I am just not convinced...

So the lovely house we live in has baseboard heating. Hot water baseboard heat, I think it is technically called. I have never lived somewhere with this type of heat and I'm a bit suspicious. How can these little metal baseboards heat my entire house? They're arrayed around the outside of most rooms under windows, and there are four zones within the house, each controlled by it's own thermostat.



Last night the heat came on for the first time ever. Predicted low of 41, so I guess heat makes sense. We heard a lot of little popping noises (the metal exanding?) and finally figured out it was the baseboards. However, even after about an hour, the baseboards don't seem hot. They're marginally warm, but how exactly will that heat the house?

I went to bed shortly after so I have no idea if the house stayed warm all night. This morning it wasn't freezing cold in the house, but it wasn't warm either. Hmmmmm.... Like I said, I am just not convinced.