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33 Posts
Hey all,
During a recent basement remodel, the black iron pipe loop in my basement that feeds copper runs upstairs to the baseboards was replaced to gain ceiling height. A local HVAC contractor then installed Uponor Engineered Plastic manifolds - 8 loops, 1 feed, 1 return, pex in the basement connected to the copper upstairs runs. There is one zone (thermostat) in the house in the main floor hallway. House was built in '66, 1150 sqft cape.
System was working fine until this recent run of really cold weather in the northeast. Now the system just can't keep up. The thermostat has been set at 70 all week and this morning I woke up to a reading of 59. Baseboards are definitely still warm (although perhaps not as warm as I'd like), so all runs are definitely circulating water.
Feed manifold reads 155-160 degrees, return manifold reads 145ish. System pressure at 19 psi.
Through my own research it seems like the system is working properly. Am I just losing way to much heat through my walls? While my windows are probably about 10 years old, I'm guessing that the insulation is severely lacking. Would this be enough to cause this much heat loss? Knee walls upstairs appear to be insulated well enough (although could always add another layer of batt, wouldn't hurt).
Any other ideas to improve my system? Since pex is only rated to a max of 180 degrees, is this even hot enough to withstand temps in the single digits?
During a recent basement remodel, the black iron pipe loop in my basement that feeds copper runs upstairs to the baseboards was replaced to gain ceiling height. A local HVAC contractor then installed Uponor Engineered Plastic manifolds - 8 loops, 1 feed, 1 return, pex in the basement connected to the copper upstairs runs. There is one zone (thermostat) in the house in the main floor hallway. House was built in '66, 1150 sqft cape.
System was working fine until this recent run of really cold weather in the northeast. Now the system just can't keep up. The thermostat has been set at 70 all week and this morning I woke up to a reading of 59. Baseboards are definitely still warm (although perhaps not as warm as I'd like), so all runs are definitely circulating water.
Feed manifold reads 155-160 degrees, return manifold reads 145ish. System pressure at 19 psi.
Through my own research it seems like the system is working properly. Am I just losing way to much heat through my walls? While my windows are probably about 10 years old, I'm guessing that the insulation is severely lacking. Would this be enough to cause this much heat loss? Knee walls upstairs appear to be insulated well enough (although could always add another layer of batt, wouldn't hurt).
Any other ideas to improve my system? Since pex is only rated to a max of 180 degrees, is this even hot enough to withstand temps in the single digits?
