Hot Water Baseboard Heat- HUGE Differences in heating

Keith_6

I have hot water baseboard heat, in a house built in the '60s. The thermostat is in the hallway, outside the bedrooms. Our son's door is kept shut, and gets relatively cold. To keep him warm, we need to set the thermostat to about 69, which keeps his room about 64. The Master Bedroom, even when the door is open, gets very hot at night. When the Master bedroom door is shut, the heat is completely unbearable (hits 80+).

Any suggestions on how to equalize the rooms? There doesn't seem to be any valves to slow down or increase the flow in either radiator. Are there other ways to increase the heat for only one radiator, or decrease it?

Someone once mentioned taking fins out of the radiator in the master bedroom; which would reduce the heat the radiator gives off?

We're deperate for assistance! Thanks for your thoughts!

Boilerpro_3

First thing to check for

is a flo control valve on the system. This is a weighted check valve that prevents gravity flow through the system when there is no call for heat. If there isn't one, and even if there is, you can help eleiminate the problem by rewiring the pump to run continuously.

Oh and the obvious, are all the fins in the baseboard clean so air can freely enter and exit the heating units... ie carpeting blocking the inlet or furniture placed too close. Also most convectors have dampers that can adjust the heat output....have you tried adjusting these.

Boilerpro

S Davis

Sounds like who ever installed this system did not do a proper heat loss on the house.
Does your base board have adjustable louvers? If so you can try to close the ones in the over heated rooms, If not try covering the element to reduce the convection of air going through the radiator, try using aluminum foil to block some of the air.
The other option would be reducing the amount of baseboard in the overheated rooms or increasing the amount in the cooler rooms,wich you should be careful about doing without a proper heat loss.

S Davis

F Reynolds

Heat Control

I'm just a novice but have been on these boards for almost three months now with the same problem. For the HVAC professionals out there, if I'm sounding like a total idiot, please stop me.

Couple of quesions:

1. What type of baseboards do you have, copper fin or Cast Iron?

2. What type of thermastat do you have, when was it installed and who installed it (if known)?

3. Does it appear the thermastat was ever moved?

4. What type of boiler do you have, and when do you think it was installed?

5. Have you ever heard noise from the baseboards like there may be air in it?

6. How are you measuring temperature in the various rooms?
Reynz

Ken D.

Domestic coil fittings

I have been in the heating business 3 years. I have a problem I wonder if anyone out there can help me with.
when installing oil boilers, no matter what I do, I can't keep the domestic coil inlet and outlet threaded fittings from leaking. I have soldered stubs on them before scewing in the adapters to the coil adapters,to keep heat from soldering process away, used medium,heavy and Very heavy torque when tightening, used teflon tape, Rectorseal,Prodope,Leak Lock,teflon tape with dope and different compounds and I always have a leak a the threaded connections. This happens with 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. This is the female threaded inlet and outlet connections on the domestic coil. Any Advice? Thank you in advance.

bob young

quick-wick

use quick-wick [lampwick ] on the male threads followed by pipe joint compound [any choice or teflon ] will be fine. tighten wrench tite and no more leaks EVER

Uni R

Huge Differences Between Rooms

What kind of piping? Is the master bedroom on the same loop as your son's bedroom and if so where does the water go first?


Has it always been this way? If not, has everything been properly bled recently?

John Abbott

A real........

> I have been in the heating business 3 years. I

> have a problem I wonder if anyone out there can

> help me with. when installing oil boilers, no

> matter what I do, I can't keep the domestic coil

> inlet and outlet threaded fittings from leaking.

> I have soldered stubs on them before scewing in

> the adapters to the coil adapters,to keep heat

> from soldering process away, used medium,heavy

> and Very heavy torque when tightening, used

> teflon tape, Rectorseal,Prodope,Leak Lock,teflon

> tape with dope and different compounds and I

> always have a leak a the threaded connections.

