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Homemade dampers for hot-water baseboards?

I have a Cape Cod house in Delaware, where my (empty-nester) wife and I live on the 1700 SF first floor. The second floor (900 SF) is virtually always empty and unused, except when we have overnight company. The two bedrooms on the second floor have about 60 linear feet of hydronic baseboard, while the first floor has about 90 feet. I'd like to be able to somehow zone the second floor separately from the first floor.

The system, built in 1956, uses the monoflo system to distribute the hot water from the gas boiler, which I understand makes it very difficult to zone the system by water flow. None of the baseboards have dampers.

I'm thinking of building removable air dampers - I'm thinking L-shaped pieces of sheet metal, each maybe 8 feet long that block the airflow out of the top of the radiator housings. I'm thinking of attaching them with magnets, and perhaps using some weatherstripping to make them more effective.

My question: how effective can I expect this to be in terms of directing more of my heating energy to the first floor, and wasting less on the unoccupied second floor? I realize nobody can give a quantitative answer, but any opinions about whether the idea has merit would be appreciated. Also, any alternative ideas to separate the two floors would be appreciated. Thanks!

Comments

  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    edited February 2017
    In the basement is there only one loop visible? One pipe going out for supply and one returning?
    Probably only 1 T-stat and 1 pump?
  • jumper
    jumper Member Posts: 2,226
    Insulating baseboards should work. Make sure it doesn't work too well.
  • Leonard
    Leonard Member Posts: 903
    edited February 2017
    My cousins stuffed blue syrofoam in the 1" gap at top of baseboard .
  • DelawareTim
    DelawareTim Member Posts: 3
    Jughne, you guessed correctly on all 3 - one loop, one t-stat, one pump.
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    Some people have lost the ability to heat the room adequately because of carpet blocking the lower air inlet of BB heaters.
    Air has to go in the bottom obviously to leave the top.

    This is sort of a "hokey" idea, but the draft stoppers put at the bottom of a leaky door might stop the convection thru the BB. :)
    It would take a lot of them though.
    In any event you would want to keep the bathroom warm if there is one on 2nd floor.
  • DelawareTim
    DelawareTim Member Posts: 3
    Thanks Jughne - Interesting idea - I can see sewing some long, skinny "draft stoppers" and filling them with rice - we've made custom draft stoppers before.

    Agree regarding the bathroom - we'll close the two bedroom doors and block those baseboards, but make sure to keep the bathroom door open. I'm thinking it will get quite a bit of heat rising up the stairs from the first floor, but we'll be careful before blocking that radiator.
  • bob_46
    bob_46 Member Posts: 813
    I think you have a good plan. Depending on fit you may not need weatherstripping.
    bob
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    I have never seen the "hokey" idea in practice...just a brain surge for right now. Not sure how effective it would be.

    Before getting out the sewing machine though, you could experiment with rolled up blankets or carpet scraps.

    If it cuts down the heat delivery as you wish then go for it.
    Coiled up for bean bags for grandkids visiting ;)
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    I agree the draft stoppers should work.

    If the supply and returns from the second floor baseboards come all the way down to the main in the basement you could cut in a manual valve for each baseboard. You would only need 1 valve/baseboard to stop the flow. Easily opened if you get visitors.
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    Ed I was thinking of that also. But reading here about how hard it is to purge air from a monoflo system, (which I never realized having dealt with very few) I was reluctant to suggest it.

    Also with no water flowing at all and with 1956 insulation, considering the BB are on the outside wall, that too was a negative for me. (I tend to think of the worst case scenarios of boiler failure and cold house. That stagnate water would have a head start on freezing , just my negative vibs I guess)
    DelawareTim
  • bob_46
    bob_46 Member Posts: 813
    Can't put a valve on a rad fed from a monoflo tee real quick you run out of head on the main.
    bob
    BrewbeerDelawareTim