 VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | Apartment with Hydronic Baseboards I recently moved into an apartment that uses hydronic baseboard heaters. As it's gotten colder I've noticed that my heat doesn't work very well. At least twice the maintenance people have bled the system for me, the last time being yesterday, and it seems to have helped, though tonight will prove or disprove that definitively. However, I noticed that I can still hear water running through the system for brief amounts of time, I'm assuming when the heat initially kicks on. Then I don't hear it anymore. I'm guessing this means they still have not gotten the air out of the system. My question is, if it's not a constant water noise, is the performance of the heaters affected greatly?
There is also a small valve near where my thermostat knob is located which a key can be used. The maintenance guys haven't been using that valve, but have done the bleeding down by the boiler itself. I'm debating whether I should try to bleed some air using that myself as well. However, I'm worried that I might just make it worse and allow more air to get in by doing it incorrectly lol. For the moment, the heat seems to now achieve the minimum legal requirements for provided heat, but I'm wondering if it can get hotter still by eliminating all water noise/air, or if that's unreasonable to expect out of an old system.
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Reviews:
 ·Suddenlink
| The bleeder in the room should look like the air valve on a tire. If so, you can buy automatic bleeders for them that just screw onto the valve.
There's a pic of one and some info here:
»inspectapedia.com/heat/AirBleedValves.htm |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | In my case, what I'm assuming to be the bleeder, is more like a "bolt" that has a small nozzle below. There's only one in the whole apartment though.
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 cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:7 | said by Voodoo:There's only one in the whole apartment though. Is it the highest point in the heating system? Is the pipe at that point hot, warm, or cold? Are all your baseboard heaters hot and about the same temperature (when that zone is on)? |
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horsemouthPlease Clarify My CSPPremium
join:2002-03-13
canada | reply to HarryH3
said by HarryH3:The bleeder in the room should look like the air valve on a tire. If so, you can buy automatic bleeders for them that just screw onto the valve. There's a pic of one and some info here: » inspectapedia.com/heat/AirBleedValves.htm +1
It may also be this.
»inspectapedia.com/heat/WaterFeeders.htm |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | reply to cdru
said by cdru:said by Voodoo:There's only one in the whole apartment though. Is it the highest point in the heating system? Is the pipe at that point hot, warm, or cold? Are all your baseboard heaters hot and about the same temperature (when that zone is on)? Yeah they are 2 story apartments and I'm on the second floor. The pipe had been primarily warm but it is now borderline hot after the bleeding done yesterday. All the heaters seem to put out the same amount of heat and I get a fairly consistent temperature in each room, it's just they don't output enough heat. Though last night it was finally getting to 65 degrees, how the temperature is when I get home today, and tonight when it's supposed to be 20 degrees or less outside, remains to be seen.
The valve is closer to this: »www.diyonline.com/graphics/artic···rd-s.jpg
except above the nozzle where you'd open the valve it is flattened on two sides, I'm guessing for a radiator key, but I think I could use pliers on it even.
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horsemouthPlease Clarify My CSPPremium
join:2002-03-13
canada | You may be ok now. The boiler in my building has a thermostat outside. It calls for more heat as the temperature drops.
Be careful if you get the pliers out! If that thing is broken you will have hot water everywhere.
Do you have anything in front of the rad? |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ
1 edit | said by horsemouth:You may be ok now. The boiler in my building has a thermostat outside. It calls for more heat as the temperature drops. Be careful if you get the pliers out! If that thing is broken you will have hot water everywhere. Do you have anything in front of the rad? Nothing big. There's a small section of radiator that my exercise bike is near, but it doesn't block it a lot. And a small section that I have a very small desk infront of, but the desk has all open space between the desktop and floor, no backing that would be an obstruction.
I made sure that all the radiators are wide open now. I'll find out for certain tonight how the heat is now. It's tough to judge based on last night as it got up to near 50 degrees when things warmed up. But this morning when it got colder again I was reading around 66 degrees, so hopefully the heat does well when it's 20 degrees later. The water noise I heard when the heat initially kicks in just made me wonder if I'll have to call yet again.
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horsemouthPlease Clarify My CSPPremium
join:2002-03-13
canada | Can you describe your "thermostat knob"? Can you take the cover off it? |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | Well it's more of a valve than a thermostat. It looks like, and is the same brand as, the ones pictured here: »www.danfoss.com/Products/Categor···fc5.html
Basically it seems like it just constricts water flow to make the radiators cool down and get less hot water or you leave it wide open to let them get as hot as the water allows.
