Hot Water baseboard Loop --- Air Bound or Mistake?

k1jos

We did major demo of our 2nd floor bedroom and bathroom. Originally we had about 6 sections totaling about 35 feet including two short sections (~6') in bathroom but all were in a single loop controlled by one thermostat. The bedroom sections were replaced after the demo but not the bathroom sections. Now the bedroom sections work fine but the bathroom baseboard stays cold. I think the plumber accidentally left out the bathroom section from the loop when he repiped everything but he says the bathroom section must be air-bound. Is it likely that all baseboard sections works in one loop except a single section of baseboard?

nicholas bonham-carter

Why not get the plumber to complete the job, and fix the problem?--NBC

k1jos

He has done so many things wrong - it makes me nervous. He installed a radiant hydronic radiant floor 20x15 that was originally one of six hotwater baseboard zones (boiler system) and did not put in a dedicated circulator pump for that nor did he put in any temperature gauges to adjust the mixer valve nor did he balance the manifold flow. He just set things midway and left it until my heating company came in for annual boiler tune up and noticed it. He replaced copper with pex in my new bathroom and failed to support the pex adequately so we have water hammer pipes knocking in the bathroom hot and cold lines. We had a brand new marble bathroom floor and he laid down an old dirty tarp with grease on it that then soaked into the marble. I could go on.... he probably is fine for commercial work but doesn't seem to have much concern for nice residential work.

k1jos

one last thing that made me suspect - he installed my new Kohler whirlpool and failed to remove the two transportation wood blocks under the two motors and only after the granite top around the whirlpool was laid did one of his workers note that not only weren't they removed but they still had the shipping straps around them and the motors stands were not contacting the subfloor-- just hanging in the breeze. Now to fix it I will need someone to disconnect the motors and remove them so we can get the wood blocks out. He has been a plumber for more than 10-15 years so I figure either he is very sloppy (or forgetful) or too busy to keep on top of things.

nicholas bonham-carter

What a trial you have had with this plummmmmer! I am sure he is not OK with commercial, instead of residential. In fact he is the cause of every other trade saying what they do about such plumbers-"all he knows is $h1t flows downhill, and payday's Friday".--NBC

Jamie Hall

Did he even bother to reconnect the bathroom baseboard? After the other things...

4Johnpipe

Sounds like they forgot to connect the bathroom section back to the series loop...

k1jos

Ok so the plumber did not screw this one up - he said the 2 bathroom sections came off the big loop thru a venturi loop. He found that this was air bound and after bleeding the two sections are giving heat nicely. He also responded to my other remarks and he added tow temp gauges to the radiant and balanced the mixer and manifold. He was very apologectic about the water hammering and said thought that his assistants had strapped all the nex pew well but I also have high water pressure. He said he could a an ani-water hammer T-tube that basically adds a dead end air column to the hot and cold lines under my whirlpool and that should quiet things down substantially. Any thoughts on this? I don't want to re-open newly sheet rock and painted walls at this point

hot_rod

Nice outcome.

A water hammer arrester may help, it should be installed near the faucet or washer that caused the hammer, if possible.

Also look into a pressure reducing valve 45 psi should be plenty.

Hilly

He said he could a an ani-water hammer T-tube that basically adds a dead end air column

That is not permitted up this way, I assume south of 49 is the same in that regard. Insist on a proper hammer arrester as hot rod mentioned.