Boiler Size

Bob Hatzo

The boiler does not supply hot water, only heat. I will do as you said to check my load. The basement is partially underground. It was cold enough down there last week to freeze the water pipes.

Bob Hatzo

Boiler Size

I purchased a condo in Rhode Island. A basement room approx. 200 sq ft is finished but "unheated". I would like to add another zone with radiators. How can I tell if my boiler is big enough to handle the job? I have a loop hot-water system with two zones in the rest of the unit.

Joe_13

Using copper fin tube base board?

Measure how many ft of fin tube you have in the current zones and multiply by 550 for 180 degree boiler water to get an aprox. total BTU's your using now. Is there an indirect hot water heater being heated by the boiler also?
You should see a rating plate on your current boiler to see if you have any spare BTU's. If the basement room is part inground and you share outside walls with another condo unit, your heating requirements shouldn't be much.

Uni R

Freezing basement?

Cold enough in your basement to freeze pipes? Is your basement properly insulated? If not, that would be the first thing I would do. Then reassess the need for heat and if so, you have finished outside walls to put the baseboard on.