Hot water baseboard heating

[metallicat]

Anyone know how this system works? I've had problems with it in the past, and I'm trying to get it to work this year, but it's being fickle.

I can't get the thermostat to control things right now. In which direction does the valve have to sit? Vertically, or horizontally? And then I can either choose manual or automatic. Not sure what this means exactly, but it comes right after the control valve in terms of which direction that water travels through the pipes.

So basically the problem is that I can only seemingly control the heat by adjusting the manual or automatic selection. The thermostat is no longer turning things on.

[4X4]

The valve should sit in line with what you want. Ie, if you want it flowing, the valve should point parallel to the pipe. If you want it stopped, the valve should be perpendicular.

No idea about manual or auto water heat.

[Rjcsjc62]

This is something that is easier when I am in front of your heater and not in front of my computer. But I will give it a shot.

"In which direction does the valve have to sit? Vertically, or horizontally?"

Is it the position of the valve handle that you are asking about? If so, and if it is a quarter turn valve (presumably an isolation valve and/or ball valve) than you want the handle to be paralell with the pipe in order for the valve to be open. So if the pipe is horizontal then a horizontal handle means that it is open, vertical handle horizntal pipe = valve closed.

This would be the manual operation of your heater. Isolation valve open = heat, valve closed = no flow/no heat.

If your thermostat is broken or if there is no signal going back to the control valve the control valve will fail in the open position.

My next question is, why is your thermostat broken? is it because you have the heater in the manual position?

I think I need more info.

[metallicat]

Well my thermostat was working today, because I turned my heat on to see if it even worked, and it did. But when I shut the thermostat off, I heard large banging coming from the pipes. So I figured there was an air lock, and that's when I started messing around with things, and now my thermostat isn't controlling anything it seems.

So no matter what, for heat to happen, I need to have the valve horizontally. Got that.

But should I move the switch to manual, or automatic in order for the thermostat to work? Because it seems if I put it in automatic, at the very least it overides the thermostat. Manual doesn't seem to be doing anything either, so I don't know what to do.

[Rjcsjc62]

Basic mechanical logic should be that:

Automatic = controlled by the thermostat automatically

Manual = Control valve turns off (fails open) therefore it is controlled by the isolation valve, manually.

[Rjcsjc62]

So if the Isolation valve is open (horizontal) and the control valve is set to automatic, and you turn the thermostat to 30c what happens? when you touch the pipe does it get hotter?

[metallicat]

No matter what the thermostat is set at (even 0 ), heat is still coming out of the pipes when the thing is set to automatic.

Edit - It's not one of those electronic thermostats either, just the normal hand one. Sorry for the technical jargon that I'm using.

[metallicat]

I've got a buddy coming over for a bit, so I may not respond to this thread for a little while. I do appreciate the help though guys.

[Rjcsjc62]

"No matter what the thermostat is set at (even 0 ), heat is still coming out of the pipes when the thing is set to automatic."

When you turn the thermostat to 0c is there still flow through the pipe? Or does it just stay hot for a while until the heat from the pipe/fins radiate?

Just so I understand, is this an existing system that used to work just fine, and now has problems. Or did you move there this summer and this is the first time your heater has been put to the test?

If there is no signal to the control valve from the thermostat, the control valve will stay open. When a control valve is not hooked up to anything or is just sitting on a shelf, or has no power to it at all, the valve will be open. It needs to be energized in order to close.

That is how your basic thermostat works. As your room heats up to the desired set point, the little mercury ball inside will slide over and make a connection between 2 contacts. This closes the circuit and energizes the control valve and tells it to close. The call for heat is satisfied and there is no flow in your heater. as the room cools down, the little mercury ball slides back leaving the 2 contacts open, therefore killing the signal to the control valve and opening the valve, allowing hot water flow through the heater, until your thermostat is satisfied.

This cycle just continues on and on all winter.

based on your story, my best guess would be that the controller on the control valve (often its a dome shaped, or mushroom shaped thing on top of the control valve) is broken and needs to be replaced. It is a common repair at this time of year. If you called a service plumber right now they will probably tell you it is one of several that they are replaceing that day.

In the meantime all you have is manual control. Ball valve open (handle parellel) = heat. Ball valve closed (handle perpindicular) no flow/no heat.

Unless I am missing something from not being there that is my best guess.

[Rjcsjc62]

Do you know how to fix a Wii?

[Ashartus]

My past experience with these things in apartments and condos was that yes, there is heat coming out of them even when the thermostat is set to zero. I found the only way I could stop it from overheating my place was to physically shut off the water valve (but that's generally frowned on by building managers). If you are in an apartment and not in the top floor, you could still have someone else's hot water pipes running up inside your wall and heating your place (I found out the hard way that building code doesn't even require them to be insulated), and there's not much you can do about that.

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Rjcsjc62

"No matter what the thermostat is set at (even 0 ), heat is still coming out of the pipes when the thing is set to automatic."

When you turn the thermostat to 0c is there still flow through the pipe? Or does it just stay hot for a while until the heat from the pipe/fins radiate?

Just so I understand, is this an existing system that used to work just fine, and now has problems. Or did you move there this summer and this is the first time your heater has been put to the test?

If there is no signal to the control valve from the thermostat, the control valve will stay open. When a control valve is not hooked up to anything or is just sitting on a shelf, or has no power to it at all, the valve will be open. It needs to be energized in order to close.

That is how your basic thermostat works. As your room heats up to the desired set point, the little mercury ball inside will slide over and make a connection between 2 contacts. This closes the circuit and energizes the control valve and tells it to close. The call for heat is satisfied and there is no flow in your heater. as the room cools down, the little mercury ball slides back leaving the 2 contacts open, therefore killing the signal to the control valve and opening the valve, allowing hot water flow through the heater, until your thermostat is satisfied.

This cycle just continues on and on all winter.

based on your story, my best guess would be that the controller on the control valve (often its a dome shaped, or mushroom shaped thing on top of the control valve) is broken and needs to be replaced. It is a common repair at this time of year. If you called a service plumber right now they will probably tell you it is one of several that they are replaceing that day.

In the meantime all you have is manual control. Ball valve open (handle parellel) = heat. Ball valve closed (handle perpindicular) no flow/no heat.

Unless I am missing something from not being there that is my best guess.

Yeah if the thermostat is at zero, and I open the valve, there is still heat radiating through, not just staying warm. So I'm not sure why that might be, since it was working earlier in the day when I tested things out. The only reason I started monkeying around was because I heard the banging in the pipes, and wanted to try and fix the problem.

And I've been here more than a year, and heat was not an issue at any given time. I had one problem, but that was because of a leak in the boiler in the basement of my condo. I'm on the fourth floor.

I think your diagnosis is correct. But what confuses me is how it worked one minute, and then the next it didn't. I suppose that is how things break, but it just seems weird to me. All I heard was the banging, but who knows, maybe that caused a problem.

Edit- And no, I can't fix a Wii, LOL, sorry mate.