How to Replace Baseboard Heater Covers
Keep yourself covered with our guide to replace baseboard heater covers
Baseboard heaters are compact, permanent heating installations that heat the nearby area with electricity, gas, or hot water. Learning how to replace baseboard heater covers or when to hire a baseboard professional to tackle this task is essential.
Over time, baseboard heaters can experience wear and tear, collecting scratches, dings, faded paint, and other problems. We’ll review everything you should know about this DIY-friendly task.
Why Would I Need to Replace Baseboard Heater Covers?
One attractive feature of baseboard heaters is that they don’t take up much space in a room. However, they are in unfortunately perfect spots to accidentally kick, trip over, or bump with furniture. The covers of baseboard heaters, which protect more delicate elements and piping inside, have to deal with a lot of wear and tear.
When the covers start showing signs like dings, scratches, large marks, or large dents, it’s time to consider a replacement. Not only is the cover’s appearance suffering, but it could break open and expose the more delicate parts of the heater, creating additional risks of fire and damage. Fortunately, you don’t have to replace the entire heater to get a new cover.
How to Replace Baseboard Heater Covers
With some prep work, replacing baseboard heater covers is—literally—a snap. Keep in mind, these steps should work if your heaters currently don’t have covers at all, as long as you start at the research stage.
Research and Measure Your Baseboard Heater
Search your heater’s model number online to learn more about the manufacturer and their replacement components. You can usually find model numbers on the baseboard heater’s label, on the side, or just inside the heater. If you need help determining the type of baseboard heater you have, you can contact a local baseboard specialist and schedule a consultation.
You may find that your baseboard heaters don’t have covers and covers aren’t available from the manufacturer or third-party seller. Don’t sweat it: Some brands, such as EZ-Snap, sell customizable steel cover kits made to completely cover old baseboard heaters with a brand-new look and a layer of extra protection.
Order the Replacement Covers
Once you have the baseboard sizing information, order the appropriate covers to fit your model. You can expect to pay $40 to $50 for a simple snap-on cover or up to $200 or more for a full enclosure. The size of your heater is a major factor when replacing covers.
Shut Down the Heater and Remove the End Caps
When you are prepared to make the replacement, shut down your baseboard heaters entirely. They should be cool to the touch before you begin. If your heater already has covers, they typically come with end caps that you can pull off. Remove the end caps and set them aside.
Unscrew Or Unlatch the Heater Cover
With the old cover exposed, inspect how it is attached to the heater or wall. Many covers are held on with simple screws that you can unscrew with a drill or screwdriver. Others may have latches or brackets that you’ll have to undo. Release and remove the cover entirely. This is a great time to thoroughly clean the inside of the heater!
Remove the Back Plate and Hangers, If Necessary
Here’s a tricky part: Some baseboard heaters, especially old models, don’t have covers that you can easily remove. Instead, these covers are attached to a back plate which supports the entire heater. If you want to remove these covers, you will need to unscrew the back plate, detach the hangers to release the heater, then dismount the entire heater and unscrew the cover. There may also be a damper that you’ll have to remove as part of the process. Finally, you’ll need a new back plate and hangers to re-mount the heater with a new cover.
Frankly, this is enough work that you should look into the price of a complete baseboard heater replacement or ask for a quote from local professionals to handle the job for you. Otherwise, budget plenty of time for this kind of replacement, especially with multiple heaters. Fortunately, newer baseboard heaters likely have easily-removable covers.
Remove and Dispose of the Old Cover
The old cover and components are probably too large to go in your trash. Arrange for a trash pickup, a trip to the landfill, or a dumpster rental if necessary.
Set and Connect the New Cover
Unpack the new cover, flip it the right way around, and connect it to the heater—requesting help from a second pair of hands to handle larger covers. The cover should fit snugly against the wall without running into any components of the heater. Connect the new cover by screwing or latching it onto the heater. For brand-new full enclosure kits, you may need to drill new holes for screws, but many are designed to slip right over the heater.
Snap the End Caps Back In Place
You should be able to easily snap your new end caps onto either end of the cover without any additional work.
Test the New Cover for Stability
With everything set up, wiggle the cover a bit to make sure it’s stable, well-attached, and doesn’t have any notable cracks or gaps. Now, you’re ready to turn on the baseboard heater again.
How to Prevent Damage to Baseboard Heater Covers
Baseboard heater covers are well-positioned to suffer a lot of casual damage. But there are several steps you can take to help their covers last as long as possible:
Keep objects away from the baseboard heaters: Not only are they a fire hazard, furniture and other objects can easily crash into baseboard heaters if they’re placed too close. Keep objects several inches away from the heating system.
Don’t put switches or accessories directly above the heaters: Try to avoid placing switches, commonly used items, curtain drawstrings, and similar items above the baseboard heater. The frequent trekking over to use them greatly increases the risk of accidentally kicking the baseboard heater cover.
Clean the covers regularly: Dust or vacuum the covers regularly to remove dust. This task also gives you the opportunity to inspect the cover for damage and make sure it’s firmly attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they’re a very important part of the baseboard heater. These vital components protect the inside of the heater and its wiring, heating elements, and gas or water lines from damage. Without the cover, the heaters can become a significant fire hazard. Covers also keep dust from falling inside the heater, which can impair performance and shorten its lifespan.
It’s unlikely. Not many baseboard heaters come with designs that offer the option to switch to a new kind of cover, but you can certainly ask the manufacturer for more information. Keep in mind, a cover with the same dimensions as your old cover isn’t guaranteed to fit because clasps, screws, and brackets may be in different places. The only way to be sure is to find an alternate cover that’s made to work with your specific model.
You cannot easily repair a baseboard heater cover. You can buff out some of the smaller scratches and dings, but significant repairs aren’t possible. Once a cover gets seriously damaged, the best option is to replace it entirely, especially if it’s no longer protecting the heater properly. We don’t suggest trying to paint an old heater cover, as the new paint may react poorly to the intense heat.
The design of modern baseboard heaters prevents covers from cutting off too much heat. They may stop a little radiant heat or increase warming times slightly, but not to a noticeable extent (as long as the heaters were built with covers in mind). The benefits that the covers provide far outweigh that small trade-off. Some radiators also come with openings or valves that you can adjust to increase heat output if you need to. That said, if you have baseboard heaters old enough to still have wooden covers, it may be time for an efficiency upgrade.