Hobble Creek Condos Heating System

Hobble Creek Condos Heating System The Hobble Creek Condos are heated by a hot-water radiant heating system. This system most effectively heats all of the condos when each unit s heating system is cared for properly and certain guidelines are followed. If these things are not done, there is also a risk of pipes freezing in the winter, causing damage to other units; if this happens and you have not maintained your heating system properly or have used it improperly, you can be liable for this damage. Most of the winter, your unit should be a comfortable temperature throughout. If it s not, there is likely a problem with your heating system that needs to be addressed. It is NOT normal for your unit to be extremely hot or to have to use space heaters or a fireplace to keep warm. This information packet will help you know what you should be doing to care for and properly use your heating system. This information is also posted as a document on hobblecreekcondos.com. If you have any questions about this information or concerns about your heating system, please contact the HOA manager. The packet will cover the following items: Do s and Don ts of using the heating system Parts of the heating system Care and maintenance tasks Troubleshooting NOTE: This system is different and completely separate from the hot water in the taps used for bathing, washing, etc. This handout has nothing to do with your hot water and any issues with one system do not affect the other at all. Do s and Don ts Do ALWAYS leave your heat on in the winter, even if you re not home or your condo is vacant. Set your thermostat between 68 and 72 (even if vacant), and don t keep changing the temperature. If you re too warm, close the louvers (metal flaps) on your baseboard heaters so that the air doesn t circulate as much. If you re too cold, open the louvers. Bleed your lines of air at the beginning of the heating season, and any time the heat doesn t seem to be working properly. Leave a few inches of breathing room between the heaters and any furniture. Keep your heaters reasonably clean (both interior and exterior). Especially clean right before the beginning of the heating season (September/October) Don t Don t change the thermostat temperature all the time if you re too warm or too cold. Don t set your thermostat below 68 or above 72 (even if your unit is vacant). Don t adjust anything on the zone valve. If it s not working properly, call a plumber. Don t place furniture or other items right up to the heaters. Don t turn off the electricity! If the electricity is off, the thermostat won t work and the unit will get too cold, causing pipes to freeze. If the city will be turning off electricity to the unit for any reason, the HOA must know in advance. Don t use your fireplace or electric heaters as a primary source of heat. Doing so will keep water from circulating properly in your unit and could result in frozen (and burst) pipes. 1

Parts of your heating system: Boiler. There are two boilers that heat all of the water used in the radiators throughout the Hobble Creek Condos. These boilers are maintained by the HOA. If you suspect a problem with one of the boilers, please contact the HOA manager. Radiators. Your condo has one or two baseboard radiators in each room. Try to keep furniture and other items at least 3-4 inches away from the heaters to allow air to circulate around the heaters this is how the radiators warm the air in your home. At least once a year, clean the radiators thoroughly by removing the front plate and vacuuming out dust and debris around the radiator pipe and fins. Shut-off valves. There are two shut-off valves in your unit, which, when closed, isolate your unit s water system so that maintenance and repairs can be done on your system without affecting the rest of the units. These are found at the beginning (where the hot water first enters your unit) and end (where the hot water leaves your unit) of the heating system in your unit and might look like either of the pictures at the right. Not all units have the same layout, but most often, these are in the bathroom and kitchen, or wherever your zone valve is. The only time you should change the position of these is when maintenance or repair work is being done on your heating system by a professional. Zone valve. This is a small (fist-sized), red or grey box that controls whether fresh hot water is coming to your unit or not. It is controlled by the thermostat. In first-floor condos, it is generally in the 2 nd bedroom in an upper corner of the closet. In upper floor condos, it is generally in the kitchen along the heater line. You should not have to adjust, alter, or even touch this valve. For instructions on checking to see that it is working properly, see below. If it is not working properly, call a plumber. open/closed indicator Bleeding valve. This is a very small knob on the elbow bend of one (or more) of your heating pipes. It is used to let air bubbles out of the pipes so that the hot water can flow most efficiently. It looks a bit like a thick grey button or a round nut with no hole in the center. You might have one, two, or three of these, while a few units appear to not have any at all. Check with the manager if you re not sure where yours are. open/closed indicator shut-off valve bleed valve 2

