Hot Water Baseboard Heating Problem

No Heat

Hello,

We have a 3 zone hot water baseboard heating system in our house which we recently moved into. The system is original to the house, about 30 years old. I recently installed some setback thermostats for two of the zones (upper and main level) that reduce the heat to 56 degrees during the night.

During the recent cold snap on the east coast (the temperature on Saturday Jan 10th was 6 degrees F), two of three zones stopped working, the main level and upper level. The basement continue to work (it was a life saver). Eventually, as the temperature on the 11th climbed, the upper level heat started working. By 10:00 AM on the 12th (temperature in the balmy 30's) the main level heat started working. I suspect the problem had to do with freeze up in the main level and upper level lines (the main level goes over an unheated porch and the upper level is next to the roof line of an addition. A toilet water supply line in the same area froze up and thawed at the same time).

My questions are this:

1. Should I be using a setback thermostat on this system?

2. Is 56 degrees too low for the temperatures during the night?


Thanks.

No Heat

Hot Water baseboard Freeze Up?

Hello,

We have a 3 zone hot water baseboard heating system in our house which we recently moved into. The system is original to the house, about 30 years old. I recently installed some setback thermostats for two of the zones (upper and main level) that reduce the heat to 56 degrees during the night.

During the recent cold snap on the east coast (the temperature on Saturday Jan 10th was 6 degrees F), two of three zones stopped working, the main level and upper level. The basement continue to work (it was a life saver). Eventually, as the temperature on the 11th climbed, the upper level heat started working. By 10:00 AM on the 12th (temperature in the balmy 30's) the main level heat started working. I suspect the problem had to do with freeze up in the main level and upper level lines (the main level goes over an unheated porch and the upper level is next to the roof line of an addition. A toilet water supply line in the same area froze up and thawed at the same time).

My questions are these:

1. Should I be using a setback thermostat on this system?

2. Is 56 degrees too low for the temperatures during the night?


Thanks.

Steve Miller

No Heat

Do you have zone valves controlling your zones? If so, the motors could be bad or the end switches to those 2 upper zones. If you have flow thru the zones and it's just lukewarm, you may have pump, pressure and piping issues. I'd look for the feature on left side of the page called Find a Professional. A good qualified heating guy can explain the system to you, since you're new to the house, and come up with some suggestions to help make your system even perform better.

If your a hands on guy, you can probably get some good advice here too with some more info provided like pics of the boiler piping and drawings. Good luck.

Steve M

Al Letellier

freeze-up

It's ok to use setback stats, but I think you have them set too low. Generally speaking, with an average system, 5-7 degree setback is the most efficient. You can spend more to bring it back to temp than you saved setting it back.
During extremely cold times like we've had recently, set the stat to your occupied temp and leave it there. You were lucky in that the system thawed itself and didn't burst. The little extra fuel you burn to maintain temp will cost far less than the expense and damages if you have water damage. Play it safe, 5-7 degree setback and hold temp during extreme weather conditions.

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Unknown

Just saw the same problem today

in a Levitt Ranch . The uninsulated heating pipes upstairs ran through the uninsulated crawlspace . The homeowner told me that there was noone living up there , so he set the thermostat to the lowest setting during the summer . We got the call yesterday that he could not get the heat to come on up there . I got there today around 1 pm and everything was fine , the zone was heating up good .

The pipes must have frozen and thawed out with the temp rise outside . He was lucky they didn't burst , but not too lucky - a domestic cold pipe broke on him in his garage . I recommended he insulate every pipe and keep the upstairs zone cranked - better to burn a few gallons of oil in cold weather than risk a flood .

Steve Miller

in addition

Yes, Al is right, that's quite a setback and if your house does get down to 56 degrees, I check the insulation and the windows for drafts, that's pretty chilly. Remember, insulation doesn't cost,,,,it's pays!

After I posted and reread your post, you mentioned you just installed those programmable T-Stats on the zones that aren't heating. . You might check your wiring and also see if the Stat is combatible with your zone valves. There are 2 and 3 wire TStats for zone valves.

Steve M.

No Heat

Hot Water baseboard Freeze Up?

Thanks for all the responses. I've decided to keep the thermostat range between 65 and 70 degrees F. Also, I'm going to hold overnight temps to 70 when nighttime temperatures go below 32 degrees. Probably the setback thermostats were not such a good idea.

But it still begs the question. In what circumstances (w.r.t. a how water baseboard system) can setback thermostats be used?

Again thanks for all the responses.

S.Allard

Hot Water baseboard Freeze Up?

Just my two cents. To advert any chance of freeze up why not add glycol. It cost a few bucks to do but the reward is unmeasurable. If the pilot goes out on the boiler when your away it could literally save thousands of dollars. Have the system checked for leaks, repair leaks and install glcol by heating professional. As far a set back,(53) you can't be married, lol. If the temp in my home dropped below 71 I would not here the end of it. During work hours and late evening I recommend no less than 60. Setback thermostats are fine but if you can afford it buy one without batteries ie:Honeywell T8600 series. Runs off transformer power. Cheers from the great white north.