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Steam/Hot water baseboard

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DRG100
DRG100 Member Posts: 1
in Gas Heating

The contractor that maintains my steam boiler says I don't have a problem, I think I do. My thermostats are programmed for 58 degrees over night and 65 for the steam zone and 68 for the baseboard zone during the day (the baseboard zone is my living room, the steam zone is the rest of the house). When it's below 20 degrees both day and night in spite of the thermostat programing the steam zone is at 4 to 6 degrees above programing and the baseboard is at 68. I think that instead of relying on the aquastat to maintain the hot water for the baseboard zone they are actually firing the boiler to full steam pressure when ever the baseboard zone calls for heat.. This causes the pressuretrol to shut down the boiler periodically to keep it from becoming a dangerous situation. It sometimes takes up to 3 or 4 hours for baseboard zone to recover from the overnight temp. I believe it's also raising my my natural gas bill, which is also up, astronomically to begin with. Am I crazy or is this the way it's supposed to work? Thanks!

Comments

  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,462
    edited February 3

    the steam boiler should not create steam when the hot water loop alone calls for heat.

    It sounds like that might be the issue. I have seen systems that do this even in my short non-career.

    Any competent hvac plumber should be able to solve this easily

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

  • Grallert
    Grallert Member Posts: 1,083

    That's a huge set back. How is the water loop piped? Through the tankless coil or a separate loop using the condensate of the boiler? What's controlling the water temperature for the water loop?

    Miss Hall's School service mechanic, greenhouse manager, teacher, dog walker and designated driver

  • pedmec
    pedmec Member Posts: 1,291

    Does the baseboard heating loop relay have a aquastat installed in series with the gas valve circuit? the aquastat prevents the boiler from creating steam by controlling the temperature of the heating loop water temperature.

  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 3,421
    edited 12:50AM

    Coldest day of the year … Heat loss and lack of radiation normally is the reason for the lack of heat in the past weeks …. Set backs are not helping , takes too long to bring the room back up to temperature in this freeze….

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

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