It’s cold in my apartment!
A complaint heard often this time of year. When I started at this position my first concern was always a problem with the heating system. Something wasn’t working properly. However, I quickly learned that isn’t always the case. Often it is not the fault of the heating system but a tenant’s lack of understanding of how the heating works. This is especially true for those tenants living in buildings with hot water heat. I am in no way blaming the tenants for their lack of understanding. Most of us figure heat is heat. You turn up the thermostat and heat is generated, simple concept. My goal with this post is to provide a basic understanding of how hot water heat is different from other, more familiar types of heat. More importantly to provide those living in buildings with hot water heat some suggestions for keeping their apartments comfortable.
There are three “typical” types of heating in apartments. These being forced air, electric and hot water (boiler). All share a similar characteristic, they are controlled by a thermostat and are quite effective. The differences lie in how heat is created and distributed.
Forced air heat is the easiest to regulate. Turning the thermostat to a specific temperature causes the furnace to kick on or off depending on which way the temperature is adjusted. For an increase in temperature, the air in the furnace is heated and a blower distributes the warmed air throughout the dwelling until the desired temperature is registered by the thermostat. If you turn down the heat when leaving for an extended period of time, the furnace will not start as frequently automatically lowering the temperature thereby saving money. When you arrive home you can turn the heat up, the furnace kicks in, and warm air is forced through your home raising the temperature in a matter of a few minutes. Typically there is one thermostat which controls the temperature for the entire dwelling.
Electric heat is generated by a baseboard or wall mounted heating unit. The thermostat is set for the desired temperature which heats the unit, fins built into the unit are designed to “radiate” the heat outward until the room reaches the designated temperature. Essentially electric heat functions the same as forced air. Turning the thermostat down causes the heaters to kick in less often, thus cutting down on the electric bill. Turning the thermostat up causes the heaters to kick in and begin heating. The main difference, electric heat takes longer to heat the apartment because the heat is radiant. Instead of being forced into the room it must radiate out until the room reaches the desired temperature. Although slower it is still relatively easy to regulate.Heating unit(s) along with the thermostats are typically located and controlled within each room of each apartment.
Hot water heat operates differently. Typically the boiler is located somewhere within the building and is designed to heat water to a temperature specified on a thermostat controlled by a custodian, caretaker, or other individual. The hot water is distributed through a series of pipes running throughout the building. Each apartment has a thermostat which controls a zone valve located in that particular unit. The zone valve opens and closes depending on the desired temperature for the apartment. When the thermostat senses the apartment is too cold it opens the valve releasing hot water through the pipes in the apartment. The heat from the water, heats the pipes and the heat from the pipes radiates throughout the unit. When the desired temperature is reached the zone valve closes trapping hot water in the pipes. This forces the temperature up beyond the called for temp for a short time while the water cools. Granted this is a very simplistic explanation of how they operate, but overall it is correct. By it’s very nature, this is a slower process than the previous methods can be harder to regulate. Raising the temperature in an apartment with hot water can take a few hours instead of a few minutes. Unlike forced air or electric, it is more efficient to find a comfortable temperature and leave it than to manipulate the temperature throughout the day.
On more than one occasion I have heard of a tenant who has turned down the heat in their apartment trying to save energy. When they return home they turn up the temperature. In an hour it still feels cold so they raise the temperature more. After three or four hours, it is just too hot and they begin to open their windows while continuing to lower the temperature. This creates an uncomfortable and frustrating cycle. With hot water (boiler) heat it is a much better choice to find the setting which creates a comfortable temp and leave it alone. Remember, the adjustment will take time!
Whatever your heating source, don’t hesitate to call your maintenance person for help when trying to find your comfort zone.
Great article! I think in our apartment the zone valve is not releasing the hot water as the hot water is not circulating throughout the apartment. I think the building boiler is not set to a hot enough temp. In our unit, the pipes in the living room are hot to the touch; however, the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen pipes are cold. Any ideas?
Donna, thanks for the question. My first response would always be to contact your caretaker or building maintenance person. Without knowing the system or seeing it there could be any number of reasons but these are my initial thoughts based on what you’ve told me.
If the living room pipes are hot to the touch there is obviously hot water making it into your apartment. If there is a second thermostat somewhere in your apartment it could be there is another zone valve which is “sticking” and not allowing the hot water to circulate out of your living room and into the rest of your apartment. It could also be a simple matter of a thermostat which has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Thermostat’s are a fairly simple fix, zone valve’s are a substantially more involved.
Another possibility is there is an air lock meaning at some point air made it into the lines and is now “stuck” in one spot not allowing the water to circulate. Often there is a smaller valve on the side of a zone valve which will allow air to be bled from the lines. If it is a small localized pocket of air it is usually relatively easy to release from the lines.If your lines need to be bled make sure to have the area clear. There will be some water exiting the pipes along with any air. Again, please call your management company or maintenance people to perform this procedure or diagnose the problem.
In regards to the boiler not being set hot enough. I don’t think this determination can be made based on what you are describing. With only the pipes in the living room being warm your apartment is going to be cold. If you told me there was hot water in all the lines but you couldn’t raise the temperature in your apartment passed 65 degrees my suspicion would be the boiler temperature. In this case it sounds as though it is a problem within the your apartment.
Thank you for reading the blog and commenting. I hope my suggestions prove helpful. When you get the problem resolved please comment again and let me know what they found.