Hot water baseboard heat repair tips & troubleshooting FAQs:

Here in a question and answer format we give simple steps to get that cold or not warm enough hot water heating baseboard back to snuggly warm again. We report on frequently-asked "cold heating baseboard" questions and answers that can help diagnose and fix baseboard troubles in your building.

This article series provides common hot water heating baseboard questions and answers that will help diagnose & repair most common heating baseboard troubles including no-heat or leaks or other problems.

Baseboard Heat Diagnosis & Repair Questions & Answers

These questions & answers about troubleshooting and fixing problems with forced hot water baseboard heat were posted originally

at BASEBOARD HEAT - please be sure to also review the how-to advice given there.

Or to see our diagnosis and repair suggestions

at COLD HEATING BASEBOARD / RADIATOR REPAIR diagnosis and repair steps

On 2022-01-28 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - hot water heating system may have a bad circulator pump

@Janet,

Hot water (hydronic) heating systems should always be "full" of water - to fill the boiler and all of the distribution piping.

But a bad circulator pump or relay could be failing to send pressure up to your floor, or the system could be air-bound and unable to lift water to your condominium from lower down in the system, or the boiler could be off and the system therefore lacking in pressure.

The Recommended Articles at the end of the article above suggest some additional diagnostics, but I suspect that those are beyond your scope of control - your building heating system probably needs repair by its maintenance staff or contractor.

On 2022-01-28 by Janet

I live on the third floor of a condominium complex that has a large boiler on the first floor. I bleed the valve on my unit regularly...occasionally there will be an air trap and it sputters quite a bit before the water flows out, but it's always corrected the problem if the register is not heating well.

But yesterday I opened the valve (which is large and actually a faucet) and first air came out, then nothing. No water. If I leave it open I'll hear some gurgling and eventually a little water will come out (maybe a cup) then it stops again. My valve motor is fine. I'm wondering if this could happen if the boiler is getting low on water.

It's supposed to have an automatic bleed system and a float that maintains the water at a certain level. I hesitate to call the plumbing service if It's something I can check or remedy myself.

On 2022-01-15 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Lexi,

It's never really not fixable but some problems are tougher to troubleshoot than others. If I were the heating guy I would call back to my office and get some advice from some other experienced people you may have other suggestions for me.

On 2022-01-15 by Lexi

What if a heating guy came to service the 1 room in our house with cold baseboard heaters, followed all the above steps, and it’s still not working? He’s been here for almost 6 hours… What if he says it’s not fixable?

On 2021-03-19 by danjoefriedman (mod) - controls are turned off but baseboard is still warm

@Judy, in the recommended reading above take a look at

AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS

and at

COLD HOT WATER BASEBOARD / RADIATOR

On 2021-03-19 by Judy

I bought a house with radiant boiler baseboard heaters. The master bedroom never gets heat. All lines in basement are hot. My house right now is too hot but I have all except the master bedroom controls turned off. I feel heat on the baseboards in the Kitchen and the bathroom.

Two bedrooms do not have control panels. There is one in the hallway, but I turned it off last night. This morning the thermostats all registered a temperature of 28c, except for the MB. Which is 10c. What am I doing wrong?

On 2020-11-15 by danjoefriedman (mod) - shark bit couplings

Thank you for your comment.

However I'm left confused. Shark bite couplings or not directional. At least none that I have installed by that company. Take a look at the example that I will show below.

It's possible that your system was air bound and when you opened the line the pressure in the system pushed not water but bottled up air out of the section of piping where it was causing a blockage.

On 2020-11-15 by Nicholas

Hey Everybody. I just discovered a very silly solution to some baseboard heaters that suddenly stopped working after a repair was made on one of the lines. I accidentally installed one of the shark bite couplers backwards (face palm). After draining the lines, I removed the shark bite (and got blasted with some pressurized water that had been trying too hard to go the wrong way), reversed the coupler, refilled the system, bled the system (for about the 5th time) and BEHOLD! Hot Heaters!!!

Hallelujah!

Hope this helps someone. Blessings, Nicholas

On 2020-10-12 by danjoefriedman (mod)

Mateen

It's possible that air from elsewhere in the heating system found its way back to the now-cold baseboards; try bleeding air again and let me know if air emerges.

On 2020-10-12 by Mateen

Drain remove all Air and all base board hot once we stop draining again within 5 minutes got cold

On 2020-02-12 by danjoefriedman (mod) - how do I bleed different zones

There are other options for forcing air out of the heating lines.

See the procedures at the article I mentioned earlier - AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS

On 2020-02-12 by fprice

@danjoefriedman, Thanks so much for the continued advice! Lacking a pony pump at the moment and not having any bleeder valves on the zones in question, my only bleeding option has been using the drain valves (hose bibb style) near the impellers at the boiler. Not ideal, I know. I should just get a pony pump. But I have managed to finally get the "bad" zone working again.

On 2020-02-05 by danjoefriedman (mod)

Thanks for being persistent FP, you're helping me clarify our information.

Q 1) Should all other zones be closed off when bleeding one zone ?

It's not usually necessary when bleeding from air bleeder valves on the "one zone" piping.

But if you're trying to force air out using a pony pump then shutting off other zones will make that job quicker, easier, and the results less ambiguous.


Q 2) Should the impeller of the zone being bled be on when bleeding ?

If you're trying to bleed air using air bleeder valves anywhere on the zone's piping, then you want

1. the boiler up to full operating temperature

2. the zone circulator running

In fact those conditions can help diagnose the location of the air blockage by feeling along the heating pipes. E.g. in our home recently our kitchen seemed too cool; The first place I went was to the boiler where I felt the output end of the pipe for that heating zone (it was damn hot) and then I felt the return line at the circulator for that zone (it was tepid).

