Hello heating experts, I'm having a problem with the heating system in the condo I own and occupy. I would love to get some advice on how to proceed to fix this problem. Here are some details: 1. I live in a 1-bedroom garden-level condo built in 1981. A common boiler provides hot water to baseboards in the 8 condo units in the building. 2. In my condo, there is one faucet-style valve on the baseboard near the entrance on the condo and one faucet-style valve on the baseboard in the bathroom. 3. I have one Lux 1000 programmable thermostat with 2 AA batteries installed on the wall in the kitchen. I see two wires (one red and one olive green) coming from the wall to the box. 4. If I leave the thermostat set to "HEAT" but set the temperature (way) below the room temperature, the heat comes on and stays on. 5. If I turn the thermostat to "OFF" and manually close the valve on the baseboard by the front door, the heat stops. 6. If I let the baseboards cool and manually open the valve leaving the thermostat "OFF", there is no heat. 7. As soon as I turn the thermostat switch from "OFF" to "HEAT", even if the thermostat temperature is set 10-20 degrees below the room temperature, the heat comes on and stays on until I repeat step 5. 8. I hear the thermostat click whenever I turn it on or off or if the temperature setting goes above or below the room temperature value. 9. I've lived in the condo since Sep 2004 and haven't had a problem with the heating system until this problem started a couple of days ago. Thank you in advance for any advice!

I will try to explain my problem, but let me know if I leave out important details. I have a Central Boiler Classic 4436 wood boiler with a Taco-009 pump, heating my 1500 sq ft house. Boiler/pump/Honeywell V8043E zone valve was installed 10 years ago by a contractor who I dont think had a clue what he was doing-I would never let him back out here to fix what he messed up, so that's not an option. Skipping over most of his errors, I realized last winter that my lines were flowing in the reverse direction that they were when I had my previous boiler, and then I realized the zone valve was also installed backward. Over the last few years it started making horrendous slamming noises which I now know are because it was installed backwards. But most of those years it didn't close all the way, even when it worked. The one good thing about the noise was I knew it had really closed all the way. Eventually it stopped making the noise and stopped closing at all. Based on what I'd read online (dangerous), I decided the head was shot. I replaced that but the valve still doesn't stop flow to the house zone. It may slow it down, but I cant tell that. It seems to get the proper voltage from the transformer, 20-30v, though I'm no electrician. The head seems to be opening and closing the valve, but I'm starting to think the valve itself is damaged from all that slamming. So my first question (finally) is, can I tell if the innards are shot w/o removing it? is there a definitve test, or c an I remove them without removing the entire valve assembly? Its in a PIA location so I don't want to remove it until I'm 99.999% sure it will fix my problem. Question 2) My boiler pipes were installed by a previous resident, not a contractor. The continuous loop in the garage returns up the long leg of a T, where the right arm then goes back to the boiler. The left arm has the zone valve installed a few inches from that T. That is the return line from the house (I switched the lines so they now flow the CORRECT direction). So hen it opens, the water joins the water flowing to the right arm of the T and back to the boiler. But I'm wondering if that slight pressure from the garage loop on the back side of the zone valve might keep it ope slightly? For those not familiar with them Central Boiler systems are not pressurized, but there must be some pressure or the water wouldnt move. I hope that isnt too confusing. :(