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First floor 67, top floor 80

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ss9168
ss9168 Member Posts: 1
in Strictly Steam
A little background: Our house is from 1885 and is a total of 6k sqft, 4900 sqft above grade on three levels. We had the oil system removed and a gas boiler installed last year. It is a single pipe system.



I installed a honeywell digital thermostat (set the dip switches to steam) last year, and there is one thermostat for the entire house. If I set the thermostat for 67 the house is relatively cool consistently. If I set the thermostat to 69 or higher, it is fine until 1-2 am and the 2nd/3rd floors get wicked hot, but the first floor is still 69 according to the thermostat.



Any thoughts as to what would cause the upper floors to get so hot? It is completely random.

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  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
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    Steam

    Sounds like you need to better balance th system with radiator venting. Do you have a layout and sizes of all of the radiators? We can lead you in the right direction,
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    Venting improvements

    We need to know what sort of main vents you have, as well as the radiator vents.

    Insufficient main vents will force the gas company to cause the gas company to sell you extra gas to force the air out of the radiator vents. This method will also favor the risers closer to the boiler, and make for a very unbalanced system.

    Maximum main venting will fill the mains with steam, by letting the air escape with no resistance. Then the steam will start up each riser simultaneously, on it's way to each radiator. Top floor radiators may need slightly faster vents, but it's best to start with Hoffman 40's and make changes later.

    Keeping the pressure down is essential. My similar apt house, with 55 radiators is now letting the air out at 2 ounces, and rarely goes above 8 ounces. I do not use setback, as it can waste fuel, and exaggerate any imbalances.

    My thermostat uses a remote sensor placed in the most exposed bedroom on the north end, 2nd floor, and this reacts more quickly to any dropping temperatures, so you may benefit from a new thermostat location.

    Pictures of your boiler piping would enable us to see any other issues, such as wet steam. How was the new gas boiler sized? Hopefully, the installer measured the radiators to come up with the needed capacity for the new one, as the old oil boiler may not have been correct.

    Any other problems with this system, such as noise?--NBC
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