After allowing a reasonable time (5 minutes or more) for the boiler-hot water to make the loop back to the circulator, when that circ's input wasn't getting hot I knew I had at least a partial air-trap somewhere.

I felt along the heating piping and found that the second kitchen convector was cool at its output end. I replaced that float vent and the system got hot like a champ.

Similarly if I'd been using a pony pump to force water through the airbound zone, IMO having the circulator running has two advantages:

1. It helps push water around the loop

2. I don't worry that the circ impeller itself is obstructing water flow (as it might if off)

BUT also take a close look at the circulator itself; a common leak point is at those mounting flanges; if you see leaks and corrosion there you might guess that while water leaks out when hot, air might be leaking in there when cold.

On 2020-02-05 by fprice

@danjoefriedman,
Rest assured I indeed started with and have followed the procedures at AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS, and this is what brought me here. The questions I have still don't seem to be addressed there (or I am missing them, perhaps).

Namely: 1) Should all other zones be closed off when bleeding one zone ?, and 2) Should the impeller of the zone being bled be on when bleeding?

On 2020-02- by (mod) -

FP

Let's start with a look at the air bleeding procedures at AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS https://inspectapedia.com/heat/Air_Bound_Heating_System.php

There are a couple of ways to force water through the zone using a pony pump vs adding bleeders, though ultimately you may want to add some air bleeder valves.

On 2020-01-31 by fprice - approach to bleeding air out of baseboards

Thanks! Forgot to mention; there are no bleeder valves on the zone in question, and they are baseboard heaters below the level of the boiler by just that much.

Actually, only one of the four zones (the largest and most complex) has bleeder valves and that only on half of the radiators.

My process (correct me if this is misguided) then is to close off the send and return valves of the other three zones (all thermostats off and burner off) at the boiler, leaving only the zone I am bleeding open. I then open the drain valve of that zone (into hose) and up the incoming water pressure at the regulator valve. This is all of course at the boiler. I let that run for a while keeping an eye on the hose end for signs of air.

When satisfied, I cut the water pressure back down and immediately close the drain valve, adjusting pressure if needed and then open all back up, turn on burner, and call for heat.
Should I not be closing off the other zones? Also, should I have the zone's impeller ON when bleeding?

On 2020-01-28 by (mod) - cold basement heating zone

FP

First let's look to make sure there isn't a balancing valve or service valve that's closed.

Second, even though you've tried to bleed the air out of the zone, it may still be are bound.

It can be difficult to push air up and then down then around and then out to a bleeder depending on where your bleeders are located.

Start at AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS

Where we refer to using a a pony pump to force air out of an air bound hydronic heating system - I might try that next.

On 2020-01-27 by fprice

I have a hydronic system with 4 zones. One zone in the basement, the shortest run and closest to the boiler, is a baseboard zone with two baseboards.

These stopped making heat and I diagnosed and found the Taco circulating pump to be dead. I replaced that, confirmed that it was working, and bled the entire system.

I bled the zone in question for quite a while. It is a short zone run with almost all of its ~30' total send and return run of copper exposed and visible.

With system up and running again and the new motor definitely working, the zone is still not heating up. On the zone in question, the inlet to the new pump and the pump body get hot when thermostat is on. The drain valve just above on the riser coming out of pump lets out hot water when opened.

HOWEVER, just beyond this valve and on the continued run the pipes remain cold. How is this possible? With the zone so exposed I can see no leaks nor imagine how air could be again "settling" in this the lowest run of the house. What could be going on here??

On 2020-01-24 by (mod) -

we need an experienced heating service tech onsite;
she will
- check boiler temp
- check circulators and/or zone valves
- check air bleeders

On 2020-01-24 by Upset

No, this just started one week ago. Before the rooms were nice and warm, now they are cool.

On 2020-01-24 by (mod) -

Up

So have the cool rooms always been too cool on cold days? That'd be diagnostic and would suggest

- inadequate amount of heat being provided in feet of baseboard or number of radiators
or
heating pipes to those rooms run through a cold space like an unheated attic or crawl area
or
recurrent air bound pipes
or
- an unusual rate of heat loss

I'd argue for a recurrent air blockage problem first IF on bleeding air the pipes suddenly heat up;

On 2020-01-24 by Upset

the problem is even after all that the rooms are still cool.

On 2020-01-24 by (mod) -

Sounds right; air in the hot water pipes can block hot water flow; however if there's a leak elsewhere or the whole system needs bleeding the problem will return

On 2020-01-24 by Upset

I believe it is forced hot water. When the landlord came he took the air out to the point it was water that came out. According to him there is no problem.

On 2020-01-24 by (mod) -

Up

The thermostat will only respond to the temperature right at its very location. So it's easy for other apartment areas to be at a different temperature than the room where the thermostat is mounted.

But if thermostat is set to 25 and the temperature at the thermostat never reaches that number then the delivery of heat to the room is inadequate; that could be any of a number of problems that depend on the kind of heat such as steam, forced hot water, or air.

On 2020-01-24 by Upset

In my apartment the heat us set at 25, but the thermostat shows 20. My living room is nice but the bedrooms are cool. Can you please tell me the problem. I would very much appreciate any help you could provide.

On 2020-01-19 by Stephen

Thanks I really appreciate the advice. I'll take a look at adding an auto bleeder and relocating my bleeder as well. Hopefully it's just air and I'll get it out.

On 2020-01-19 by (mod) - diagnose poor heating and possible air blockage

Stephen

When I've had poor heating issues like this it's often been because I thought all the air was out of the piping when it wasn't, so that's my first focus.

