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Cold Zone

MSimonds
MSimonds Member Posts: 1
Question concerning radiant heat. I have a 1950 home with three zones and radiant heat. One is for the ground floor level (there' no basement), the second is for the main living level (kitchen, LR, DR) and the bedrooms on the second floor (3 brs all part of the same zone for the main living area), and the third is part of an upstairs dormer that was added before we bought the house.

The problem I'm having is that the main living level has been getting very cold, whereas the bedrooms (part of the same zone, but up one set of stairs) are very warm. The main area has been hovering in the 60s and has dipped below 60 overnight. At the same time, the bedrooms have been in the mid to upper 70s. The thermostat is set at 70 and the boiler is two years old- it's been checked and is functioning fine.

I've sealed off all the doors/windows and the drafts are minimal at this point, so that shouldn't account for the temperature. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for your help!

Comments

  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Has the heat ever worked correctly? What type of emitters? How is it piped....Series loop, split loop, monoflo? I'll take a wild guess and say monoflow, and they replaced a series 100 circ when they changed the boiler.
  • Tinman
    Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
    My not so wild guess would be air in that zone.
    Steve Minnich
  • nevele
    nevele Member Posts: 30
    The radiators in the living area should be as warm as the ones in the bedrooms . If they are your boiler is working ok. If not then the system must not be balanced or there is a restriction in the piping for the living area. Is the boiler set to operate at the same temp as it was when it was working properly? Are there any valves leading to the bedroom area that you could throttle partly closed to force more flow to the living area? You could use an infrared thermometer to compare the temps of the radiators.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    If the second floor is on the same zone as the first floor, the second floor is warm and the first isn't, they belong on separate zones. If the thermostat is on the second floor, the second floor is warm, and the first floor is cold, the thermostat on the second floor is controlling the zone. If you move the thermostat to the first floor, the first floor will be finem and the second floor will overheat.

    You should never have two floors on the same zone.

    Only if the thermostat is calling, and the second floor emitters are hot, but the first floor emitters are cold, is there a possibility of air. But ONLY if the pump is running.