> This happens with 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. This is the

> female threaded inlet and outlet connections on

> the domestic coil. Any Advice? Thank you in

> advance.



simple solution to your coil leaks is to use 6 or so wraps, depending on how tight the threads are, of teflon tape wound clockwise and TIGHTLY around the fitting then luricate with Palmolive dishwashing liquid immediately before assembly.I solder mine after with no ill effects and if you don't use too much heat I think you would have similar results.
This may sound hokey but it works well.We install 20 to 25 boilers a year with tankless coils and I cannot remember a leak on a coil. We also use this method on all threaded connections except oil lines the secret is the lubrication of the teflon so that it seals instead of tears.


John

Phil_6

I usually..

..screw brass nipples, not male adapters into the coil. Works better for me

Robert O'Connor_7

leaklock-teflon-leaklock

kevin coppinger_4

Either that or....

male x sweat brass unions...whos coil is this? I like the bluemagic/teflon/bluemagic approach too...kpc

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Reynz

How did we get on this Subject?

What about Keith?

Keith_6

Hot Water Baseboard- Different Temps Across Rooms!

To answer some of the questions posted, in case it'll help you provide an answer (which would be much appreciated):

The baseboard radiators are copper fin.

We had a traditional round old-style thermostat (probably installed with the house). I recently changed it to a Honeywell digital programmable thermostat. But, since the thermostat's in the hallway, it does not read the temps in the bedrooms effectively. That's why we leave our door open, so the heat will blow into the hallway and trigger off the thermostat... but then, our son's bedroom gets colder.

We have a gas-fired boiler (I think), and it's older than it probably should be.

Recently, we have heard air in the pipes more than we used to, although only a couple months ago, I tried to bleed the radiators... no air came out.

We're measuring the temperature in the rooms via digital room thermometers, so we're pretty confident that they're readings are right.

Any new thoughts on what to do would be great! Ideally, figure out a way to increase the heat in our son's room, so we could then set the thermostat lower for the whole house.

Allen Pacheco

too hot, too cold

Keith,
2 things, first move the t-stat to a bed room. second, do a heat loss. basic, non complicated way, length x width x height x a factor of 5 and divide by 580. This will tell you how much baseboard should be in the room. Your master probably has way too much baseboard compared to your sons room. That was the old way to do baseboard, JUST WRAP THE HOUSE IT WILL BE FINE!!!! NOT TRUE. Good luck

Jim Eastman

All good inputs, so far! One thought----your son always keeps his door shut--a teenager, eh? I do heating service in a college town. We, frequently, get complaints from
America's brightest future folks about their bedrooms being too cold, even though the thermostat is turned way up! We, often, find that these "bright young people" have their mattresses on the floor right up against the baseboard, their books and skis and laundry, and, and, and, ---all piled in front of the fin tube baseboard. No convection possible to extract the heat! Move the "stuff" at least 8" away from the baseboards, and WHOA, heat comes out!

Just a thought--it may not be the case, but, then again, it might be!

Jim Eastman
Precision Plumbing
Boulder, CO

Tony_8

how many zones ?

are in the house, total ? If only one, don't put stat in a bedroom.

You need experience on-site, not on-line. Nothing beats a good pair of eyes.

F Reynolds

Honeywell digital programmable thermostat

Keith, Who programmed the thermostat? Do you know (I didn't) that you are suppose to setup the thermostat to the type of system you have (furnace hot air, baseboard heat etc)? The thermostat needs to know how often to "cycle". My directions didn't tell me who to do this, I had to go to Honeywell website. It is called "the installer settings". Did you do this?

ChrisL

Heat Balancing

First determine if the radiator inlet on the 2nd bedroom is equally hot like the master bedroom. How about the outlet for each? The answer to this will tell you if they are working equally well. If so, then its an issue of improper sizing. If the 2nd bedroom baseboard inlet is not getting hot like ther master, then its a zone issue (if zoned), or air problem, or piping problem.

Chris