For example, you might bleed a bolus of air near a bleeder valve but the next heat-on cycle may push some air from downstream in the system to the same point.

That's a reason to be sure to bleed the entire system and to install float type air vents at high points at the boiler and at the highest other points in the building.

Other possibilities could be a solder blob blockage if in soldering a joint you pushed too much solder into the connection.

And yes there can be a flow problem at tees in copper baseboard piping. For example at a left and right tee feeding 2 sub-zone loops, if one of those loops, say the left one, is longer or higher than the other, say the right one, then the lower-resistance loop will get more hot water.

Plumbers may install a balancing valve on loops to fix the problem. The balancing valve can be anywhere in each loop that's convenient.

On 2020-01-19 by Stephen

Thanks for the information. So if I was to assume I got all the air out, is there anything else I should be looking for?

I don't understand why the rads start to get warm and then pitter out. There is another rad for upstairs that is further down the same return line that I spliced into and that one is fine.

To me it almost seems like the water on the supply side is not able to push through the rad and go through the return line. It starts to because the radiator starts to warm but then stops quite suddenly. It's infuriating lol. I used orange pex with an o2 barrier to supply and return the water.

Does that negatively affect something? I also cut into 1/2 inch supply and return line is that not a big enough pipe?

further back on the supply and return it's a larger pipe that's either 3/4 or an inch in diameter. Should I splice into there?

I also had taken the two return lines from the two radiators and teed them together and then ran one line back up to the main return is that my problem maybe do I need to separate return lines? Any help is much appreciated.

On 2020-01-19 by (mod) - new baseboard sections never getting really hot

Stephen in my OPINION where you have that bleeder is ok - it won't hurt a thing, but it'd be more effective on a high point in the piping. Notice how the return branches towards the wall horizontally (at your bleeder elbow) and then runs UP?

Any air in the system wants to be in that up-line so if that line has a turn somewhere, a bleeder elbow there will be helpful.

Air in heating lines is really sneaky. You can get a "partial" blockage of air in the horizontal lines in which some water gets by but an air bubble is obstructing much of the flow.

You'll know when you've got the air out because assuming the boiler is hot and the circulator is running, when the meddlesome air blob is removed the baseboard lines will get quite hot in just a few minutes.

See AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS https://inspectapedia.com/heat/Air_Bound_Heating_System.php

And see AIR BLEED VALVE INSTALLATION https://inspectapedia.com/heat/Air_Bleed_Valve_Installation.php

You'll notice that I try to position my bleeder valves on elbows such that the valve is upright and catches air rising.

More air bleeders are good at every high point in the piping, and of course you can add float type automatic air bleeders as well as manual ones.

On 2020-01-19 by Stephen

I installed them coming off the return line. I attached a photo.

On 2020-01-19 by (mod) -

I would check first for a partial air blockage; where have you installed air bleeders?

On 2020-01-19 by Stephen

Hello. I have installed two new 8 ft baseboard hydronic radiators in my basement that I'm refinishing

. I simply came off the supply and return lines that are located in my basement already. The new rads start to get warm and their respective supply lines get pretty hot, but then they cool quickly and the rads never get hot.

The rest of the house is fine still.

Is it too hard for the return flow to push 8ft vertically? And is that why the rads don't get hot? There is no air in the line that I can find. Do i need a bigger circulator pump? Thanks for the help!!!

On 2020-01-09 by (mod) -

Ernest

Although I have not come across their use in adding heating baseboards, there are plumbing techniques that permit a plumber to cut into a water filled line when the water cannot be shut off.

There's also a pipe freezing technique or you can install a quick-and-easy Shark-Bite shutoff valve.

In our plumbing articles I have also described a really neat invention that a Mexican plumber showed me he had built that inserts into an active water line and uses an expanding plug to temporarily block the line, but I don't think that's going to be suitable for your application.

Of course the freezing technique would expect that the heat is off in the system is cool.

Alternatives that will work for you are all summarized

at EMERGENCY WATER SHUTOFF VALVE

In any case you're still going to need to bleed air from the system when the additional feet of baseboard have been connected.

See this SHARKBITE® INSTALLATION GUIDE [PDF] (2018) SharkBite Plumbing Solutions, SharkBite USA 2300 Defoor Hills Rd. NW Atlanta, GA 30318 USA Tel: 1-877-700-4242

SharkBite Canada 74 Alex Avenue Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 5X1 Canada, tel: 1-888-820-0120 retrieved 2020/01/19 original source: https://www.sharkbite.com/

On 2020-01-09 by Ernest Stover

can additional hydronic baseboard elements be added without shutting down the line

want to add approx 3ft to existing

is there a means to tap into the existing line while it is in operation (iike tapping into a water line to add a filter etc a little pet cock)

On 2020-01-06 16:00:23.026856 by Anonymous

Thank you so much for your reply. Yea, will have my plumber in.

On 2020-01-05 14:08:15.254713 by (mod) -

Rose

With so little information I can only make a vague guess. But it's possible that your radiator Outlet is blocked or clogged with debris such as rust flakes. If hot water is definitely entering the radiator but the rest of the radiator body stays cold the radiator is either Airbound or Outlet is clock. Since you've led the top of the radiator where are would escape and you're getting no more air That's What suggests it may be clogged or blocked. It's time to get some help from a heating service technician.

On 2020-01-05 02:44:16.546788 by Rose

The hot water radiator stopped heating all of a sudden. I bled it, some air came out but not much. I bled it 3 times, I let water out but radiator is still cold. The water that comes out is very hot but the radiator is very cold. What can I do?

