Heating

My unit is too hot (or too cold). How do I fix this problem?

If your unit is too hot or too cold during the heating season and the heat is working properly in other areas of the building, then the problem most likely lies inside your unit. The most common source of trouble for tower units is the zone valve (a type of water faucet) which controls the flow of hot water through the baseboard heaters. Under normal circumstances, when the wall thermostat senses the need for heat, it signals the valve to open and deliver hot water. When the desired temperature is reached, the valve closes and shuts off the heat. If the valve is stuck in the open position or does not close completely, hot water will flow continuously, resulting in too much heat. If the valve sticks closed, then you will have no heat.

It is important that owners address zone valve failures, especially when they result in overheating. Opening a window is not an acceptable solution. Wasting heat results in higher gas bills and places a financial burden on all residents, not to mention the negative impact on the global environment. Please notify your landlord or the Property Manager promptly to report any heating malfunctions so that they can determine the source of the trouble and arrange for repairs.

122 Court has a different type of heating system. Heat pumps in each unit circulate hot air in the winter and cool air during the summer. The central boiler and the rooftop cooling tower provide hot water (winter) and cold water (summer) to these heat pumps. It is important to change the filter twice a year in your heat pump (located in a utility closet inside each 122 Court unit).

How does the heating system in the tower work?

Here's a brief explanation about heating at Center Court on the 116 side. The 122 side is different because they have heat pumps rather than baseboard heaters. We have three large boilers in the basement which heat the heating water for the entire building. Large pipes carry this water from the basement to the 12th floor supplying each stack of apartments. As the large pipe passes each floor, a smaller pipe splits off to supply heating water to each individual unit.

The flow of the heating water in your unit is controlled by a valve called a zone valve. Your thermostat is connected to the zone valve by a small wire and tells the zone valve whether to open or close, depending on the temperature you set. The current in this wire is lower voltage than what is necessary for your lamps and appliances. The standard voltage is reduced at the transformer, which is usually located in the hallway ceiling outside your unit. (Note that two-level units on floors 3, 5, and 12 often have two zone valves and two thermostats.)

You can see that there are many areas where something can go wrong. Most often, the problem is with the zone valve. Just cutting the pipe to replace the malfunctioning valve would result in a flood of extremely hot water into the unit. This is one reason why you also have two isolation valves at either end of the pipe in your unit. Closing the isolation valve at each end would isolate your unit pipe from the common pipe. Unfortunately, most of the isolation valves are between 30 and 40 years old and no longer work reliably. This is why there needs to be a heat shutoff and a drain down of all the water in the entire system when the heating pipe needs to be cut in order to replace any of the three valves.

In addition to all the things in your unit that could affect the heat, there are things common to everyone that are considered when there is a heat problem. The boilers could have a malfunction or just be off because of the automatic warm weather shutdown. The common pipe could have started to leak. The water itself could be a problem. Occasionally sludge or air will collect in a unit pipe and reduce the flow of the heating water. This problem is infrequent because we have a sludge filter and an air separator in the basement.

As you can see, diagnosis of a heating problem can be complicated. Cordone and Tonucci Plumbing has seen it all and they are the people to call if you have a problem, 203-624-8871. (Owners at 122 Court should call Dependable HVAC, 203-488-8006, for heat pump service).