3 story home no heat in basement

Robvin

Hi all,

I recently have come across an old heritage home with heating issues. This house went under extensive renos done by others.

2 story + basement. Recent mech room upgrade with Navien boiler, 3 heating zones and indirect water tank.

Zone 1-Top two stories CI radiators all on one zone. Two pipe system

Zone 2- basement baseboard heaters
Zone 3- basement suite baseboard heaters.

Issue #1
I was called in to help balance the radiators in zone 1. I installed danfoss trv valves with some success. All but one radiator now has equal heat. The one radiator that does not have heat is also the first to be supplied.
No mono Flo tees two pipe system. Thoughts?

Issue #2.
Both zones in the basement never get up to temp. It's always cold down there. There is some heat flowing through the heaters but not much. I have bled/flushed both zones out but still not much heat.


Questions.
Why would that one CI radiator not get heat especially since its first to be supplied?

More importantly why would the basement zones not get up to temp?

Thanks

EBEBRATT-Ed

Possibly that radiator is air bound, or not piped correctly or a valve is broken internally so it's not really open.

Are you zoned with zone valves or pumps? can you post some pictures of the boiler piping and radiator and baseboard piping??

JUGHNE

How is that CI piped....high to low?
Could have an orifice in the inlet valve union?

Might need something like a mono flow diverter to send the water up or just reduced pipe after the first tee?? Water could just be zooming by that tee.

Robvin

Update;

Fixed the Basement no heat issue;
I changed the perameters on the boiler so supply temp would be at a minimum of 130F. I found with it being summer and the outdoor reset curve starting at 100F it wasn't producing heat.
FYI The house has close to no insulation

Potentially fixed the CI rad issue;
The rad was completely plugged. I flushed the system out multiple times in the past but I guess it didn't cut it. I disconnected it, brought it outside and used boiler cleaner on it. Wow! That was nasty!

The rad was also air logged because of the no flow. Also, supply and return are on the same side on the bottom.

I have hooked it all up, burped the air out and it seems to work.

If the issue happens again I'll suggest to the home owner to have that rad re piped properly.

Mech room is zoned with zone valves. Pump is undersized and that will be on the list for future work.

newagedawn

thanks for you kind response, with the solutions to ur problems