Step by step hydronic troubleshooting

hot_rod

It is always good to start with an understanding of the fundamentals, then work through the system.
This issue of idronics covers much of what you will encounter in troubleshooting.

https://idronics.caleffi.com/magazine/32-troubleshooting-hydronic-systems

jesmed1

Thank you, that is very informative.

As a homeowner who is a mechanical engineer, I've been called on to troubleshoot heating systems in our condo building and our church. In both cases, I've found it very helpful to use inexpensive temperature data loggers to get a "picture" of how the system is operating. These will record temperature data that can then be retrieved and displayed on a phone app or downloaded onto a computer for analysis.

The "Inkbird" devices in the link below record ambient temperature. I have one sitting on top of each of our boilers, about an inch away from the flue pipe. When the boiler fires, the flue heats up and the Inkbird sensor records a temperature spike that rises until the boiler stops firing. When I want to check boiler run times, I open the app on my phone and use the Bluetooth connection to download the data, which shows up on a graph on my phone screen. This is a very useful way to see quickly (1) how long the boiler is running per cycle, and (2) the elapsed time between cycles.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Thermometer-Wireless-Bluetooth-Temperature/dp/B08S3CGZ3Q/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=2MJH1WCRMHESX&keywords=inkbird+temperature+sensor&qid=1699368166&sprefix=inbird+temperature+sensor,aps,106&sr=8-1

Another temperature data logger I've found useful is the Elitech temeprature data logger. This one has a probe that can be inserted into forced air heating ducts or attached to hot water pipes, etc. The data gets downloaded onto a computer and can then be graphed or otherwise analyzed. I used this to monitor air temperatures in our church's forced air heating ducts to find an overheating condition in the gas furnace. I've also taped the probe to hot water pipes in our condo's hydronic heating system to monitor water temperature and find out which loops are or are not getting hot.

https://www.amazon.com/Elitech-RC-4-Temperature-Recorder-External/dp/B01MY9A0G1/ref=sr_1_8?crid=PS2AWCB5UMBN&keywords=elitech+temperature+data+logger&qid=1699368739&sprefix=elitech+tem,aps,100&sr=8-8&th=1

No doubt there are more expensive monitors that professionals use. I just mention these as simple low-cost devices that the average person can afford and that can help troubleshoot hydronic systems. I've found them both extemely useful.