One baseboard heater barely working

[xbillyx]

My wife and I moved into our house in August. Ever since we started using the heat we noticed the baseboard heater in the master bedroom didn't work too well.

We have an oil-fired boiler that sends hot water through our heat pipes in baseboards. The baseboards on the one side of the house (with the master bedroom and another bedroom) don't seem to work as well. The rooms are colder and when I put my hand in the baseboard to check it there's far less heat coming out than the rest of the house. The baseboard heater in the master bedroom is the weakest.

Any idea why and what I can do to improve it? It's unfortunate that the bedroom is the coolest, as we like it a little warmer when we're going to sleep.

Most of the baseboards in our house are on exterior walls, the master bedroom included. I doubt that is the reason why, seeing as the baseboards in the other rooms work much better.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim K in PA]

I know what the problem is. You're too close to the Arctic Circle up their on PEI. Move south!

Just kidding - welcome to the Boiler Room.

A little more info is needed. Are the cooler rooms on a different zone than the warmer rooms? If so, it sounds like a flow issue, since you have enough heat in the water for the other zone. Zone valves or pumps? Are the radiators on a continuous loop or are they bypass plumbed (branch off of a main pipe)?

The first thing to check is for air in the zone. Is it noisy? Look for a bleeder on one of the elbows near a radiator and open it. Use a rag so the hot water does not burn.

I am sure others wiser than I will offer other more eloquent suggestions.

 

[xbillyx]

Haha, I know. Way too far north.

The entire main floor is on the same zone. I have two zones in my house: one for the main floor and one for the basement.

The baseboards are noisy when they come on. I can hear water chugging through and hear them clicking on. Is that normal?

The only thing I've found that may be a bleeder is on the radiator in my living room. There is one tall radiator where it looks like the baseboards terminate into. There's a knob on the end. When I turn it some water drips out. I think that controls just the radiator, though, doesn't it?

 

[peakbagger]

If you hear water "splashing into the baseboards when the system starts up, you have air in the system. If the piping goes into one end of each baseboard and out the other via the main loop versus being tapped off the loop with what look like tees, then the best way to get rid of the air is to flush the zone piping by installing a blocking valve upstream of the circulator and a drain valve with a hose bib upstream of the blocking valve. Then run a hose from the bib down into a bucket and turn on the water to the boiler and open up the drain. Let the water run into the bucket until its running clear with no bubbles, then close the drain and open the blocking valve. Unfortunately you will need to do this for each loop.

If you have a system that has the radiators tapped off the main header so that the flow can go either to the radiator or straight down the main pipe, you will need to install high point vents on each baseboard. If you have standard sheetmeal baseboard, remove the end caps and take a real close look at the elbowws where the pipes come up out of the floor, frequnetly there are key coin vents in the elbows that are real difficult to see with the casing on.

You may want to check the air eliminator on the system to see if its working, but it frequently they will not solve a problem with air in the zones.

 

[Jim K in PA]

What is the system pressure on the gauge? It should be around 12-15 psi.

The sounds of the water chugging are due to a lot of air in the zone. You need to get it out. I think once you get things bled properly, the heat should improve in those problem rooms.

 

[Rickard]

And a spirovent or similar to keep the air out. They are a miracle for hydronic heat.

Dean