Can You Put Furniture In Front Of The Baseboard Heaters

Baseboard heaters are a common home appliance in extremely cold-prone regions. Following the name, the heaters are installed on the lower baseboard regions just adjacent to the edge of the wall. There is no hard and fast rule about the installation process of the baseboard heaters in a room. But you must follow some common protocols for the user’s safety.

You can put the furniture in front of the baseboard heaters. But, before doing that many scenarios need to be considered first. Since it is a matter of safety and permanent arrangement of the appliances in the room, you must do some extensive planning. In this article, we shall get enlighten about the facts of arranging furniture around a baseboard heater.

Why should you put furniture in front of baseboard heaters?

In order to answer this question, we must adjust and consider some scenarios. Otherwise, putting furniture in an irregular manner in front of the baseboard heater may cause fatal accidents. 

If you have an electric baseboard heater installed in the room, then you are allowed to put small to medium-sized furniture in front of the baseboard heater. A minimum distance of 12 inches should be maintained as a standard safety protocol. Though the small furniture won’t do any harm to the surroundings if kept in front of the baseboard heater with good airflow.

On the other hand, hot water baseboard heaters work manually using the boiler. It becomes extremely hot in some cases. Therefore, putting heavy furniture in front of the hot water baseboard heater is strictly prohibited. 

You can arrange the smaller furniture such as a small chair or couch in front of the hot water baseboard heater. If the airflow is continuous in that space then it won’t do any harm.

Can you put furniture in front of the baseboard heaters?

Putting furniture in front of the baseboard heater avoiding the safety protocol may cause serious accidents. Some problems of putting furniture in front of baseboard heaters are stated below.

Heat Buildup

Its primary problem of putting the furniture in front of the baseboard is the heat buildup in the surrounding area. The position of the furniture disrupts the hot air regulation. It actively halts the free passing of hot air and results in accumulation. 

As a result, the temperature on the back of the furniture starts to build up quite strongly. The temperature can even rise up to 150F to 200F which is hazardous for everything and everyone.

Fire Hazard

The sudden rise in temperature from the baseboard heaters may cause fire outbreaks. Since furniture is highly vulnerable and combustible, it helps spread the fire quickly. The concentrated heat build-up and spike of the high temperatures may severely damage the entire house if not properly controlled.

Damage to the Furniture

The material of the furniture is highly vulnerable to overheating and high temperatures. After long exposure to heat and high temperature, the surface of the furniture may get seriously deteriorated. Besides, the expectancy of the furniture may get reduced. Considering the worst-case scenarios, the overheating may completely damage the furniture accessories. 

Benefits of putting Furniture around the baseboard heaters

Some advantages of keeping the furniture in front of the baseboard heater are stated below.

• It keeps the kids away from the heater.
• Avoids major accidents of accidental burns
• Keeps the sitting warm and cozy
• Mites, fleas do not accumulate on the furniture cushions or mattresses.
• Bed around the Hydronic baseboard heater ensures a good night’s sleep.

How far away should objects be from baseboard heaters?

The distance of keeping the furniture from the baseboard depends upon the size of the furniture and the size of the room. 

The size of the room is a very important factor for putting the furniture in front of the baseboard heater. In a small room with an average 120V electric baseboard heater, only smaller wardrobes, couches, and chairs can be put in front of the baseboard heater. The horizontal distance should be maintained at 15 inches to a 1-foot minimum. 

On the other hand, a small room with hot water baseboard heaters won’t allow any sort of furniture. It will be extremely dangerous because the furniture will completely shut the movement of the air to and from the baseboard heater. As a result, sudden heat accumulation in the space may result in fire outbreaks.

Larger rooms with sufficient space have an upper hand in the case of putting furniture in front of the baseboard heaters. Despite the type of the baseboard heaters, medium to heavy furniture can be put in front. It should be kept in mind that there must be enough space on the sideways and in front of the baseboard heaters to regulate airflow regularly.

The size of the furniture does matter sometimes while putting in front of the baseboard heaters. Small furniture has a small surface area. They do not easily disrupt the airflow surrounding the baseboard heater. That is why small furniture such as a tea table, side table, couch, or small chair can be easily arranged. Only a distance of 12-15 inches should be mandatorily maintained. 

On the contrary, heavier furniture can also be kept after making sure that no airflow is disrupted. And so no heat buildup takes place surrounding the baseboard heater. You can put heavier furniture at least a foot or more away horizontally from the baseboard heater.

Can I put my bed in front of a baseboard heater?

The bed is the heaviest furniture to be in a room. It has the maximum surface that covers the room. Besides, in the bed, there will be synthetic combustible materials such as the mattress, pillow, bedsheet, etc. That is why putting the bed in front of the baseboard heater can be very hazardous.

Putting a bed in front of the baseboard heater will; seriously disrupt the air ventilation and cause heat buildup at an alarming rate. For these reasons, it is strictly recommended not to put a bed or any heavy furniture in front of the baseboard heaters.

FAQ

This section explores the common and most frequently asked questions by the users regarding putting furniture in front of the baseboard heater.

Conclusion

So, can you put furniture in front of the baseboard heaters?

Yes, you can put furniture in front of the baseboards heaters. Baseboard heaters are considered dangerous home appliances to date. History says that there have been many major and minor accidents caused by the baseboard heaters. 

For all these, it is strongly recommended to put furniture to other edges and corners of the room avoiding the baseboard heater. If not possible, then the maximum safer way should be followed to put furniture in front of the baseboard heater.