On 2019-01-24 by (mod) - How do we shorten the flow and return pipes?

Clive, it's standard copper plumbing (except thinner copper) - cut and solder. If you are trying to reduce heat output there are better alternatives

First: close the baseboard top louver

More trouble: remove some of the fins from the tubing to reduce its radiation

On 2019-01-24 by Clive Gutteridge

I have a baseboard water heating system installed in the 1960s when my bungalow was built ...just like the photo (ours in grey exterior though). How do we shorten the flow and return pipes?

clive suzieandclive45@gmail.com

On 2018-04-27 by (mod) -

Larry,

Perhaps you can use the picture frame icon next to the comment button to attach a photo and that will help us research or will encourage other readers to reply

On 2018-04-16 by larry

we had a radiator freeze this past winter, trying to find a replacement. mine are baseboard, 3 feet long, they have 3 tubes through with a manifold at each end. i cannot find this type replacements, any ideas, thank you

On 2018-01-06 by (mod) - find blocked hot water heat baseboard line

Follow the baseboard piping, feeling for a temperature drop, to find the blockage, disconnection, or air-bound piping.

see AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS

On 2018-01-06 by Tony Alvar

The Furnace is operating and heating all the rooms except family room and basement..

Both pipes market family room and basement from the furnace are hot, yet both rooms baseboard are cold. We are experiencing zero temperatures in NY...

On 2017-12-30 by (mod) -

Let us see the situation in photos.. Use the picture frame icon next to the Comment button

On 2017-12-30 by Daryl

The wall area above our 3 year old electric baseboard heater is very hot to the touch. The thermostat is a wall mounted style and is likely 25+ years old.
This seems like an air circulation problem to me?

The unit is installed resting on the floor, however the intake area is at least 1/2 inch off the floor.
Thanks

On 2017-12-14 by (mod) -

Denice,

Since baseboard in a single zone is normally run as one cereal Loop of piping it's not possible to turn one of the baseboards off because that would turn off everything in the loop.

However what you can do is to Reduce the air flow through the baseboard in the room that's too hot. That can be done by closing movers at the outlet or top of the baseboard if there are any. Foremost cast iron baseboards that do not have louvers you can block the air entry at the bottom for example with carpeting. Or you could experiment just was some towels.

Also if the other baseboards are never getting hot it maybe that your system is partly air bound - that's a condition that your heating service tech can correct.

On 2017-12-14 by Deniece

I have old cast iron baseboard heaters in my house. Zone 1 takes care of the first floor and upstairs bathroom, everything good there. My problem is zone 2 takes care of the three bedrooms but one bedroom gets extremely hit while other two are comfy or cooler.

I'd like to know how to turn down or even completely cut the heat off to the very hot room. I checked at both ends in each room and there are no shut off knobs, just bleeders. What can I do ?

On 2017-12-06 by (mod) -

Check for the louvered top opening is in the open position

On 2017-12-05 by Sue

Baseboard is hot on top but can't feel the heat coming out of it.

On 2017-01-29 by Edgar

New boiler no heat to second floor

On 2015-02-21 by (mod) - Is there some way to even out the heat?

Lex,

As the whole house is on one heating zone you may simply want to reduce the heat output of the upstairs baseboards by closing their output louvers.

Opening the windows not only increases your heating bills, it actually speeds the movement of warm air from downstairs to the upper floor.

On 2015-02-20 by Lex

We have an old (1900's) two story house with hydronic hot water baseboard heating. The thermostat is on the first floor and when it is set at 60 or so the first floor rooms are about 60. However, the rooms on the second floor are 10-15 degrees warmer.

Is there some way to even out the heat? Right now we open a window on the second floor but that seems to be not ideal.

On 2016-05-20 John: how much does dust block baseboard heat output

Interesting I can't find any published data on how much dust and dirt reduces the efficiency of radiant fin tube. Dirty coils have a significant effect on forced air systems.

I would expect the the negative effect would not be as much, but who knows for sure. Does anyone know the approximate percent reduction in efficiency form dirty and dusty fin tube?

Reply:

I have not seen quantitative analysis, but take a look in the photo shown here. When the baseboard is dust clogged like shown you're probably blocking at least 50% of the air flow through the heater.

What if We've got Hot Water Heating Radiators, Not Baseboards

The five diagnostic steps above still apply for hot water radiators, but you've got an additional advantage: there may be a radiator control valve (red circle in our photo) to check (is the radiator turned on?), and there may be a handy air bleeder valve near the top of the radiator (blue circle in our photo).

If your heat is not from a heating baseboard (like the unit shown at the top of this page) but instead is coming from a hot water radiator (shown at left) or steam radiator then you need to see one of the two articles given immediately below:

Complete details about diagnosing and fixing cold radiators are found
 
at COLD HEATING BASEBOARD / RADIATOR REPAIR

and
at COLD STEAM HEAT RADIATORS

Question: heating baseboard gets hot even when the thermostat is not calling for heat

(Dec 8, 2014) Rob said:
Hello,Having a problem in my basement heating system.Circulaing hot water with seperate t stat and pump for this area. Baseboard. so the problem is that the system piping gets hot and the basement remains warm even though the basement stat is off or set very low.

There are 2 other zones(pumps) on the boiler.My thinking id that there might be some kind of flow though this area from one of the other zones.Rhanks in advance for your help Rob rssolomon@aol.com

Reply:

Rob,

Check if the circulator is a separate pump for this zone then you don't have a zone valve.

There may be a flow-control valve that is stuck open or manually opened, letting hot water circulate by convection or when other pumps are running.