Care and Maintenance Tasks Care and maintenance tasks that should be done every year include cleaning your baseboard heaters (inside and out), bleeding air from the heating lines in your unit, and checking that your zone valve is working properly. Cleaning This should be done just before the beginning of the heating season (September or early October) and as needed throughout the winter. Dust, wipe, or vacuum dust and dirt off the exterior of your radiators. To clean the inside of the radiators: o Remove the front panel of the radiator by lifting forward and up and unhooking it from the pegs it hangs on. o Remove any large debris that has slipped underneath the pipe and fins. o Clean around the pipe and between the fins using a vacuum with a brush attachment, compressed air, feather duster, or similar. o Replace the front radiator panel. o Do this cleaning at least once a year, or more if needed. Bleeding air from the heating lines in your unit The purpose of this is to get air out of the heating pipes so that the hot water can reach all parts of your unit like it s supposed to. This should be done a few days after the heat is turned on, and (depending on the location of your unit) may need to be done several times throughout the first few weeks and periodically during the entire heating season. First floor units might not have bleed valves. Before you start Gather the following: o 2 small/medium bowls or cups o 1 large bowl or container o towel (hand-towel size or larger) o groove-joint pliers (preferably) or other pliers with a good grip mechanism Locate the bleed valve(s) in your unit. If you re not sure where they are, refer to the description above, or ask a member of the HOA board for assistance. DON T adjust the shut-off valves! Make sure you know which is which! Bleeding the lines 1. Wrap the towel around the pipe underneath the bleed valve. Hold one of the small bowls or cups where the water will spray into it. 2. Using the pliers or wrench, loosen the valve until water is coming out strongly and pointed in the right direction. (If the water sprays at the wall when you first turn it, keep turning until it s spraying into your cup.) BE CAREFUL! The water and pipe may be very hot! 3. You may notice that the spray of water is interrupted by spurts of air. If it s a steady stream to 3 Closing the Bleed Valve Don t over-tighten it! Just close it until no more water is trickling out. However, you will need to check that there is not a slow trickle by drying off the pipe around the valve completely with a towel, then holding a paper towel or napkin around the pipe for a minute to see if it gets wet. A very, very slow trickle can cause significant damage to your house or your neighbor s.

begin with, let the water flow for up to 60 seconds to see if any air comes out. Once there is no more air coming out, only a steady spray of water, let it continue to flow for 30-60 seconds longer to ensure you don t get any more air pockets. When one bowl or cup fills up, switch it out for the other bowl or cup and empty the first into the large bowl or container. 4. When there is no more air coming out, close the valve. 5. Repeat steps 1 5 for your second bleed valve if you have one. 6. Since air rises, you may want to do this a few times over the first few days/weeks that the heat is on. Check for Proper Zone Valve Function 1. Locate your zone valve. If you don t know where to find it, ask the manager, who has a list of all of the zone valve locations. 2. Remove anything that obstructs your clear and complete view of the zone valve (furniture, the radiator front plate, etc.). You may also need a flashlight to see your zone valve clearly enough if it s in a dark corner or in a closet. 3. Identify the open and closed positions on your zone valve. a. For the small red box-type zone valves, the small silver protrusion will be extended (and lower down) in the open position, and retracted (and higher up) in the closed position. b. For the larger grey box-type zone valves, there is a circular disc that rotates depending on the valve position: when it is open, the disc should show some red (and open is written on it if you can get close enough); closed will not show any red and has closed written on it. 4. Test to see that your zone valve opens and closes as appropriate: a. Identify which position your zone valve is currently in (open or closed) b. If it s currently closed, have one person turn the temperature on the thermostat up 10 degrees from the current temperature in the house. The other person watches the zone valve to see that it switches to the open position. Be patient: this can take as long as 2-3 minutes. If your zone valve doesn t switch to the open position, it is broken and needs to be replaced ASAP to keep heating pipes from freezing and to keep your unit at a proper temperature. c. If it s currently open, have one person turn the temperature on the thermostat down 10 degrees from the current temperature in the house. The other person watches the zone valve to see that it switches to the closed position. Be patient: this can take as long as 2-3 minutes. If your zone valve doesn t switch to the closed position, it is broken and needs to be replaced ASAP to prevent over-heating in your unit, which can also lead to other units not getting enough heat. d. If the first test worked (step b or c), set the thermostat back to what it originally was and watch to make sure the zone valve returns to the original position. 5. Please make sure that your thermostat is set to a temperature between 68 and 72. Temperatures outside this range can cause problems for you and others in the complex. Troubleshooting Make sure it is a normal, reasonable temperature throughout your condo. If it s not, see if these troubleshooting suggestions make a difference. If those don t make a difference, call a professional plumber to inspect your system. If it is much colder or warmer in your unit than the temperature set on the thermostat, it may indicate a serious problem, such as a frozen pipe or a broken zone valve. If you 4

