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Upstairs isn't warm

Hello,

New home owner here. I am having trouble heating the upstairs of my home.

I have a monoflo system. The pressure is ~28psi and te system is te type that automatically fill with water.

I have purged all the radiators upstairs and have even tried heating upstairs by turning off the flow to the radiator in the room where the thermostat is located.

Is there anything I can do? Also, is it possible to even set up a second zone for upstairs?

Sometimes the system has to be bled with the ciculator on, sometimes with it off. All depends upon where the air is trapped. Bleed each radiator with the circulator on then turn the thermostat all the way down, wait about 15 minutes, & bleed all the rads again while the stat is off.

It usually isn't a big job to split upstairs into a separate zone but each application is different.

The pressure sounds right (about 2psi per foot of rise, so basement to 2nd floor floor register 14 feet). Make sure the expansion tank is not full of water. There should be a boiler drain valve to hook a hose to. Has this always been a problem? Does the thermostat have batteries? Your system may have an isolation valve or return valve that might be partially closed or obstructed preventing enough flow of hot water. Let us know what you find? Helpful?

The pressure (if true) is high. Instead of 2# per foot, it is actually 2.3 ft. per psi of pressure.
If the boiler is really running at 28 psi, that is really close to relief valve pressure.
If the gauge is showing 28#, I'd question the accuracy of the gauge.
Factory setting on reducing valves is 12# which just happens to be the equivalent of 27.6 feet.
I'd almost bet the gauge is actually showing 28 ft instead of 28#.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady White

Sometimes the system has to be bled with the ciculator on, sometimes with it off. All depends upon where the air is trapped. Bleed each radiator with the circulator on then turn the thermostat all the way down, wait about 15 minutes, & bleed all the rads again while the stat is off.

It usually isn't a big job to split upstairs into a separate zone but each application is different.

I tried bleeding, no air came out at all the water was hot too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott53715

The pressure sounds right (about 2psi per foot of rise, so basement to 2nd floor floor register 14 feet). Make sure the expansion tank is not full of water. There should be a boiler drain valve to hook a hose to. Has this always been a problem? Does the thermostat have batteries? Your system may have an isolation valve or return valve that might be partially closed or obstructed preventing enough flow of hot water. Let us know what you find? Helpful?

This is a new install when I switched home heat to natural gas. So the problem is happening now that I am running the heat regularly.

I recently did a gut renovation of one room and insulated and that room still won't get warm like downstairs does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady White

The pressure (if true) is high. Instead of 2# per foot, it is actually 2.3 ft. per psi of pressure.
If the boiler is really running at 28 psi, that is really close to relief valve pressure.
If the gauge is showing 28#, I'd question the accuracy of the gauge.
Factory setting on reducing valves is 12# which just happens to be the equivilent of 27.6 feet.
I'd almost bet the gauge is actually showing 28 ft instead of 28#.

What is the # mean?

# is the symbol for pound.

Did you try bleeding both with the circulator on & with it off?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady White

# is the symbol for pound.

Did you try bleeding both with the circulator on & with it off?

Thanks for the input and sorry for not replying sooner.

My numbers were incorrect since the gauge is so small.

Here are all the numbers listed on the gauge.

Pressure:

~35 feet H2O

~10 psi
~160 degrees Fahrenheit

I have bled all radiators with the heat off and once more with the heat on. Both times I got air from upstairs from at least one radiator. Then, with the circulator off I bled the "trouble" upstairs radiator once more and got one or two spurts of air then water.

I shut off the supply and return to the radiators in the basement since I really don't use the basement as a living space.

Any other tips?

I set the downstairs temp to 72 and the downstairs heats rapidly. Unfortunately, by the time the down stairs is warm and the heat start shutting down, the upstairs is jut starting to get warm. So I jack up the thermostat to 78 when I go to bed and it is barely tolerable as far as temp.

I am getting a few room thermometers so I will have the exact temp difference soon.

Thanks for all the help!

Increase the pressure to aprox. 15 psi.