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Removal of Electric Baseboards

1274 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  TarheelTerp
So, my house is old (circa 1930) and in the bitter cold of Western PA. Throughout the years, the different owners must have experimented with various heating systems. I currently have blown natural gas heat (which I like) and electric baseboard heat (which I hate). The electric baseboard has its own panel in the basement, which we have shut off to prevent our kids from messing with them.

I'm trying to do some remodeling work, and I'd like to remove a few of the baseboards (as opposed to doing a full removal throughout the house...I'm working it piecemeal). It looks like the wire comes right into the baseboard where I'm assuming the splice is. In other words, no J-Box right behind the heater. This is on the first floor. The wire feeds from a J-Box in the basement. So, from a code and general safety perspective, I don't want to cap the wires and bury them behind new wooden baseboards I plan to put up. Do I have to pull the wire out and cap it in the basement J-box? I'm assuming that is the prefered approach. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
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Either pull the wires back to the JB or install a JB at the location where the wires come out of the wall.
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I currently have blown (forced hot air "FHA") natural gas heat (which I like) and electric baseboard heat (which I hate).
Do you have duct work taking the warm air into all the various rooms?
Do you have adequate "return air" finishing that circulation?
(few houses do)

Do you also have central air conditioning on the system?
If not... do you use window units?

... I'd like to remove a few of the baseboards...
It looks like the wire comes right into the baseboard where I'm assuming the splice is. In other words, no J-Box right behind the heater.
Correct. The appliance (like a fluorescent light) is it's own junction box.

The electric baseboard has its own panel in the basement,
which we have shut off to prevent our kids from messing with them.

So, from a code and general safety perspective...
Do I have to... I'm assuming that...
There are a LOT of ways to meet code and to be safe.
Try to pick the one that gives you the most flexibility later on.

In the theme "never cut a wire" you could use...
mount a J-Boxin each room as you go along.

Meanwhile though... you could also remove the other end of the wire from it's breaker in the sub panel and/or remove the feed wire to the sub panel.

hth
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