ignore problems or improvise solutions (such as manually adjusting the zone valve or using electric heaters), you may be liable for damage caused by burst pipes. My unit is too cold. No matter how high I set the thermostat, it doesn t get warm enough. Solution 1: You likely have a broken zone valve. You can check this using the instructions on page 3. If it s broken, have a professional plumber replace it immediately to avoid frozen heating pipes. Solution 2: There may be air trapped in your heating pipes, preventing the hot water from circulating through your unit properly. If your zone valve is working, this may be the problem. Bleed your heating lines (see page 3). It may also be necessary to ask your surrounding neighbors to do the same, as air might be trapped anywhere in the system between the boiler and your unit. You may also need to do this several times over the first few weeks that the heat is on as the air works its way through the system. Solution 3: You may have a heating pipe that is partially or completely frozen. If this is the case, it won t allow water to move through the pipes properly to heat your unit. If you suspect this might be the case (after checking the zone valve and bleeding your lines), call a plumber immediately to prevent damage to your unit or a neighbor s from a burst pipe! Solution 4: The heat may not be reaching your unit for other reasons. Especially if you live in a top or end unit, it s possible (especially on very cold days) that the water reaching your pipes has lost most of its heat already. This can sometimes happen if a neighbor is setting his thermostat too high or has a broken zone valve. However, if you AND your neighbors all are experiencing the same heating problems, there may be a problem with the boiler. If you ve tried the other solutions and suspect that this might be the problem, contact the HOA manager. My unit is too hot, no matter how low I set the thermostat. You likely have a broken zone valve. You can check this using the instructions on pages 3-4. If it s broken, have a professional plumber replace it immediately to fix the problem and avoid other issues in the future. Do not keep windows open to fix this! It will only make the problem worse! The living room and kitchen are warm enough but the bedrooms and/or bathroom are much colder. I ve already checked my zone valve and it is working properly. The thermostat in most units is in the living room, and this area of the house tends to be warmer because of the heat from cooking and such. So the temperature where the thermostat is may be warmer than in the bedrooms, and thus turn off the zone valve when it s still cool in those areas. Solution 1: Close the louvers (metal flaps) on the heaters in the kitchen and living room. Open the louvers in the bedrooms and bathroom. Solution 2: You may be losing a lot of heat in the bedrooms due to poorly insulated windows/sliding doors. So, taking measures to better insulate these may do a lot to help (using a window insulator kit or similar). Solution 3: If you ve tried solutions 1 and 2 (as well as checking your zone valve and bleeding your lines), you may use small space heaters as needed but NOT in the living room and kitchen. If you use a space heater in the living room/kitchen area, it can keep your thermostat at a high enough temperature that the zone valve never opens to let hot water circulate through the apartment. If the water is not circulating, it is very susceptible to freezing, leading to burst pipes and damage to your unit and/or a neighbor s unit. 5