pretty sure its air - baseboard hot water - what now?

Jeff Lawrence_25

Over the connection.

There could be several things wrong with your system. The best advice I can give you is to go to the Find A Professional tab near the upper left corner of the page.

Even better, click <A href=http://www.heatinghelp.com/getlisted.cfm>here</A>

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=159&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Kate

Baseboard hot water heat

A couple of questions - I really need "baseboard heat for Dummies". I have 3 zones of heat - all 3 are running fine as far as heat goes but it sounds like ALOT of water running through - all 3 zones and I get a "bang" every once in awhile - it seems to move around.
I am assuming this is air in the pipes but I really don't know how to get it out - I tried "flipping" that little lever on the furnace and that did let out a very little bit before hot water started coming out. Could this be caused by the unseasonal- like warm weather we have been having? Also - I checked the pressure which is around 8lbs(?) and 170. If this is not as it should be - how do I change it? I just want to make sure I am doing everything Im supposed to
Thanks so much

R. Kalia_8

Rushing water noise is due to having a too-powerful pump, but gurgling/bubbling noise is due to air in the pipe.

You get air out by bleeding the baseboards...in other words, you loosen the bleed valve on each baseboard and let the air out. Even though mainly water will come out, you have to keep bleeding until you have let out a half-bucket of water from each baseboard.

Neil_5

J. Cricket

I am a HO, and I am very familiar and educated about my gas HW system. However, I was under the inpression that you would bleed the baseboard until only water comes out and I kinda use the 20 sec rule, where if I get 20 sec of no air I am good for that baseboard. Should I continue to bleed 1/2 bucket as you suggested? Usually a cup full of water is all I get from each baseboard with no air and then I close off.

Thanks,
Neil

Dennis

What is a HO? Oh never mind none of my business

Just bleed until you get water, stop, wait a while (when the system is running) then bleed it again.
That little flip thing on the heater is the pressure relief valve, that will not let the air out, just the water out.
The banging could be a pipe expanding against part of the houses construction, or it could be one of the zone valves closing the incresed pressure of the pump can cause banging. Your heating professional could install a pressure bypass valve that would open against this increase in pressure, that would stop the banging.

Now as to the half a bucket idea, I think that is a bit much. Now if it is small jar ok, but the bucket would be hard to get into the baseboard enclosure valve opening area.

One last detail if you don't have a device to automatically add water to the system, then you will have to put some water in to push the air out. Try to keep the water gauge near 15 psi on the gauge and in most homes everything will be all right.

Plumb Bob

If a little bleeding solves the problem, fine. But air in baseboard is often trickier to get out than air in radiators.

If a little bleeding doesn't do it, bleed a lot. The air comes out as little bubbles in the water.