Seeinspectapedia.com/heat/Check_Valves_Heat.php

(Dec 9, 2014) Anonymous said:
thanks for your quick response.Yes the circulator only serves this area.There are no zone control valves in the system.There are no check valves either

Question: baseboard heater won't get hot

(Dec 12, 2014) Missy said:
Hello,
I have fin baseboard heat(building built in 1974) in an apartment. The dining room bb heater is not working at all, the rest are working fine. Can I make an adjustment on this particular model to get it working and how?

Reply:

Missy If the baseboard is air-bound it won't get hot - to read about easy homeowner repairs

see AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIR

Question: I made a horrible smell while bleeding the heating baseboard ines

(Dec 18, 2014) Kim Bogert said:
I have a horrible smell coming from a baseboard. The smell is strongest after bleeding the lines. Any idea what can be causing it?

Reply:

Kim during bleeding of air in a hydronic heating system, air bled from a hot water heating system can be stinky but the odor should quickly dissipate and not return. That's normal.

Question:

(Jan 7, 2015) Anonymous said:
I don't have heat in the first 3 rooms where the water comes up to my baseboard, but I do have heat to the last 2 rooms at the end where in returns. How does that happen? It is cold out. Could there be a blockage and where? And how am I getting heat to the end of the system?

Reply:

see AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIR - live link given below

Question: hot pipes but no heat at baseboards

2016/02/13 Felix said:
Hi my boiler has 2 zones, 1 is for my second floor apartment and the other is for the attic. The pipes past both zone valves are burning hot but the baseboards are not getting hot all. What might be wrong? Can you help?

Reply:

Felix

Search InspectApedia for AIR BOUND RADIATORS as I suspect that the rads or in your case baseboards or piping to them are air bound

Question: one baseboard radiator won't get hot

(Mar 3, 2015) Joe said:
We have a hotwater radiator system which is a combination of regular radiators with a couple of baseboard radiators. Last week we had a furnace problem and had to shut down and drain the system for repair. It is now fixed and everything is working EXCEPT one baseboard radiator.

The system has been bled several times. I can bleed the non-working baseboard radiator, and get hot water, but as soon as I stop bleeding the baseboard radiator cools back down. The rest of the radiators are working fine. Any thoughts?

Reply:

Check for an air source that you've not found in the piping system or for incomplete system air removal.

Question: burning smell at heating baseboards & opening baseboards to increase heat output

(Mar 12, 2015) Doreen Corn said:
I keep smelling a burning smell in my baseboards..I have vaccum them , what is making that burning smell throughout my home, and who should i call?

(Mar 14, 2015) Mark said:
Hope someone can answer Joe and Doreen's questions (and mine). Here's mine: My mom thinks if you open the movable cover on her baseboard hot water radiators she'll get more heat.

I figure they were made such that when you keep the cover as it should be (practically closed, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch open from the side piece), this allows heat to build, and so more heat is generated. Any confirmation/thoughts on this? Thanks!

Reply:

Doreen and Mark:

there's nothing combustible on the baseboards themselves: copper, aluminum, steel components make up the unit. Check for a spill or for something that has fallen into the baseboard unit.

Unless the smelly baseboards are actually leaking, the smell is most likely from something that is being heated such as a spill on the baseboards or nearby, or paint or wall paneling or even something in the wall or floor cavity near the baseboards. Search InspectAPedia for. SMELL PATCH TEST to see a low cost method that might help pinpoint the source.

Mark:

Opening the hinged louver along the top of a heating baseboard increases the heat output by permitting more air to circulate through the unit, entering at the bottom, exiting at the top, moved by convection.

Closing the louvers along the top outlet of a heating baseboard will reduce the heat output as it slows convective air movement across the finned tubing of the baseboard.

Your mom is right.

The heat is generated at the boiler, not in the baseboards.

You are right that if you closed the louver the baseboard piping would feel hotter. But that's because you are no longer cooling it by moving room air across it. It's cooler because it's not sending heat into the room.

Question: banging from the heating pipes

(Mar 15, 2015) Jeff D. said:
I have baseboard, hot water, furnace heating and shortly after my heating system turns itself off I hear a loud banging noise that comes from the last convector in the loop. I'm guessing that its bound up air but I frequently bleed the air from this last convector yet I still hear this banging noise. What else can it be?

Reply:

You should not have to be frequently bleeding air pit of a baseboard. Either there is air left in the system that finds its way to the baseboard or there is a leak to find and fix.

A loud bang may be water hammer caused when a circulator of zone valve closes. InspectAPedia has articles on BANGING PIPES and also on WATER HAMMER that offer solutions. Try the search function above.

Ask your heating company for some diagnostic help, banging pipes can ultimately be unsafe as it can cause relief valve leaks.

Question: leaks at baseboards after ran out of oil

(Mar 21, 2015) Jerry Gray said:

I have a house with the baseboard hot water heat from an oil boiler furnance. The house run out of oil and the house had no heat. Leaks started throughout the baseboards for the circulating hot water heat.

Each time the repairs are made the there are more leaks each time the boiler is fired up. What can we do to solve the problem?

Reply:

Jerry
We need to start by finding out what is causing the leaks - an accurate diagnosis: if the problem is due to freezing pipes then one they're repaired you may want to use an antifreeze in the heating system. If the leaks are due to corroded piping then all of that will need replacement. If the leaks are due to poor workmanship the solution to that is apparent in the saying.

Keep in mind that heating baseboard copper pipes are thin-wall; if your heating system water is corrosive that could be the problem.

Question: Con Ed says my electric bill increase is because I'm using more heat - but we have hot water heating paid by a separate fee.

