Heating problem

Al Letellier_9

This is all too often a problem with older folks. Unless you can camp out there......try to find out if you can rent or borrow a graph temperature recorder and set it up to record the temp in the house. It's the only true way you will be able to tell if a problem exists mechanically or "mentally".

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robert griggs

Problem I am having

I have a hot water copper fin baseboard system we put in about two months ago. The old radiant system had a leak in the slab and boiler was shot.

We put in a new gas hot water boiler with new copper fin baseboard, sized by Slant Fin heat loss program. I have never had a problem with sizing baseboard.

Boiler is about 65,000 BTU, and heat loss was about 50,000 BTU.

The problem the elderly lady is saying is that everyday about 4 p.m. the heat is very little or none at all. I have been there at this time a few times and it was running fine. She says it doesn't happen all the time, but most days it does.

She says that the tstat is reading 72, but she has it turned up to 78 and feels cold. She told me she kept her old system at 72 all the time and had no problems. I changed the tstat to a T87 and it was fine for a few weeks, but now she is complaining again.

Everything in the heatings system is totally new. The only part of the old system is the wire for the tstat, and the backflow preventer and prv (these were replaced 6 months ago by some one else).

Does any one have any ideas what to look for or what may be causing this? Any help would be appreciated, as this is starting to drive me crazy.

Thanks for all your help.

Maynard

heat

Sounds Like She's Used To Radiant Heat...Baseboard Will Never Be As Comfortable As The Radiant.

Maynard

heat

Sounds Like She's Used To Radiant Heat..Maybe She Thinks The Baseboard Should Be Warm All The Time Like Her Floors Used To Be?

[Deleted User]

MRT = Missing Radiant Temperatures...

Had leaks under the floors eh... I'm guessing it was hotter than heck in the rooms, and she got used to a high MRT (mean radiant temperature).

I've been in houses that had a combination of standing cast iron radiators and baseboard convectors. When walking from the old part of the house to the new part with the BBR, you could be holding a thermometer that would read 70 degree F air temperatures in both spaces, but my BODY told me the room with the convectors was NOT as comfortable as the rooms with the radiators.

Older folks with poor circulation are even more subjected to lower MRT's.

Go to RObert Beans website at www.healthyheating.com and get learned up on keeping the elderly comfy. Excellent resource.

NE

Adam_28

Bedrooms Heating problem

To whom may able to help me out.
I have a house bulit right after World War 2 in the 40s.My back bedroom always take longer to heat up compare to the front of my home.This had round cellners change bit help a little.Can some please advise what can do to speed warming process.

Thank you,
Adam

zeke

The problem with baseboard vs radiant or radiator heat is the fact that when it shuts down and there is no convection, the house feels cold due to loss of convection/ radiation currents,no matter what the reading on the Tstat. This will be especially evident in milder weather when there is significant "off" times. That it happens at 4 oclock is no accident. That is the time that in milder weather, the solar heating of the roof reduces the load and will tend to keep the heating off for a longer period, and thus increase her discomfort.
If you could sell her on an outdoor reset system or even a Beckett Heat Manager, it will keep the heat on longer and save her money at the same time.

Weezbo

along the same lines of MRT...

there are slightly different "stratas" involved with convective heating than from a Radiant surface...in other words when the Lid is radiating heat from the ceiling and she is in her favorite chair or whatever she has dropped down into the "Lower Strata" the convective currents are still wheeling around down there buh the room temp sensor is picking up the fact that at 55" off the deck the air temp is whatever it says it is.., that basically means unless that cooler slower moving air isn't motivated to dial around the radiant surface from the lid ,it probably does make her feel uncomfortable.

in the evenings the stored heat is beginning its return to the night ..Ventilation in the Roof gables might be an answer,... as strange as that may sound.

robert griggs

Could you explain this a little more? I think I understand what is going on, but don't know if I can explain it to her.

Thanks.

robert griggs

More Info

Today she told me she is having the same problem around 1 or 2 o'clock every morning. She wakes up cold and has to put on a robe.

She says that if she turns the heat up at these times it does come on, but doesn't want to raise the temp above 78. The reading on the tstat says 74 when set at 78.

martin

74 at 78

could this be an anticipator problem on the t87. Did it get set when the new therm was installed.