Heat Zone Question

ALH_4

If the boiler is above the system piping, the boiler could fire without being full of water. If the system piping is above the boiler, this is less likely. Generally the boiler is near the low point in the system, but not always, and should have a low water cutoff. I would have the system serviced before you run it. Otherwise the service call could cost you much more.

-Andrew

JF

Heat Zone Question

I have a boiler system (hot water based) and for some reason, the bedrooms are working and receiving heat, but the living room and kitchen are not. Coils are cold, etc. Of the three pipes in the basement, one is cold and the other two do become hot when I turn on the heat. Any suggestions on what could be causing this? Thanks.

Brad White_9

Trace it out

Every problem has a cause... Think like water, leave the boiler and head out to your rooms and then back. What path do you take? And what obstructions, potential or otherwise, reveal themselves to you?

A closed valve? An airbound loop into a joist? Are the radiators (coils you say?) vented of air? Is there a check valve installed the wrong way? Are all radiators piped from a supply pipe and ending at a return? (There has to be a pressure differential or no flow.) Some things to think about.

An obstruction need not be on the supply side, it could well be on the return but still be as effective.

Fire up the boiler and feel the pipe along the way. At some point the trail -and the pipe- goes cold. What do you find there?

JF

Thank you for your response. As you can see from my question, I have no idea what I am talking about. It goes cold at the joint part. I called a heating company and they said the lines need to be bled (costing about $200!!!). Hoping maybe it was something I could do myself.

ALH_4

Also

If the living/kitchen is a separate zone, verify the thermostat turns on the correct zone pump or opens the correct zone valve. Has it worked in the past? If this is the first time this system has been fired up, as Brad said, look for valves in zone piping that may have been left closed following filling of the system. Frequently there will be a drain valve and a ball valve on each return pipe. Maybe one of these ball valves was accidentally left closed. Presumably, the installer would have noticed any obstruction of flow when filling the system. Otherwise it may be wise to pay another heating professional to assess the system and anything else that may be wrong.

-Andrew

JF

This is our second fall season in this house and it worked last year. This was my first time turning on the heat since winter/spring. Our thermostat only has a heat/cold on/off type of thing. I guess it is either on or off, right? All zones. Thanks again for your responses.

ALH_4

In that case

A failed component is probably not the problem. It sounds like air is the likely culprit. What is the system pressure? Do you have air vents on your heaters? If so, try bleeding them. Generally, there should be 12psi min. If the pressure is down or you do not have air vents at the heaters you may need someone to come out and purge the system, check for leaks and check the expansion tank.

-Andrew

JF

The pressure is at 0. My husband did try and bleed the heaters by removing the little cap off the vent (looked it up in my Home Improvements for Dummies book), but that didn't work. Hopefully that is all it is and it will only cost us a couple hundred to fix it. Thanks!

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Pressure on the gauge at the boiler should DEFINITELY not be zero on a hot water system! I would call in a pro and not run the system until the problem is corrected!

ALH_4

Yes

You are in a situation where, at a minimum, damage to components of your heating system can occur. You should have a professional repair the leak, refill the system, and verify everything is working correctly. If the boiler elevation is near the high point of the system, you have a potentially very dangerous situation.

-Andrew

JF

Is there anyway that I can check where the boiler elevation is?

JF

Oh, good grief, now you must really think I have no clue. Our boiler is below the piping.