Can you shut off too many radiators?

Mark K

Hi all,

I'm new to steam heat. I moved into this house in May, so I haven't had much experience with it as of yet. I have a one-pipe system, gas fired burnham boiler about 10 years old.

I turned the heat on this week for the first time, and boy do those steam radiators crank out the heat. I had the clock thermostat set to click on to 65 degrees at 6am, and there was so much heat blasting, that I was sweating, even though the temp in the house was only 65.

So, I turned off the radiator in my bedroom, which is a big one, about 10 fins long. I want to turn off some others as well, where they are just blasting too much heat. Can it cause a problem if I turn off too many radiators? Will it cause my boiler to be making too much steam, and cause other problems in other areas of the house?

Big Ed

Radiators

You want to look into TRV valves on the radiator vents. This will give you more control and comfort...

Does shutting off a radiator cause problems ? By closing the shut off valve steam may by-pass the seat and fill up the radiator with water . Shut it down by plugging the vent tap..

Shutting off too many.......the house will get cold... : )

Fred Harwood

Anticipation

Sounds like you have temperature overshoot, which commonly can be cured with thermostat anticipation adjustment. What kind of thermostat do you have?

Don't turn off those rads just yet. With proper thermostatic anticipation and adjustable rad vents, they should get hotter as the weather gets colder, not all the way on every cycle.

Mark K

Thermostats

Hi,

I installed a Honeywell Chronotherm IV, which is supposed to be compatible with a steam system. I've set the CPH to 1, per the instructions, but I don't see any other anticipator settings for it. It has been overshooting the set temps by anywhere from 2-4 degrees.

I have the temperature set fairly low, only 62 degrees. The problem is that those radiators get so blazing hot when they are on, that I get overwhelmed by all the heat and I am uncomfortable if I'm sitting anywhere near it. Once the system shuts off and they cool down a bit, I'm fine until it clicks on again. Upstairs, in the bedrooms, I like it cooler. I found that I could turn off 3 of the five radiators upstairs, and it was still plenty cozy, with the heat from the other two, plus what naturally rises upstairs from the lower level. The thermostat is downstairs, so it shouldn't affect it. I was concerned about causing unseen problems in the system by shutting down radiators.

Fred Harwood

Thermostat

That Chronotherm is overshooting. Get the book out and shorten your heating call. If you don't find it in the book, ask how on this site.

Mark K

OK, I'm asking

Hi,

The only setting I can find on the Chronotherm is for CPH/Heating System type. I've set that to 1, for Steam.

Other than that, I see no anticipator settings or other adjustable settings to change. I've read the manual a couple of times. Also, Bill from Honeywell did say that it might take the thermostat a couple of days to "learn" my house. However, after a week of use, it still seems to be overshooting by 2-3 degrees. So, if you have any ideas, let me know.

Thanks!

Drod

Overshoothing

I had the same overshooting problem a couple years ago and this site helped. One of the experts said the "suggested" setting for steam heat is "1". He then suggested I try the next setting (I don't remember what it was), and I did make the adjustment. Worked like a charm. My furnace cycled a bit more often, but the overshooting the thermostat disappeared. Much more comfortable now.