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horsemouthPlease Clarify My CSPPremium
join:2002-03-13
canada | It is not the same as my system so I will not be much help. sorry. |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | reply to Voodoo
Update: the pipe at my temperature control knob is now extremely hot, and every radiator seems to be outputting heat fairly well. However, I hear water running through the radiator that's in my bathroom, I'm certain it's not the other plumbing, though that one feels fairly warm too. I thought it was all the same loop since I only have one temperature control knob, maybe I'm wrong.
It's up to 65/66 according to my cheap thermometer, and feels pretty comfortable right now while it's 29 degrees outside.
I'm going to go ahead and say they got enough air out for the system to be working. My next thought is that I may be still losing heat through windows, particularly the big sliding door to my small deck. I was considering whether or not proper curtains would help keep heat from escaping. Any tips on that?
Also, the apartments are all getting new doors which should help, even though my door is down a set of stairs. The water running in only that one radiator strikes me as odd though. Hopefully the heat maintains its current level as the temperature drops to about 18 tonight!
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 joe40
join:2005-11-26
Danbury, CT
·Comcast
| reply to Voodoo
i may be able to help
go to the boiler and see what the pressure of the boiler is hot and cold.
for cold it should be about 15 pounds
hot should stay below 30
now if too much pressure all the heat goes out the pressure/temp relieve valve.
next my tenants uses to mess with the aquastat,
see what temperature it set at.
160 to 180 is good
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ
1 edit | said by joe40:i may be able to help go to the boiler and see what the pressure of the boiler is hot and cold. for cold it should be about 15 pounds hot should stay below 30 now if too much pressure all the heat goes out the pressure/temp relieve valve. next my tenants uses to mess with the aquastat, see what temperature it set at. 160 to 180 is good I believe only the maintenance crew has access. And I was mistaken I can hear the water in other radiators too sporadically so it all is one connected system for my apartment then.
I was told that maintenance was doing further bleeding of the system just a few hours ago and that might be why I hear the water. Not so sure if that's plausible I would think the water noise could only mean air is still in there, but I'll see how it performs considering the pipe by the control valve is very hot to the touch now.
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joe40
join:2005-11-26
Danbury, CT Reviews:
·Comcast
| said by Voodoo:said by joe40:i may be able to help go to the boiler and see what the pressure of the boiler is hot and cold. for cold it should be about 15 pounds hot should stay below 30 now if too much pressure all the heat goes out the pressure/temp relieve valve. next my tenants uses to mess with the aquastat, see what temperature it set at. 160 to 180 is good I believe only the maintenance crew has access. And I was mistaken I can hear the water in other radiators too sporadically so it all is one connected system for my apartment then. well with no access
it could be those things i said
another thing is the pump strength
pump slowly dying
may also need air in the Expansion Tank
those can cause issues at the end of the line or cold return pipe |
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joe40
join:2005-11-26
Danbury, CT | reply to Voodoo
i did not see your update
are all room heater getting hot? |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | said by joe40:i did not see your update are all room heater getting hot? They all seem to output the same level of heat, however you have to hold your hand near it to feel the heat.
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 Coma Thanks StevePremium
join:2001-12-30
NirvanaLand | reply to joe40
said by joe40: . . . another thing is the pump strength pump slowly dying may also need air in the Expansion Tank those can cause issues at the end of the line or cold return pipe
I had an issue in one of my rental units, in that the zone valve became restricted. That induced a negative system pressure on the return side of the system. That caused all kinds of problems from gurgling heating water pipes (air in the system) to no heat. Once the zone valve was replaced, I've had zero problems.
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joe40
join:2005-11-26
Danbury, CT Reviews:
·Comcast
1 edit | said by Coma:said by joe40: . . . another thing is the pump strength pump slowly dying may also need air in the Expansion Tank those can cause issues at the end of the line or cold return pipe I had an issue in one of my rental units, in that the zone valve became restricted. That induced a negative system pressure on the return side of the system. That caused all kinds of problems from gurgling heating water pipes (air in the system) to no heat. Once the zone valve was replaced, I've had zero problems. yes that a great tip
Voodoo
do you pay for the gas for heat or do they have a large boiler that supplies all the rest of the apartment building |
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VoodooPremium
join:2001-05-04
Mount Arlington, NJ | said by joe40:said by Coma:said by joe40: . . . another thing is the pump strength pump slowly dying may also need air in the Expansion Tank those can cause issues at the end of the line or cold return pipe I had an issue in one of my rental units, in that the zone valve became restricted. That induced a negative system pressure on the return side of the system. That caused all kinds of problems from gurgling heating water pipes (air in the system) to no heat. Once the zone valve was replaced, I've had zero problems. yes that a great tip Voodoo do you pay for the gas for heat or do they have a large boiler that supplies all the rest of the apartment building They provide the heat for the tenants.
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