(Mar 22, 2015) Michele said:
I live in an apartment and suddenly my electric bill has doubled when I called ComEd they said that I must be using more heat - when I told them the building has hot water baseboard heat (a fixed fee paid for seperately) ComEd said that there is an electrically powered blower to push the heat into my apartment - REALLY?

Reply:

I don't know what the heck your Con-Ed phone contact is thinking about.

There are indeed electrically operated circulator pumps and if your heat was from a water-to-air heating convector that unit would have an electric blower fan but geez you told them you had hot water heat.

You need an on-site electrician with an ammeter if you want to see what circuits are drawing unusual current, or you can experiment by turning off circuits and watching your electric meter spin.

Question: baseboards won't get hot

(Mar 29, 2015) Joanncull said:

This is a problem with a hot water baseboard heating system with a gas furnace. I have hot water(so the boiler is working) and I can hear the water circulating through the baseboards in all zones, but they aren't heating up?
I'm stumped and none of the tips I've found on-line address an issue like this.
Anyone have any ideas?

Reply:

Sure Joann

at CONTINUE READING just above

see

AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS - home

Question: how to hold the spliced heating baseboard cover in place

(Sept 10, 2015) Jamesd said:
We are looking to find a splice plate and a bracket/hook to hold the spliced baseboard heater cover in place.

We have a very old system (1960's) and can't find replacement parts. Where might the best place be to start our search?

I think our system is the same one that's in the first photo at the top of the page. I can see the hooks that hold the covers on and there is a splice plate as well. If anyone knows where to buy replacement parts for that system it would be welcome advice.

Reply:

James the part you need is sold by heating and plumbing suppliers - it's used in normal baseboard installation to cover the butt joint of two baseboard covers.

Question: Parsonage heating baseboard not hot

(Sept 27, 2015) Jerry said:
our Parsonage has a two zone baseboard system. a thermostat 1st & 2nd floor our first floor is getting heat but the 2nd floor is not. at the heater one regulator is hot on one side but at the regulator that feeds the 2nd floor is cold on both sides of that regulator ?

Reply:

see

AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS - home - found by searching Inspectapedia for those words.

Question: insulate between baseboard and exterior wall?

(Oct 5, 2015) Adam said:
What are the requirements for insulation between the base board and exterior wall. I have some suspicion that their is no insulation between the baseboard and cinderblocks on my bottom level.

Reply:

Typically the heating system relies on insulation inside the wall cavity. I agree that if heating baseboards are run along a solid masonry exterior wall then there will be some heat loss into the wall itself; A retrofit adding solid foam and drywall on the wall would improve matters but it is troublesome as the heating baseboards would have to be removed and reinstalled. Ugh.

Question: cold concrete condo baseboards with air noise

(Oct 18, 2015) Nic said:

concrete condo, 2nd floor, baseboard heating has constant sound such as a forced air system. Also, sections always radiate heat even when thermostat is way low and not calling for heat. Rooms are 23-25C all the time even with windows open.

When turning up the heat on thermostat the system clicks a bit indicating heating and provides heat. The building contractor says noisy and hot because my unit is located near and above the boiler.

Do I need to live with this constant sound for the entire winter or can I have it capped and replace with my own separate electric baseboard heating that I can control and have some quieter operating system when in use.

Reply:

See AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS - home

Question: repair for calcium build-up in heating pipes?

(Oct 19, 2015) Kevin said:

What can be done if your copper pipes are clogged, probably calcium buildup. What is the recommended procedure for cleaning out the pipes. There are 4 different zones in the system. I can isolate each zone if I need to. I have purchased a water softener so once everything is clean, hopefully it will stay that way.

Reply:

Kevin it's possible to acid-wash scaled copper piping but finding that problem in heating pipes would be very odd as the heating system does not normally keep taking in new mineral-containing water. Scaling may not be the problem.

If you are asking about water supply piping (not heating piping) search InspectApedia for WATER PIPE SCALE REMOVAL for advice.

Question: knocking cast iron baseboard heat

(Oct 30, 2015) Andrew said:
So I have a hot water fed cast iron baseboard heating system. One of the baseboard units knocks at night when the heat comes on. I bled it and every unit in the house but found no air in them, straight stream of water from each one. Any other thoughts?

Reply:

Sure, Andrew, just search inspectApedia website (see the search box just above)

for BANGING HEATING PIPES RADIATORS

to see some useful diagnostics for both hot water and steam systems. I suspect a noisy valve or a problem that's keeping you from successfully getting all of the air out of the rad.

and also see AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS - home

Question: How do you bleed a boiler heat lines

(Nov 19, 2015) Leanne said:
How do you bleed a boiler heat lines

Reply:

Leanne, see the details on air bleeder valves at AIR BLEEDER VALVES

Question: heat always too high, I'm too hot

(Dec 13, 2015) Sharon said:
I live in an,apt bldg, and the heat is always kept up to high, which our thermostats do not control.how can i safely cover my hot water registers to block out the heat??please help!!

Reply:

First talk with building management as heating costs are involved.

Then awe details found n
by searching inspectapedia.com for the article titled RADIATOR BASEBOARD or CONVECTOR COVERS

(Jan 4, 2016) Christopher said:
To Sharon, wrap parts of the fins in aluminum foil. DON'T DAMAGE THE FINS. Do it bit by bit until you get the desired result. The foil stops the circulation of air through the fins.

Moderator replies:

Christopher & Sharon:

Christopher's idea is attractive but unless your heating baseboards have a removable front panel you won't have access to wrap the fins to reduce air movement through them and thus cut the heat output.

