If you use baseboard heating in your home during wintertime months, you most likely enjoy having a heating system that does not require a furnace to be periodically cleaned and serviced to give you warmth. Baseboard heating will effectively heat a home if it is maintained properly. If you find your heating system is not working to its full potential, try the following steps in troubleshooting the problem.

Do An Assessment Of The Wiring For Damage

If the baseboard heater's wiring is not working properly, you may experience intermittent heating situations. Do an evaluation of the wire to make sure there are no visible frayed or cracked areas. If you notice an alteration in the wiring, it is best to call a heating repair specialist to take a look at the unit. Unplug the wire so you do not put your home at risk for fire. If your wire seems intact, take a look at your main circuit control panel to see if the heating circuit had been tripped. If so, turn it back on to an "on" position. If the breaker continues to trip, a call to a residential hvac repair tech will be necessary as there may be a problem within the circuitry system in your home.

Give The Baseboard Unit A Complete Cleaning

If your baseboard heating unit's coil system is covered with debris, it will have difficulty emitting heat into your home. This will make the unit work harder, possibly costing you more in energy costs as a result. Unplug the unit and remove the panel covering the heating coil portion. Use a vacuum cleaner brush attachment to gently remove dust and pet hair that accumulated on the coils.  If there are coil fins that appear bent, push them back into their original positioning with a fin comb. This can be purchased through your heating unit's supplier.

Make Sure There The Airflow Path Is Not Obstructed

If you place furniture, draperies, and edges of rugs or carpeting over or in front of the area where heat is projected out of the unit, the warmth will not make its way into the room. Make sure there are no obstructions blocking the path of the baseboard heaters airflow path. Consider using curtains instead of draperies if the heaters are located under windows. It is also beneficial to use caulk around window frames in the room so draftiness does not come into play.