Why would first room off the main line be colder than all other rooms?

rhodebump · February 2

I am puzzled. The building has three floors (68 radiators). This one classroom which is right above the boiler room and the radiators for this room are right off the start of the main is running 7 degrees colder than the other rooms that I monitor with sensors. That is 7 degrees colder than the last room to be heated on the third floor. This room is on the north of the building.

The last observation is that this room seems to respond to the boiler runs the most (swings). That is, it swings the most with the cycles. The other rooms are more consistent.

The room has the same number of radiators turned on as the other rooms.

It's two pipe. I have replace traps.

When the boiler runs, all the rooms heat up evenly, but between the 2 hour run cycles, this room cools while the other do not.

Any advice on how to correct this room temp?

Appreciate your thoughts. Guy is a complainer ;) LOL

Jamie Hall · February 2

If it heats up more or less in the same way as the other rooms when the boiler is running — it's not the boiler or the radiators.

You may have a huge air leak in that room, or miserable insulation, or something of that sort.

EdTheHeaterMan · February 2

Why would first room off the main line be colder than all other rooms?

The temperature in the first room is lower that the temperature in the other rooms would be my guess.

To solve this problem, switch this guy to another room that is more consistent

Seriously though: I would go with @Jamie Hall's conclusion. It sounds like the radiator gets the room warm when the boiler cycles on. When the boiler cycles off, the other rooms hold the temperature for longer, while the problem room temperature drops faster. Look at the heat loss for that room. Especially infiltration. are there more windows in that room than the average room? Does this room have more than one outside wall? are there exhaust fans or ducts in that room. What is special about this room that is unlike all the other rooms?

And there is one other thought… If you can't solve the 7° SWING due to the way that room operates or is situated, then you can add a hot water zone for that room with its own thermostat. The boiler water may never actually drop from making steam at over 200° to 140° during the off cycle, so adding a hot water loop to that room with its own thermostat may be the answer to your problem.

I did that with the office and 2 rest rooms in a large three zone church on steam. Having the 3 small rooms connected to one small hot water zone was a big savings because the old boiler needed to heat a very large auditorium in order to heat the office. That was not always very efficient. When I replaced that old steam boiler I added the hot water zone requiring the boiler heat up to only 160° for the office. That was much more efficient to heat that tiny space compared to the entire campus getting steam on any given weekday when the rest of the building was unoccupied and set at a lower temperature.

Just a thought.

Long Beach Ed · February 2

Goes without saying, but check the radiator size in that cold room. As Ed and Jamie say, the room seems to need more heat, so if the radiator's heating completely there's either too much cold air, too much room or too little radiation.

pedmec · February 2

I agree with everything said above too. But you understand you could also be suffering from the chimney effect meaning the warm air that is always rising with the cold air falling is making the lower floors colder. large stairwells at either end will make that happen faster.

EdTheHeaterMan · February 2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1839797#Comment_1839797

@rhodebump You mentioned that the problem room is directly over the boiler room. The boiler room is the room with the real chimney for exhaust. Could that exhaust be the reason that the room directly over the boiler room is having so much infiltration? See if you can find air leaks from the problem room to the boiler room that will explain the big temperature swing.

rhodebump · February 2

Thank you everyone for the good ideas! I never thought of the chimney effect. I will scan with my infrared camera and see if I find anything.

Why would first room off the main line be colder than all other rooms?

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Why would first room off the main line be colder than all other rooms?

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