On a standard heating baseboard the convection current (warm air rises) that occurs up through the baseboard draws cool air from the floor up through the finned copper tubing where it is warmed before exiting at the top opening of the baseboard.

To reduce baseboard heat output in a room or area within a heating zone, a standard step that is effective to simply close the hinged top cover along the baseboard. By interrupting the air movement you significantly reduce heat output. Blocking air air entry at the bottom opening of the baseboard ( such as by carpeting ) has the same effect.

Question: new floor covering blocks baseboard bottom air inlet

(Dec 31, 2015) Sal said:
I had New hardwood floors installed. The cast iron baseboard was already in place. The cut the hardwood to fit under the legs and the baseboard is almost flush with the floors. No gap in between. Is this ok? Will the heat of the baseboard damage that section of the wood due to constant high temperatures?

Reply:

If you close off the space between the bottom of the heating baseboard and the top of the floor you will reduce the heat output from the baseboard as you interrupt convection air currents that are a basic part of baseboard design and operation. The result may be a room that's too cool, longer time to heat the room, or higher heating bills.

Question: circulator not responding to call for heat

(Jan 4, 2016) Christopher said:
I have a two zone baseboard oil burning system. Burner starts and runs fine. The basement zone works fine. Upstairs i have replaced the thermostat and circulating pump. It seems like the pump is not getting the call for heat. Is there something between the thermostat and circulating pump i can check?

Reply:

Please see CIRCULATOR PUMPS & RELAYS - home

Christopher: if your upstairs heating zone is not working check

1. that the thermostat is set above room temp and thus is calling for heat
2. that the circulator pump runs for that zone, or if zone valves are used, that the zone valve opens

If both 1 & 2 are working properly then the system is probably airbound - search InspectApedia for AIRBOUND HEATING SYSTEM to see how to diagnose and repair that problem.

Question: baseboards are always hot - heat never stops - shouldn't the thermostat control the baseboard heat?

(Jan 16, 2016) Anonymous said:
The hot water baseboard registers are staying hot eventhough the thermostat is turned off. New thermostat installed but problem still exsists. Usually you can head the water flow in and out but now you can't.

(Feb 23, 2016) New maintaince man said:
I have an apartment with baseboard water heat, only the heat won't turn off. I turned the thermostat off but you can still heat the water rushing through the pipes which are hot. I was told to check the wire running from the thermostat to the baseboard but I don't know what to look for.

(Jan 22, 2016) anonymous said:
Does the thermostat control the baseboard heating.

(Jan 22, 2016) Anonymous said:
Should heat be coming from the baseboard if the thermostat is turned all the way down.

2016/04/11 Robert said:
Informative site - thank you!

I live in a condo with a hot water heating baseboards. Heat in the summer months is always a big problem in the unit, getting roasting hot, and I notice that the heating baseboards are quite warm to the touch (although not scaldingly so - like traditional radiators can be).

The heat is on the middle section of the baseboad unit that has the radiator apparatus (metal sheets), and the baseboard is not hot where the copper piping is on either side of that.

This situation exists despite the fact that the thermometor is set to its lowest, and the baseboards are admittedly not pushing air out when the thermometer is set at its coldest.

Is this normal? Is there a way for me to cool down the baseboards further, so that they're cool to the touch, at least in summer ?

Reply: what to look at if the heating baseboards stay hot when you are not calling for heat

Anon,

If you are sure that the circulator pump itself is not running, then the most likely explanation of the problem you describe is that a flow control valve or check valve above or near your boiler has been manually left in the open position or has been stuck open. The results of this condition is that hot water will circulate out of the boiler by convection even if the circulator pump itself is not running.

If the thermostat is set below room temperature, the heating system should stop sending heat - you may need to wait for the baseboard to cool down; if after 30 minutes it's still hot then heat is still circulating: there is then probably a problem with the zone control, thermostat wiring, or a check valve in the system.

See CHECK VALVES, HEATING SYSTEM

New M. Please search InspectApedia.com for HEAT WON'T TURN OFF to see some specific diagnostic suggestions.

To check for a bad thermostat, just disconnect the thermostat wires at the boiler end of the thermostat circuit. That'd be at a main aquastat control or at a circulator relay. You'll recognize the thermostat wires. Follow them. Disconnecting them at the boiler end will eliminate possibilities of a bad thermostat or shorted thermostat wires. If the heat keeps running the problem is at the boiler controls.

Heat can also circulate when the circulator is off if the FLOW CONTROL VALVE (Search InspectApedia for CHECK VALVES, HEATING SYSTEM) is stuck open but that will usually give a much slower flow rate that wouldn't be likely to sound like water rushing.

Robert:

If your thermostat is not calling for heat but the baseboards are hot, then either there is a control snafu or

- there is a valve or control at the boiler that's manually open or stuck in open; it could be a zone valve or a check valve at the boiler that is allowing hot water to circulate by natural convection even when the circulator pump itself is OFF. Your condo association is wasting heating fuel if this is the case. No it's not normal. But cooling down the baseboards at your end is not a good approach as the underlying problems of energy cost and waste continue.

Ask your condo association to get help from an experienced heating service tech to find which control or valve is open that should be closed.

Also see HEAT WON'T TURN OFF

Question: install shutoffs in NYC apartment on heating system baseboards?

(Jan 22, 2016) Ray said:
I am on the board of a six-story co-op in NYC. The Board requires anyone doing renovations involving their plumbing system to install shut-offs at all entry points to the apartment in order to allow servicing without impacting other share-owners.

Some Board members want to extend this to include manual shut-offs on entry and exit points for the hot-water baseboard radiator system. Is this a common practice? Are there any potential operational or maintenance issues?

