Typical hydronic heating systems utilize radiators or baseboard heaters to keep your home warm and toasty during the winter. These heaters work differently, but both rely on a steady stream of hot water or steam from your home's boiler. Anything that interrupts the water flow through the system or stops it from sufficiently heating can leave you with a chilly home.
However, problems with hydronic heating systems don't always result in cold rooms throughout your house. Sometimes, you may notice parts of your home becoming warm while others remain cold and uncomfortable. These hot and cold spots can have many causes, including problems with your home's boiler.
What Causes Cold Spots?
The causes of uneven heating vary based on your home's heating system type. Still, some common causes can occur with any heating system. These issues typically relate to heat flow blockages. With a hydronic system, look for drapes, furniture, or other items obstructing your baseboard heaters or radiators. Sometimes, a little redecorating is all that's necessary to restore even heating.
If you can't spot any apparent issues, airlocks or mineral buildup are the next two most likely culprits. These issues often develop in systems that use radiators, although hydronic baseboard heating is also susceptible. You can learn to bleed your system, but you may want to consider hiring a professional HVAC contractor to thoroughly clean and flush out any minerals.
Unfortunately, the next most likely culprit after these common causes is a problem with your home's boiler. While boiler repairs can often be more expensive than these relatively minor maintenance jobs, recognizing boiler trouble as early as possible can help you avoid more expensive and damaging heating system failures.
How Can a Faulty Boiler Lead to Chilly Rooms?
Modern hot water heating systems use circulator pumps to constantly move hot water from the boiler to your home's heaters. This circulation serves two important purposes: it keeps your home warm and helps cool your boiler. Sufficient circulation and heat are necessary to ensure that hot water reaches all of your home's heaters, even those in distant rooms.
If your boiler can't sufficiently heat your system's water, you may experience hot spots in distant rooms. You may notice your baseboard heaters or radiators warming up in rooms physically close to the boiler, while more distant rooms remain much colder. Issues with your boiler's circulating pump can also prevent heat from reaching these areas.
As with most HVAC equipment, problems with your boiler can progress into more severe issues. In particular, if your circulating pump isn't functioning properly, your boiler may overheat and repeatedly shut down.
Contact a professional to learn more about boiler repair.
Share22 August 2023
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