New kitchen not enough heat!

GW

what's the current system in the whole house? It seems like you have cast iron rads. If yes, you have the old classic problem called mismatched system.

Is the new kitchen apart of the main house or is it an addition of some sort?

Did you add some canned lights? Did you do anything to create more heat loss? Sky light, slider, larger window, etc?

gary

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Dvanderbilt

Not enough Heat HELP!!

I have done a kitchen remodel and had the old radiator replaced w/ a kick space heater attached to my boiler residential hot water. My whole house is on one thermostat in thr hallway. The kick space heater works great except one problem; not warm enough in kitchen. When my house is at 68, the kitchen is at 55. This only happens when the outside temp. drops below 30; which is often in Cape Ann, MA. Do I need my plumber to put in another kickspace and if so can he connect it in line with the other one? Can I make that kickspace work on a seperate zone off the res. hot water? He's not sure and is checking around. I just don't have any room for a radiator and really don't want to put in an electric kickspace. Any suggestions would be great.

David and Stephanie

Terry

details

Is the boiler running on demand from the one t'stat? or is it maintaining a setpoint temp on the primary loop?

Kickspaces are great as long as there is hot water available for it.
If the system is on "demand" from t'stat and your t'stat is "happy". The Water temp may be low enought that the kickspace is not putting out enough heat to match the load.

What is the water temp
What is the model/Capacity of the kickspace Heater
What are the details on the area to be heated?

need more detail to give better answer.

regards,
EIN

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Your problem is the exact reason that you want to avoid removing an iron radiator and replacing it with a fan-assisted kickspace heater, fin baseboard or any other emitter that requires high temperature!

1) The kickspace may be sized via an inappropriate supply temperature assumption.

2) Water flow through the kickspace could be too low.

3) Supply temperature to the kickspace could be inadequate.

Likely the problem is a combination of all three. Just adding another kickspace is unlikely to solve the problem if inadequate temp and/or flow are even partial culprits.

Kickspace heaters installed in old systems with standing iron radiators almost always need to be on their own, separate heating zone with its own thermostat, circulating pump and ability to turn the boiler "on". You must also prevent the rest of the house from overheating when the kickspace calls for heat. This will most likely involve significant piping changes near your boiler.

This is not a slight against plumbers in any way, but I would highly suggest that you find a plumber who is thoroughly familiar with hydronic heating systems. Some tend to think that "a pipe is a pipe" yet have no clue about temperature and flow in space heating systems.

Uni R

kickspace

> Your problem is the exact reason that you want to

> avoid removing an iron radiator and replacing it

> with a fan-assisted kickspace heater, fin

> baseboard or any other emitter that

> requires high temperature!

>


I was always under the impression that it is not because they require high temperatures (and they shouldn't if sized with lower temps in mind), it is because the don't store any heat like a high mass cast iron rad would. I would think that constant circulation would allow the cast iron to help out the kickspace heater although separate zones would probably be best for a kitchen because of heat gains when cooking and/or it gets crowded.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Yes, the lack of mass certainly contributes. Thought of that on my evening walk. Sorry I forgot to say "and relatively massless"...

Put those iron rads under constant circulation and their average temperature just drops further...

Depending on the control and design of the system those iron rads can operate with really low supply temps. The common "t-stat controls both the burner and circulator" system just results in a form of indoor reset with quite low temps.

If you have an older high-water content boiler that's always firing to the aquastat setting with the t-stat just controlling the circulator, the job is easier as long as you size the kickspace to work with the available supply temp and you install a new zone for the kickspace with dedicated circulator, t-stat and provisions to prevent "ghost" flow in the rest of the system.

I won't even comment on the efficiency "hit" you'll get by supplying just one kickspace with a most likely higher supply temp requirement. Should a condensing/modulating boiler ever be installed such will only add GREATLY to the expense and prevent the most efficient operation.

To the original poster: Unless your electric rates are utterly ridiculous, I'd change to an electric kickspace. While there is a hydronic solution, you're likely to loose efficiency throughout the rest of the house even if you use the finest available equipment and control.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

GREAT questions Gary!

GW

Thanks

and a Merry Christmas to you!

Dear Cape Horn,

I'm in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 175/hr I'll travel, I've got all the tools and toys the average heat guy doesn't.

gary

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Ted_9

heating

David and Stephanie, this kick space heater needs to be one its own zone. Find a heating pro, not just a plumber with no knowledge of hydronic heating.

BTW, was the heater properly sized? was a heatloss done on the room?

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Tom R.

Tools

Gary, don't leave them in your truck. (See post above - "ripped off")

ed wallace

kitchen heat

Hi I am in Watertown ma give me a call i can help you

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