Reply:

I do not think that's a common practice. Also, depending on how the heating piping and zones are installed shutting off a units heat could shut off that of others too. Opinion,
I wouldn't bother.

Question: baseboard vents close on their own

(Jan 29, 2016) Gerry said:
Some of our baseboard vents keep closing on their own. Are there clips I can use to keep them open?

Reply:

Gerry,

If you refer to the louvered vent along the top of a baseboard, try bending the hinge opening at the end of the vent to tighten it on its rotating pin

If you are referring to air purging vents on the heating piping,

There are two types of vents; automatic ones that include a float and vent if air is present, and manual ones that are manually opened to bleed air. The latter are normally left screwed shut. The former open and close automatically. The screw cap on the automatic vent should be left loose. If the screw cap is clogging with debris the vent may need replacement.

Question: heat in our New England farmhouse is inadequate

(Feb 14, 2016) Alex said:
Hi - We just bought an old farmhouse in New England. We have hot water baseboard heat and woodstove. I've been keeping the thermostat at 70 degrees and yet the tiny old rooms don't get higher than 55 degrees unless I'm cranking the woodstove.

I'm not even sure how to tackle this problem - it could be my furnace (though that seemed to be in good shape when inspected twice in the last 6 months - looks like it hadn't been cleaned in many years, but we had it serviced and were told it's in good shape),

it could be my thermostat (it's one of those really old round dial ones), maybe the baseboard to room ratio is not enough, or maybe our pipes are clogged (our water is acidic and the copper pipes are slowly corroding - we have plans to install a water neutralizer). How do I start to tackle this problem? I don't even know which kind of professional to call.

Reply:

Alex

Take a look at your thermostat. If the room temperature is below the thermostat's set temperature then the heat should be running.

If the heat is running take a look at your baseboards. Feel for heat coming from them. If baseboards are cold or tepid then hot water is not circulating and repair is needed: perhaps to a circulator, control, or to remove air from the system piping.

If the baseboards are hot but the heating system cannot get the room temperature up to the thermostat set point, then your home is losing heat faster than your heating system can provide it.

In that case you need to improve the home's energy efficiency by finding and stopping drafts and perhaps adding insulation.

In any case it makes sense to have your heating boiler cleaned and tuned as that will reduce your heating cost. I'm guessing from your location that your heating fuel is oil. NO oil fired heating boiler will run properly nor efficiently if it does not receive an annual cleaning and tuneup. I've seen as much as a 25% reduction in heating cost from a cleanout alone.

Search InspectApedia for ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES for more help.

Question: electric baseboard heat in our townhouse has a mind of its own

(Feb 16, 2016) kathryn said:
We just moved into a townhouse with electrical baseboard heaters and one in our bathroom was replaced by an electrician (the heaters are 50+ years old) the one in my bedroom comes on when turned off it has a mind of its own.

They replaced the thermostat but it has continued to do this the electrician said something to the contracter about a valve malfunction or something he completely confused the contractor. What else could be causing this so I can be prepared when he comes in so I don't have to have him back a third time if whatever he does this time doesn't work

Reply:

Kathryn the situation you described is unsafe, risking fire or shock. Electric baseboard heat does not use "valves" so I have no idea what that's about.

Electric heat is very simple: typically a resistance-type electric baseboard, running on 240V is powered through a line-voltage thermostat that basically acts as an on-off switch in response to the thermostat setting and room temperature.

I'd expect the electrician to confirm that the heater itself is undamaged and to track down a bad wire, connection, or thermostat.

Search InspectApedia.com for ELECTRIC BASEBOARD HEAT INSTALL to read details.

Question: filter covers for baseboard heaters?

(Apr 2, 2016) D Munro said:
Can you send information on filter covers for electric baseboard heaters - where to find them, sizes and price list? I have seen them advertised at one time online, but haven't found them again since. Thanks very much! Here's my email address: dawn201196@hotmail.com (The landlord will supply them if I can find them again.)

Reply:

DM

I'm not sure what you want nor what sort of filters are used on electric heating baseboards - that's not something I've seen.

Question: soot coming out of oil baseboard heaters

(Apr 3, 2016) Jerry said:

Soot coming from my oil baseboard heaters. How do I remedy this problem

Reply:

Jerry,

Your hot water heating baseboards contain water; they won't emit soot. But dust, including sooty dust, can accumulate on the fins and tubing inside the baseboard. *Careful* vacuuming with the baseboard covers off, using a soft brush, can clean the fins and tubing, but you might want to look further for a soot source in your home.

Start by checking that your oil burner is working properly - ask for service if it's smoky, rumbling, noisy, smelly, or if you have gone more than a year without service.

...

Continue reading at COLD HEATING BASEBOARD / RADIATOR REPAIR or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AIR BLEEDER VALVES - find and operate those cute little controls on baseboards (or radiators)
• AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS - home
• BASEBOARD HEAT - home
  • AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS
  • BASEBOARD HEAT DAMAGE REPAIR
  • COLD HEATING BASEBOARD / RADIATOR REPAIR
  • COLD STEAM HEAT RADIATORS
  • LEAKS at BASEBOARD, CONVECTOR, RADIATOR
• DIAGNOSE & FIX HEATING PROBLEMS-BOILER if the boiler is just not working like it should
• RADIATOR VALVES & HEAT CONTROLS
• NO HEAT - BOILER / FURNACE DIAGNOSIS If none of your heating radiators, baseboards, etc. are getting hot, start your diagnosis at this article

Suggested citation for this web page

BASEBOARD HEAT REPAIR FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to HEATING BOILERS

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