Return is hotter than Flow - Why?

Sleeplessinely

I have a problem, my return is hotter than my flow - radiators are not getting hot and we are cold. I have a hot water loop system running at 11-lbs of pressure, 180 degrees. 1 Radiator just quit that used to get very hot, we have bled/vented all the radiators and are not finding any relief.

Please help, we are cold and live in Northern MN!
Thanks,
Sleeplessinely

Guy_5

Sounds like the system may be air bound. If nothing else has been changed ie: flow checks, circulators, etc,thats where I would look. What you have now is a slight gravity flow of heat to one of the nearest radiators.

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Pressure

Your pressure is not what it should be; for a 1 or 2-story house, it should be 15-20 psi. See if you can increase it a bit.

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Tom_23

I don't think it is airbound. You say that you bled the radiators. It sounds to me like your circulator is not working. The system then thermosiphons and the flow reverses in your system. Go to the boiler and look for a pump on it. Check to see if you have 120 volts at the pump. If you do then you need to repair or replace the pump. If you do not have 120 volts at the pump then you need to start back tracking the wires to find the problem. You may find it is a bad connection or a relay problem or even an aquastat problem. Just remember you are dealing with line voltage and if you are not carefull you could be injured. If you are not comfortable with the procedure outlined then you need to contact a heating contractor.
Tom