Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Hydronic radiant heat

I have hydronic heat in my bathrooms that don’t always come on. It’s weird I turn it on and wait like 30 plus minutes and nothing. But then sometimes it gets warm. Am I missing something?

Comments

  • Is your bathroom heating electric or hot water?
    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
    zedd4x
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    Alan. Hydronic :)
    We would need to know what controls it as far as thermostats and zone valves, and how it might all be wired up. There is a possibility the zone valve for your bathroom is stuck open , but is not sending a signal to the boiler. So what could be happening is when something else calls for heat, it also allows heat into the bathroom zone. So, check the bathroom zone valve.
    Rick
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    I have hot water with a nest thermostat. I’m not sure how to find out about valves
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    Post some pictures of the boiler room. My guess is Honeywell zone valves with a failed end switch. When the bath zone calls it opens but does not fire the boiler, when another zone calls it fires the boiler and heats the bath zone.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    SuperTech
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    Here it is
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    I opened up the picture and sucked air. What a conglomeration of a mess. I would hate to be the guy who has to work on any of that.
    Anyway, turn up the thermostat for the bathroom and see if you have a corresponding light show up on the green Taco control box on the wall to the right. If the thermostat is working ok, and the Taco control box is working ok, you should have a light come on on the Taco panel, and the boiler and pump should come on.
    Rick
    mkstretch
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    Thanks Rick! Yeah I just moved in and thought it looked a little crazy in the boiler room
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    After you verify that the zone controller is working, you want to determine in the circulator is functioning. Sometimes you can hear it or feel the vibration. A change in the temp of the pipe is the best indicator.
    This app is pretty trick but not completely fool proof. https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/news/dcs/introducing-the-most-attractive-app-in-the-cooling-field/
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,019
    Zman said:

    After you verify that the zone controller is working, you want to determine in the circulator is functioning. Sometimes you can hear it or feel the vibration. A change in the temp of the pipe is the best indicator.
    This app is pretty trick but not completely fool proof. https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/news/dcs/introducing-the-most-attractive-app-in-the-cooling-field/

    Do those magnetic indicators work on Tacos? Also they just indicate that the device is powered, they don't detect or indicate a spinning rotor. So limited use really.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    edited January 2020
    Ok so the zone light turns on when I turn on the heat. The circulator sounds like a fan when I put my ear to it.. What app do I download? The magnetic one? Also I didn’t hear the boiler light.
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    Also this is happening to my 3 rooms with radiant heat
  • Jolly Bodger
    Jolly Bodger Member Posts: 209
    Are all the pumps wired to the Taco Zone contoler or just the radiant pumps? Might be the end switch relay in the Taco board or it is not wired into the Aquastat right.
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    edited January 2020
    I’m not sure about all pumps. but I have a 3 zone Switching relay and a 1 zone.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    hot_rod said:

    Zman said:

    After you verify that the zone controller is working, you want to determine in the circulator is functioning. Sometimes you can hear it or feel the vibration. A change in the temp of the pipe is the best indicator.
    This app is pretty trick but not completely fool proof. https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/news/dcs/introducing-the-most-attractive-app-in-the-cooling-field/

    Do those magnetic indicators work on Tacos? Also they just indicate that the device is powered, they don't detect or indicate a spinning rotor. So limited use really.

    I stuck it on a grundfos the other day and it spun.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    Still not working. I guess I need to get a heat guy in here
  • DZoro
    DZoro Member Posts: 1,048
    Did it work before the nest came into play?
  • mkstretch
    mkstretch Member Posts: 9
    edited February 2020
    Before the nest it still wasn’t working correctly. My other bathroom has the original thermostat and works when it wants.