"zinck74" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
I just moved into a condo that had carpet with no baseboard trim. I
ripped up the carpet and put in a new wood floor. I wanted to put
three or four inch tall baseboard trim, but am wondering about the
safety because I have forced air cadet heaters and they are pretty low
on the wall. If I got something that tall then I would definitely
have to cut out a portion to fit around the heater. And then there of
course is the warning on the heater itself that no furinishing, etc.
should be around the heater. Anyone out there deal with this before?
Am I just being a worry wart?

I just looked at a model at random and they have the instructions on line at
http://www.cadetco.com/support/ownersguides/1001.pdf

They show an ideal minimum of 12" from the floor, but that is mostly for
good air circulation. The absolute minimum is 4 1/2". How hot does the
surface gat at the bottom outside? If you can keep your hand on it it
should be safe to have baseboard. Seems to me the clearances are more for
proper air movement rather than safety since the heating elements are inside
the wall.