Help! - No heat...

Today we re-routed our heat to install a new baseboard in our new bathroom addition (we have forced hot water heat). We re-routed the pipes that connect our baseboards through the basement, got them all soldered together and when we turned the heat on everything seemed to be working fine. We did have a small leak at one of the joints, so we shut the heat off, and re-soldered that joint. Now, the heat is not working.

The furnace is running fine as far as hot water goes, but the heat just will not come on.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

If the circulating pump comes on, you probably have an air lock in the system. Some photos of the boiler & nearby piping would help a lot. You can host them on one of the photo hosting web sites (photobucket or similar) & post a link here.

 

Here are the pics:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nacepipes3.jpg

There are two zones, the one on the right, we're not using
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nacepipes1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nacepipes2.jpg

I saw a post on here with a similar situation as mine and I followed the suggestion of turning off the furnace, shutting off the zone and draining the water/air out. That didn't help.

The most confusing thing is that it was working just fine (air and all) the first time we turned it back on, it wasn't until after we re-soldered the joint that was leaking that it didn't work from that point on.

Thanks for your help!!!

 

If you know which circulator goes to which zone, close the valve below that circ, connect a hose to the hose bib above the circ, open the hose bib, lift the lever on the pressure reducing valve (brass device at aprox 10:00 in nacepipes3.jpg), & allow water to flow until you no longer get air bubbles.
When all the air is out, be sure to return the lever to the horizontal position before closing the hose bib, close the hose bib, open the valve below the circulator, & turn up the thermostat.
If you still have trouble we can delve a bit deeper into the system.
Let me know how things go.

 

Okay, when we did this the water ended up coming out of the long copper pipe that comes down on the left side of the furnace. We drained what must have been 20 gallons of water. And still, nothing?

 

I would have to presume that copper pipe to be on the pressure relief valve. Water was being fed faster than the hose could take it away. Pretty unusual.

Purging that much & still no heat makes me wonder if you have a diverter tee (aka: mono-flo tee) type of system. When the pipe leaves the boiler does it make a complete loop around the basement with tee's coming off of the main for each radiator or baseboard? OR: Does the pipe go to a radiator with an elbow, thru that radiator, & on to the next?

The first style of piping would have bleeders on each radiator to let the air out. Another tip-off to a mono-flo tee system is the pipe coming into the circulator gets hot but not the radiators.

After looking at the picture again, something else came to mind. Try leaving the blue valve below the circulator open & opening the hose bib for a few seconds with the circulator turned OFF. There could be a big air pocket between the circulator & the boiler.

 

Our system is one constant loop with elbows connecting each baseboard.

I turn the thermostat all the way up and the furnace isn't even coming on.

I'll try the other thing you suggested.

 

Okay, did what you last suggested and still nothing.

Guess it's time to call someone out to fix it.

Thanks for trying!

 

Please don't think I'm being a wise guy or anything of the nature.

One last stupid question: Are you sure you are opening the correct valve(s) (both supply & return) for the loop in question?

Those blue knobed valves appear to be gate valves. If the handles turn super easy the gate may be broken off.

Please let me know what turns out to be the problem. This has been a tough one.