# Closing off rooms when you have baseboard heaters



## CarbonNeutral (Feb 3, 2009)

I am currently renting a house with forced hot air (supplied by an airsource heat pump). This is the first time I've had forced air and I love the fact that I can close off unused rooms.

The house I'm hoping to buy has forced hot water baseboard. There are upstairs and downstairs zones, but I'd like to close off two of the bedrooms for most of the time. Outside of just closing registers, has anyone seen anything to effectively insulate the baseboard from the room or bypass the room?


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## j00fek (Feb 3, 2009)

when we put my fathers new boiler in we made 4 zones for a 1700sq ft house

1 upstairs bathroom (kick fan under vanity), 1 maine up stairs floor (3bdrms), he always closes the room that is not used in the winter to make the zone smaller

1 main floor (kitchen, living room, office) new zone next year for another bathroom(kick fan)

1 basement(not used all the time due to pellet stove)

all zones are digital and only the main floor is programmed 7 days (all other zones stay @69)

all zones can be isolated by valves on both ends of the zone if any pipe freezes in the winter. can never have too many shut off valves and drains.


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## CarbonNeutral (Feb 3, 2009)

j00fek said:
			
		

> when we put my fathers new boiler in we made 4 zones for a 1700sq ft house
> 
> 1 upstairs bathroom (kick fan under vanity), 1 maine up stairs floor (3bdrms), he always closes the room that is not used in the winter to make the zone smaller
> 
> ...



Do you need a boiler that has the capability of delivering to  four zones, or do you just use a manifold? By the fact that you say all zones are digital, that has me thinking that the boiler has four zone capability.

Thanks.


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## ssupercoolss (Feb 3, 2009)

baseboard should have a little flap on top you can draw down, that should help to keep the heat output down.  maybe something underneath to prevent air from going into the baseboards.  my bedroom is the warmest room in the house, which is not what i would prefer, so i cover the bottom of the radiator so air doesnt go in.  seems to work ok.


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## Chris S (Feb 3, 2009)

carbon neutral,

The boiler will make a certain amount of heat ( btus ) how it is distributed from there is up to the system designer/ installer.   Look at the system, does it have multiple pumps, or multiple zone valves?  How about thermostats- how many of them are in the house.  This will give you an indication of what you have.

As For closing the top cover on baseboar, this will cut the heat output of that unit by approx. 20%.  I would not in a cold climate reccommend shutting off any rooms.  perhaps trying to lower the temperature to 55  will save fuel, if you're not in those areas,  but off I wouldn't try unless you are sure all of the piping is on interior walls, and drafts are unable to get at and freeze up your pipes.

Chris


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## slowzuki (Feb 3, 2009)

If the house is well insulated you can close them off.  Old farm house not so great of idea. European style heating with a TRV on each heater never really caught on here did it.


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## humpin iron (Feb 3, 2009)

100 years ago I worked on oil heat systems.  To neutralize a baseboard take off the cover and wrap the fins in tin foil, this will hold the heat in and send it to the next room, put the cover back together. Simple, cheap, easy to reverse.


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## GKG-MO (Feb 4, 2009)

+1 on the Aluminum foil. I use it to stabilize the heat output in some rooms and it works great.


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