For general questions on heating in your home.
1
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1answer
51 views
What is a quieter alternative to gas forced air heating?
My small 1BR apartment has an old gas furnace that works great, but costs my landlord too much to insure. He plans to install gas forced air, an in-unit upright furnace. I'd love to suggest a ...
1
vote
0answers
36 views
How can I consolidate different heating/cooling systems into a single system?
I have 3 different types of heating/cooling systems that I inherited.
Hot water heat. This heats the whole house/garage via 3 zones.
Zone 1: Kitchen/Livingroom
Zone 2: Bedrooms/Bath
Zone 3: Garage
...
3
votes
0answers
126 views
What type of rubber pipe is used for this particular installation of hydronic radiant in-floor heating, and is it reliable?
I'm looking at a home built in the 80's with hydronic radiant in-floor heating embedded in concrete slab. I've never seen this type of hydronic tubing before. I'm pretty sure that the attached photo ...
0
votes
3answers
105 views
Why is my Central Heating taking so long to heat up?
I'm in the UK with a small modern, well insulated, double glazed home heated by a traditional gas boiler.
My heating had been achieving room stat temperature within 30 minutes but is now taking at ...
-3
votes
0answers
80 views
How to heat my house after Peak Oil? [closed]
Peak Oil is very near or has even already started. How can one heat one's house without using oil or one of its derivatives?
All the boilers I know depend on derivatives of oil. And the alternatives ...
0
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0answers
64 views
Why is it taking so long for my house to heat up with no quality to the heat generated? [duplicate]
I'm in the UK.
I have a small modern, well insulated and double glazed semi detached home which is heated with a traditional gas boiler feeding radiators and a hot water system.
The heating had ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
How can house hot water pressure be kept stable if more than one hot tap is open?
We have a Vaillant Ecotec combi boiler in the loft. When showering, hot water pressure is fine. But if someone opens any other hot tap in the house, it massively reduces the hot water coming into the ...
0
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0answers
92 views
Why does the water pressure in my boiler go up so high?
The problem I have is with the pressure dial on the tank in bathroom. I was told that both needles should be at about 1.5, but the red needle rises up and then we have madly banging pipes, and ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
How can I stop my radiators “clicking” when they're turned on or off?
I have a central heating system on a timer, and whenever the timer turns on or off, for around ten / fifteen minutes, some of the radiators in my home make regular clicking noises, kinda ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
Can I install a garden chiminea in a wooden shed?
I want to install my iron garden chiminea into my wooden shed.
Is this a really bad idea? If it's not, how should I go about installing a chimney flue?
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Why isn't my thermostat clicking on/off automatically?
My thermostat is not clicking on/off automatically, I have called my landlord and they replaced a very old one with a brand new one and it is still not clicking on off automatically, but will ...
3
votes
1answer
146 views
Why does my boiler keep shutting down and reigniting after a minute?
My central heating comes on via the timer and runs for about 30 minutes, then it shuts down for a minute, runs for 2 minutes, shuts down for a minute, runs for 2 minutes. This is a constant thing ...
2
votes
0answers
106 views
How can I use bulk electrical wire to make a subfloor heating system?
Electrical floor heating kits run US$10 to $15 per square foot, but bulk wire only costs $2.50. With the controller, you're still running under $4 a square foot. I have a construction background, but ...
-1
votes
1answer
82 views
How do I turn the heat down in my house?
I just moved into this house. It still has the radiator unit but it's too hot. How do I turn the heat down? I turned the thermostat off, but it's still hot: does that mean I need a new thermostat?
4
votes
1answer
222 views
Why do my downstairs radiators run colder than upstairs?
Our combi boiler in the loft (less than 3 years old Vaillant EcoTec) is heating the upstairs radiators nicely, but the downstairs ones are lukewarm to cold.
I have opened all the radiator valves ...
2
votes
2answers
150 views
How can I stop heat loss due to an uninsulated porch?
I have an enclosed porch with very little insulation, it is typically very cold in the winter. However, there is a radiator in the enclosed porch. I have a gas boiler heating system in the house.
