system always cold
#1
system always cold
My friend has a old hot water boiler that will cool back down once the thermostat is satisfied. At this time of year in Iowa, we get some chilly nights that the system will kick in, but yet the boiler will not really make a difference until morning. At which time the temp starts to rise again and the system stays down throughout the day causing a neverending cycle. Is there a way to get the boiler to come up to operating temp and maintain it? Should the boiler already be set to do this and something is wrong? We have seen a temp switch (aquastat) that is wrapped onto the side of the return pipe of the system and it is always calling for heat, yet the thermostat shuts down the boiler. We think it would also be a bit more efficient running this way(constantly hot). The boiler was very dirty inside the tubes, with lots of scale present when he bought the place. We cleaned them out. The building is a large 2 story home changed into apartments. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.
#2
Old Boiler
I assume you are talking about a hot water boiler? A lot of scale and or soot indicates it was having problems before you got involved. If this is a really old boiler the efficiency is way down compared to a boiler made nowdays. Hard to diagnose without being there. I think that you have to get a pro. in your area to give you a price on replacing. Sorry.
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Delaware, The First State
Posts: 12,682
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Maintaining boiler temperature
Maintaining the boiler temperature actually costs more than heating on demand (cold start). There are controls which will modulate the boiler temperature based on outdoor temperature. If this boiler is as old as you imply, the best thing you could do to improve operating cost is to, as Shacko said, would be to replace it with modern equipment.