Heat will not turn off, thermostat disconnected.
#1
03-28-11, 02:35 PM
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: usa
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Heat will not turn off, thermostat disconnected.
We have a Hydronic Baseboard Heating system in an old two-story house. There is a thermostat on each level. A few days ago my kids started to complain that it was hot upstairs and wanted to sleep in the living room. They had turned the thermostat down, but it didn't seem to help. When I checked it out, the kids had the temp set at the lowest setting (50) but it was blazing hot and pegged out at 90!! At that time, I turned it off altogether. The next night, there was no change. So my husband disconnected the thermostat from the wall figuring that it went bad and just needed to be replaced. I was very disappointed this morning to find that the temp upstairs has not changed. The baseboards are still cranking out heat.
There have been a few mysterious problems that started last winter, like the heat not wanting to work for the downstairs. But I haven't looked into it too hard because ultimately, the heat kicked in and we were warm.
Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot and fix this would be awesome. Thanks!
There have been a few mysterious problems that started last winter, like the heat not wanting to work for the downstairs. But I haven't looked into it too hard because ultimately, the heat kicked in and we were warm.
Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot and fix this would be awesome. Thanks!
#2
03-28-11, 03:17 PM
There could be various reasons for this happening...
I think the best place to start might be for you to grab your camera and take a whole bunch of pics of the boiler system, and the nearby piping. Please make the photos large enough for old folks to see, well lighted, in focus, etc... take some steps back and get some shots of the whole system from a few different angles so we can see how it all fits together, in addition to any closer shots that you take.
Set up a free account at Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and upload the pics there, come back here and drop a link to your album for us to view.
When we can see what you are working with I'm sure we'll have some suggestions of things to check.
I think the best place to start might be for you to grab your camera and take a whole bunch of pics of the boiler system, and the nearby piping. Please make the photos large enough for old folks to see, well lighted, in focus, etc... take some steps back and get some shots of the whole system from a few different angles so we can see how it all fits together, in addition to any closer shots that you take.
Set up a free account at Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and upload the pics there, come back here and drop a link to your album for us to view.
When we can see what you are working with I'm sure we'll have some suggestions of things to check.
#3
03-28-11, 03:18 PM
you will likely need to post some pics of the system.
For instance, what controls the zones, pumps or zone valves ?
What do the thermostats interface with, do they wire directly to a zone valve or thru a switching relay box ?
The more info you can give us the easier it will be to advise... and as you know a picture is worth a 1000 words.
[edit NJT - adjusted for inflation, around 687 words!
]
For instance, what controls the zones, pumps or zone valves ?
What do the thermostats interface with, do they wire directly to a zone valve or thru a switching relay box ?
The more info you can give us the easier it will be to advise... and as you know a picture is worth a 1000 words.
[edit NJT - adjusted for inflation, around 687 words!
]
Last edited by NJT; 03-28-11 at 04:29 PM.
#4
03-30-11, 10:39 AM
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Pictures
Sorry for the delay...I had to locate the camera and figure out how to use it, lol.
So, I did as you asked, but honestly, I wan't sure what I was taking pictures of. Please let me know if these are suitable, some of them did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Thank you SO much!
Heating Unit pictures by jadezhunter - Photobucket
So, I did as you asked, but honestly, I wan't sure what I was taking pictures of. Please let me know if these are suitable, some of them did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Thank you SO much!
Heating Unit pictures by jadezhunter - Photobucket
#5
03-30-11, 03:45 PM
Jadez, in a few pictures there are shown some valves with red and yellow wires coming out of them. Those are your 'electric zone valves'. Pics 11 and 12 both show the 24VAC transformer that powers these valves. It's the thing mounted to the small box below the big gray box on the wall. There are two screws on the front of it.
You say it's the UPSTAIRS that is overheating, correct? Take a close look at that zone valve that's labeled "UPSTAIRS" ... am I correct that there appears to be a blue/green corrosion peeking out from under the cover? I think that valve may have been leaking for some time and now the corrosion could be preventing it from closing properly.
Can you slide the cover of that valve off and get better pics of the 'guts' ?
Can you confirm that those valves say HONEYWELL on the cover? are they model V8043?
Is there a 'lever' on the end panel of the valve?
Stand next to the valves and get hubby to go upstairs by the thermostat with his cell phone... call him and ask him to turn the thermostat up... you should hear the zone valve 'whirring' as it opens up. Ask him to turn the thermostat down, you should hear noise that says the valve is closing.
When the thermostat is turned up, you should also hear a 'click' from the boiler and that black motor looking thing on the side (which is your circulator pump) should hum quietly indicating it is running. The burners in the boiler should also turn on.
When turning the thermostat back down, the burners should go off, and the pump should stop running.
Get back to us on your findings.
You say it's the UPSTAIRS that is overheating, correct? Take a close look at that zone valve that's labeled "UPSTAIRS" ... am I correct that there appears to be a blue/green corrosion peeking out from under the cover? I think that valve may have been leaking for some time and now the corrosion could be preventing it from closing properly.
Can you slide the cover of that valve off and get better pics of the 'guts' ?
Can you confirm that those valves say HONEYWELL on the cover? are they model V8043?
Is there a 'lever' on the end panel of the valve?
Stand next to the valves and get hubby to go upstairs by the thermostat with his cell phone... call him and ask him to turn the thermostat up... you should hear the zone valve 'whirring' as it opens up. Ask him to turn the thermostat down, you should hear noise that says the valve is closing.
When the thermostat is turned up, you should also hear a 'click' from the boiler and that black motor looking thing on the side (which is your circulator pump) should hum quietly indicating it is running. The burners in the boiler should also turn on.
When turning the thermostat back down, the burners should go off, and the pump should stop running.
Get back to us on your findings.
#6
03-30-11, 03:51 PM
By the way, if you are trying to get close-up shots of something and they keep coming out of focus, look for a 'MACRO' setting on your camera. This is usually marked with an icon that looks like a tulip... if you set the macro mode, you can get in focus close-up shots. Most cameras have that setting.