...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Is there a way to make a thermostat based heating system more accurate through either adding probes or hacking?
In my Brooklyn apartment, heated via steam radiator, my thermostat is in the unheated hallway between all the rooms. The temperature it reads is often different, than both the rooms with heaters and ...
1
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0answers
85 views
Why is my furnace blowing hot air outside?
So I have been having trouble heating my home. I noticed today that there is a vent blowing hot air outside. It is not the return, chimney or venting. Any ideas other that the builder thought we ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
Why isn't water running through our radiators?
We had a plumber in today to bleed our rads. He also changed the batteries on the thermostat and fiddled around with the boiler. Since he left the temperature has dropped dramatically and he's refused ...
3
votes
2answers
106 views
Does a humidifier cool the air?
I'm considering getting an evaporative humidifier for my super-dry Northeast house, but I'm wondering if the evaporation cools off the room and is going to add to my heating bill.
It seems like ...
4
votes
1answer
436 views
How can I prevent my HVAC condensate drain line from freezing?
Last night, my heat (forced air) suddenly stopped. Today, a plumber figured out that my heater is 90% efficient, produces lots of condensate, and the drain line had frozen. We went outside and saw ...
0
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0answers
166 views
What could cause my radiators to go cold when the hot water is turned on?
when only heating is selected on my program timer the radiators all work fine and are hot. But when both heating and hot water are on the water gets hot but all the radiators go cold. When the hot ...
0
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0answers
55 views
What does the low limit do, and where should it be set on an oil fired hot water furnace?
What does the low limit do, and where should it be set? My furnace has
a honeywell triple aquastat relay and has a difference dial. Water temp is about 190 deg F. Also, water psi gauge is only ...
2
votes
2answers
289 views
Why do I run out of hot water after 5 min?
I have a gas water heater and recently found that I do not get more than 5min of hot water. Previously I would be able to take a half hour shower. I see no leaks around water heater. It also seems ...
0
votes
2answers
278 views
How could I use 40lb Propane tanks in a residential hook up?
I have two 100 gallon tanks from suburban propane but end up using so little, that I am charged approx $5.30 per gallon. I am reasonably sure that I could use two 40lb tanks and do the legwork myself ...
1
vote
3answers
206 views
Can a gas fireplace insert heat an entire house?
I have a single-story 1400 sq/ft house (4 bedroom). Here's a VERY rough sketch of the layout:
The house has blown-in insulation on the exterior walls but no insulation on the interior walls. ...
2
votes
1answer
261 views
How can I retrofit this existing wall-heater with an external thermostat?
My house has several wall-mounted gas heaters.
All but one of them have external, easily accessible thermostats. However, the one that happens to be the most used has no remotely mounted thermostat, ...
2
votes
4answers
164 views
How can I measure the r-value of a wall?
What is a reproducible test to measure the r-value of an exterior wall? Or even a specific spot on a specific wall? It needn't produce an absolutely certain result, but a good estimate with known ...
3
votes
3answers
294 views
Do home radiators waste water?
I received my second quarterly water bill and cannot believe it says I'm using 49,000 gallons of water each quarter. That's over 500 gals per day!
So I started thinking about average water usage per ...
1
vote
1answer
581 views
What could be causing my bedroom to be so cold, and how can I make it warmer?
I live in a two story townhouse with a basement this summer, they replaced the furnace and air conditioning unit. Last winter i put the 3M film over the windows to help with drafts and it worked great ...
8
votes
2answers
281 views
How can I stop my fireplace from disabling my thermostat?
My thermostat is in the sitting room and I have an open fire, so as soon as the room is nicely warm and cozy, the central heating goes off and the rest of the house is cold. I have heard about WiFi ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Why is it taking so long for my house to heat up?
Firstly, I should probably mention that I'm in the UK...
My wife and I bought a house new from a builder over 9 years ago and have had no problems whatsoever with our central heating system in that ...
3
votes
1answer
241 views
How long does radiant heat in a concrete floor last?
