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December 11, 2007
steam heat akimbo
hello
we have a 16' wide frame house, 3 stories + bsmt. Steam heating with metal radiators. The main problem we have is vastly unbalanced heating. the ground floor has a kitchen extension out into the back yard, and only two heaters, one at each end. This is also where the thermostat is located. Each of the upstairs rooms (3br 2bath , 1 den) have their own heaters and they are pretty small rooms. Because the ground floor is essentially one big room, heated by 2 heaters, it is usually pretty cold in the winter, and we have had to supplement with an electric heater.
the heaters in the upstairs rooms work fairly well, with varying consistency. Unfortunately, to set the thermostat such that it is comfortable on the ground floor, the rest of the rooms become a steambath. Added to that is a home office on the top floor, which is full of computers and is plenty comfortable in the winter without any heat at all. The heat is off in the house all day, but when everyone gets home they turn it up to be comfortable and the heater in the office just bakes. The knob on the heater is stuck.
I have tried bleeding the heaters on the ground floor, but even when they are cranking, the heat in the house is very uneven.
We are considering perhaps getting a third heater on the ground floor, or possibly separating the heating zones per floor or per room...I have read that this is super expensive though. Is there a way to easily remove a heater from the network (ie the one in the office) in such a way that it is not permanent? Are there any other ways to even out the system? We are just not sure what the ideal solution to this problem would ultimately be.
I guess the last question is, is there a good steam heat expert out there that anyone can recommend?
Thanks!
Comments
First, do lots of weatherproofing. Close up any drafts on the first floor, update the windows if need be, etc.
Second, figure out if your radiators are sized right for the rooms. I think you can find a sizing chart on heatinghelp.com. Swap radiators or get new ones where you need them.
Third, are the ground floor radiators failing to heat up or do they heat up and are just insufficient to maintain a good temperature in the space (see "First").
If you still have a problem, make sure you have the pressure set correctly on your boiler. Use a knowledgeable plumber -- Gateway, Hlad, etc. Use same plumber for radiator swaps (see "Second").
Then, fine tune the balance by experimenting with valve size.
Your extension may be giving away a lot of heat, with so much exterior wall. Your radiator in the back may not be sized to account for the cubic footage of the extension, let alone to compensate for the heat loss.
Bleeding and cleaning out the system is perhaps good for the system, but not where you should start in diagnosing the problem.
Lots of good advice on heatinghelp.com.
And by all means, do not use the knob on the radiator to adjust the heat. It needs to be all the way open to let the water drain back down to the boiler. In the short run, get a smaller steam valve for the top floor (do not replace while boiler is on or radiator is hot, and be sure to use teflon tape), while you figure out if the bottom floor is sized right and make any necessary changes.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 11, 2007 2:25 PM
steam valve == air vent
Don't think you can 'zone' steam heat.
You can turn off the office radiator completely but not partially. Maybe get a larger radiator for ground floor.
Also, you can put thermostatic air vents on some (maybe 2-3) of the radiators to shut them off when the room gets hot. Armstrong, easy to replace. DOn't do this on too many.
Posted by: cmu at December 11, 2007 9:59 PM
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