. How can I get a hot water baseboard heating system in the house I buy or remodel?

When you're aware of the advantages, maybe you can find a house you like that already has hot water baseboard heat. If you are having a new home built for you, ask the architect or builder to specify hot water baseboard heating. If you are modernizing a home that has hot air heating, you can leave the cooling system in place but replace the furnace with a boiler, piping and hot water baseboard radiation.

10. Does hot water baseboard heating interfere with carpeting or placement of furniture?

No. Baseboard radiators are mounted on the wall but the bottoms of the front panels have adequate clearance for carpeting to fit underneath. You can place furniture directly in front of baseboard and you will not interfere with safe, gentle, convection heating.

11. What is this radiant floor heating I keep hearing about and which system does it work with?

Radiant heating is installed by imbedding special hot water tubing in or under a floor. In some cases you can heat the whole house with radiant floor heating. More often, however, it is used to heat cold floors in selected areas such as a bathroom, kitchen or hallway, using baseboard heating in the rest of the house. Radiant floor heating radiates heat naturally upwards and warms the room occupants evenly from toe to head. No cold feet. It is most compatible with a baseboard system and draws hot water from the same boiler as the baseboard.

12. I have an older home and need to replace the baseboard covers. I have two 6 foot sections and one section that measures 8ft 10inches. I am assuming that I can order the 6 foot sections but am not sure how to handle the longer section. Could you please advise me?

Sure, let me first explain the adjusting options that we have available to us for creating various lenght panels. As you can see on this page we sell Slant/Fin baseboard in various sizes. Baseboard is available in whole foot increments from 2 ft thru 6 ft and a 3-1/2 ft piece is also available. (For your information Slant/Fin heating baseboard is made longer but we do not attempt to ship lengths longer that 6 foot due to the chances of  damage in shipping.)

Filler Sleeves are also available these telescoping accessories are used to make up odd inches. 7" and 14" filler sleeves are made*, they fit in between sections and may be used to fill gaps up to a foot. The 7" filler sleeve, part number 30-FS-7, cover gaps from 1" to 6". *(Stock). The 14" filler sleeve part number 30-FS-14  covers gaps from 1" to 12".  *( Non-stock). Filler Sleeves includes back, top and front panels and damper vane.  Another alternative to adjust the length of base board is to cut it, cutting baseboard is time consuming and tedious task that mose installers try to stay away from. Cuts would need to be consealed behind end caps, valve enclosures and wall trim. Cutting also open the normally coated metal to the effects of moisture and rust can result.  so if cuts do need to be made  the cut ends should be repainted.

Now to answer your question about your baseboard project; I recomend that your use a  5 ft section a 3-1/2 ft section and us a 7" filler section between the two, to get the 8' 10" panel. 

 
13. What kind of equipment does Slant/Fin manufacture and provide to my contractor or builder for a hot water baseboard heating system?

Slant/Fin provides nearly everything except the copper tubing and fittings. Your contractor or builder can purchase including: high efficiency gas and oil boilers, hot water baseboard systems, radiant floor heating, multi-purpose fan convection heaters for kick spaces and indirect-fired heaters for domestic hot water. They add up to the best hot water baseboard heating systems for your family's comfort, economy, health and safety.

All Slant/Fin baseboard and Slant/Fin products are available through us.

Replacing Baseboard Heat on This Old House Video

Here is a good informative on-line video to watch called Replacing a Baseboard Heating Cover, with Plumbing and Heating Contractor Richard Trethewey,  Richard show some good - time saving techniques for getting the old enclosure off the wall. As usual, Richard makes quick and easy work of this plumbing project, swapping out the old beat-up hydronic baseboard enclosure and replacing it with nice new "dummy" trim. Replacing  baseboard heating covers is truly a project that can add value, making a single room or a property look new again.

Here is a link to This Old House Television; the segment is Replacing a Baseboard Heating Cover with Plumbing and Heating Contractor Richard Trethewey   Have a look at this if you are considering replacing your Baseboard Heating Enclosures, it will be well worth your time, it is just a few minutes long.