I am looking to purchase a home built in 1950 that has radiant heat with copper pipes inside the concrete slab foundation. The home has been vacant for a little while now too, not sure if that ...
3
votes
2answers
316 views
How can I create a radiant heat system for melting ice on wood steps?
Our house has wood stairs to descend from the front porch. On maybe 15 - 30 days out of the year a layer of ice forms on the stairs, posing a safety hazard. Even with our familiarity with the issue ...
-3
votes
1answer
288 views
Simple Comfort 2000 heating/ac thermostat wiring [closed]
How do I wire a thermostat, Simple Comfort2000, red blue white green wires
0
votes
3answers
151 views
How to add draught to simple box stove?
I've designed and installed a small stove to burn wood scraps and bio-briquettes. The stove is really simple box-shaped stove as drawn here below.
However the stove does not work properly: the fire ...
1
vote
1answer
380 views
Cheaper to run central heating sporadically high or constantly low?
My central heating has a thermostat dial ranging from 10 to 30 degrees Celcius. I'm wondering whether it's likely to be cheaper to crank it up to 30, and turn it on for, say, an hour, 3/4 times per ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Can I substitute diesel for home heating oil?
I ran out of oil in my home, and a plumber friend said that I could add diesel from the gas station while I wait for my oil delivery. Is he right?
1
vote
0answers
613 views
How can I add a common wire to the existing furnace wiring?
My current furnace has Rh and W1 to the thermostat. I'd like to add a C for my new networked thermostat, but I'm not sure where to connect it.
From my research it sounds like I should be able to just ...
1
vote
2answers
425 views
How can I purge air from a baseboard heating system with the spigots on the wrong side?
My (new) baseboard heating system is causing a racket, and I've been trying to figure out a way to properly purge the air from it. Following the flow of water through one zone of my four-zone system, ...
0
votes
1answer
98 views
How do I replace a broken thermostat on a metal radiator?
The thermostat swivels round and has no effect on the temperature. The radiator is always very hot. How can I replace the thermostat?
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Is it possible to use a dryer vent as a heat source in the winter?
Is it possible to attach a diverter to an electric clothes dryer vent so it can help heat my house in the winter? Seems like such a waste to blow it all outside. I imagine you'd need some sort of ...
1
vote
2answers
140 views
Can anyone identify this heating timer?
So, It's getting quite cold now and my central heating is just going on and off randomly. There is what seems to be an unbranded heating timer below the combi-boiler (Baxi). However I have no idea how ...
0
votes
1answer
329 views
How can I install a nest thermostat with no wires?
I have zoned heating/AC/heat pump. My original thermostat on the wall is NOT connected to any wires, in other words it is wireless. I thought it had wires so bought the new Nest thermostat. ...
0
votes
0answers
78 views
What is the thermal mass to glazing ratio for passive solar heating?
I am trying to figure out what model I should be using to build a self-sufficient house, which would use passive solar heating to keep indoor temperature comfortable all year round (Location is ...
3
votes
4answers
269 views
How does Underfloor Heating get the right temperature water via a Thermal Store?
I am considering my options for a renovation project which will require substantial changes to my central heating and domestic hot water system. I was considering going a thermal store with a biomass ...
5
votes
1answer
342 views
Why does a single radiator need regular bleeding?
Almost all of the radiators (forced water) in my house heat up fine. However, a single radiator needs regular bleeding (~1/day) in order to heat. Note, this radiator is not at the highest point in the ...
4
votes
1answer
837 views
How can I get my third floor radiators working?
I have two radiators upstairs. One is slightly warm, and the other is not warm at all, leaving the room very cold. When I tried to bleed the radiators in the house, all of them released water and ...
3
votes
3answers
650 views
Can bio fuel ethanol used as a main heating source?
I recently discovered some heaters based on "bio fuel" (ethanol).
Many products seem to be decorative and often present a modern design.
Some ethanol burners can be used in empty fireplaces and can ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
What type of electric heating system is the most energy efficient?
I am about to buy a flat that hasn't got any central heating system.
There's no way to use gas heating.
The only way to produce heat is by converting Electricity.
The flat at the moment has some ...
