Air Handler is a good option?
We are renovating an older 2 story home in the Hudson Valley NY (zone 5) We had a new high efficiency gas heating unit installed, and the installer recommends an air handler to distribute the heat on the 2 floor in lew of installing baseboard. The first floor already has baseboard heat.
This will be a rental, but a decent one I hope. His argument is that we could easily add air conditioning this way, and the cost is not that much different than the baseboard. We have a conditioned attic space to put the unit.
I love the idea of not having the walls taken with ugly baseboards. Radiant heat would be lovely but out of our price point and we want to leave as much intact of floors etc. AC might be a nice future option.
My questions and concerns are about noise, and efficiency and the feel. I have very bad associations with air heat which he claims are from old style hot air heat. Anyone who is not trying to sell me something have experience with new air handlers for heat? How much efficiency is lost?
Thanks!
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Replies
European style radiators are thought by some to be attractive. The rest of what you said is what many feel so in the end you need to decide. AC would be appreciated by the renters.
Nyle,
Either baseboard hydronic heat distribution or forced-air distribution can work well -- or either system can be problematic. What matters is the skill of the person who designs the system and the skill of the installers.
If your contractor has a good reputation, and stands behind the equipment, that's important.
Good forced-air systems have good duct design -- undersized ducts are a problem with unskilled contractors -- and attention to sealing the duct seams.