Setting boiler max room temp

[777ER]

Hi,

Don't know where I should ask this but figure if you guys can help me out here.

I have a 2 family house that I rent out the upper floor and they don't seem to care that they are wasting engery. They don't care that it costs them $$$ indirectly.

Have rasied the rent and it doesn't appear to help keeping the margin enough. (cost of home heating oil have gone up)

I had a new indirect fired 80 gal hot water heater installed recently due to the original one that leaked and also had a new boiler installed with better efficency to replace the old one that was at end of it's life.


I would like to know how to control or set the max room temp the boiler can provide...there are 3 heating zones in this house (basement, first floor, 2nd floor)

Like if I want to set the boiler to provide a max room temp of 72 degrees and no more.
And if someone in their floors sets the temp to say...76 degrees, the boiler will only provide up to 72 degrees and no more.

But still allow their theromstat to control the room temp from it's lowest setting to the max room temp the boiler will only provide.

How do I do this and what do I need?

 

[Garfield]

another tstat

Think of a thermostat like a light switch. When it's calling for heat the light switch is on. When the heat call is satisfied it turns the switch off. Simply mount another thermostat in an inaccessible location and set it on 72 degrees. Run the 2 wires to the basement. Cut one of the other wires from the tenants thermostat and hook one of your wires to each side. (This is all assuming heat only system and thermostats) Another thing you can do is turn down the limit switch on the boiler instead of 190 degree water 150 may work. This makes more efficient heat transfer and less standby loss. If you overdo this it won't keep the house warm enough on the coldest days. You can also wire the circulation pump to pump only when calling for heat instead of all the time.

 

[John D]

I have the same situation,with a 2 family home,and one boiler.My tenants however are not abusing the heat,if they were,they would be renting elsewhere.I was thinking of the same thing,a way to cap the room temps. When i was in middle school our teachers used to wet a paper towel,and put it over the t stat and 'fool" it,as it was boxed in a small jail cell type enclosure,(another option for you)and couldnt be "adjusted" by anyone but the superintendent,and he had them set at 68 degrees.The wet cold paper towel worked very well,the room would warm up rather quickly.

if i get a new tenant,and I feel they are running the heat too high,I was thinking that I could install a cheap basic honeywell hidden somewhere near the existing unit,but not where it can be seen.Set this unit at 72 degrees,and turn it on heat all the time. Run the tstat wire,in series thru this stat,so that when its above 72,the hidden stat cuts the circuit,and they wont get heat,yet below 72,they will have full control of the heat,thru the existing stat.Im not a plumber or electrician,and i havent yet tried this,but i think it has to work. All you need is an 18/2 wire from the existing stat to the hidden one,,and one wire nut,to hook one leg of the existing wire to one leg of the new wire,then hook the other new wire at the existing stat to it,and connect both new wires on the new hidden t stat.
The only thing i havent figured out is where to hide it,up top inside a closet is ok as long as they dont find it,and the door leaks enough to get accurate temp readings.I think youd need to do a little experimenting with the max setting to get it where you want it.Obviously if its mouted up high,you will need to run the tstat higher to have an actual 72 degree room temp cutoff.

 

[Garfield]

run wire to the boiler

It would be a lot cleaner install to run both wires to the boiler and splice them there in the existing box. Another idea is a remote controlled thermostat. I don't know of one but it seems that they would exist.

 

[fletcher0780]

how about an apartment thermostat that has a max temp limit

http://landlordstat.com/

 

[777ER]

Think of a thermostat like a light switch. When it's calling for heat the light switch is on. When the heat call is satisfied it turns the switch off. Simply mount another thermostat in an inaccessible location and set it on 72 degrees. Run the 2 wires to the basement. Cut one of the other wires from the tenants thermostat and hook one of your wires to each side. (This is all assuming heat only system and thermostats) Another thing you can do is turn down the limit switch on the boiler instead of 190 degree water 150 may work. This makes more efficient heat transfer and less standby loss. If you overdo this it won't keep the house warm enough on the coldest days. You can also wire the circulation pump to pump only when calling for heat instead of all the time.

Garfield, I thought of that but wouldn't have a place to hide the "limiting t-stat' on the 1st floor other than burying it in the wall but won't be accurate this way.

The boiler is right behind the pantry in my kitchen and I can run a wire thru the wall to the pantry side wall with no problems, however the problem is if I have my room temp say 68 degrees, it will give a false reading in keeping the contacts closed in the 'limiting t-stat' and allow the 1st floor temp to go higher than what I want the room temp on 1st floor to be limited at.

As for limit switch on the boiler, will that affect the warranty on the new boiler if I set it lower? Haven't expermited with that before and not sure how well it will heat the house to lets say outdoor air temp -20 degrees the coldest.

 

[777ER]

I have the same situation,with a 2 family home,and one boiler.My tenants however are not abusing the heat,if they were,they would be renting elsewhere.I was thinking of the same thing,a way to cap the room temps. When i was in middle school our teachers used to wet a paper towel,and put it over the t stat and 'fool" it,as it was boxed in a small jail cell type enclosure,(another option for you)and couldnt be "adjusted" by anyone but the superintendent,and he had them set at 68 degrees.The wet cold paper towel worked very well,the room would warm up rather quickly.

if i get a new tenant,and I feel they are running the heat too high,I was thinking that I could install a cheap basic honeywell hidden somewhere near the existing unit,but not where it can be seen.Set this unit at 72 degrees,and turn it on heat all the time. Run the tstat wire,in series thru this stat,so that when its above 72,the hidden stat cuts the circuit,and they wont get heat,yet below 72,they will have full control of the heat,thru the existing stat.Im not a plumber or electrician,and i havent yet tried this,but i think it has to work. All you need is an 18/2 wire from the existing stat to the hidden one,,and one wire nut,to hook one leg of the existing wire to one leg of the new wire,then hook the other new wire at the existing stat to it,and connect both new wires on the new hidden t stat.
The only thing i havent figured out is where to hide it,up top inside a closet is ok as long as they dont find it,and the door leaks enough to get accurate temp readings.I think youd need to do a little experimenting with the max setting to get it where you want it.Obviously if its mouted up high,you will need to run the tstat higher to have an actual 72 degree room temp cutoff.

Pretty simple to figure this out. Can't figure out a good location for the 'limiting t-stat' location on the 1st floor.

There's a digital t-stat installed on the 2nd floor with a schedule and the tenants (a family) has no problems with it, they like the temps to be on a cooler side. And the heat from the 1st floor tends to 'warm' it up a lil so they keep it on the low side.

As for the 1st floor, a couple just had a new baby and the hallways is controlled by the 1st floor being the master floor when this house was built. Though the summer they installed 2 extra in-wall a/c and the electric bill skyrocketed the following months.
Countless times I heard the a/c running from outside in the backyard doing lawn work and no one was home on the 1st floor.
Their lease expired in June and they haven't returned the signed lease extenstion paperwork. Still getting paid the increased rent so no problems there.

Was given advice from a friend who's a building manager in NYC, to charge $50 per month for each a/c unit from May to September for the 1st floor. (due to electric meter being tied to basement and 1st floor) (2nd floor has their own meter)
Gonna go that route since they don't seem to be conserative in running their a/c's.

I had to patch up a cutout in the wall from the chimmey service who had to install heavy duty mounting brackets on the 1st floor (boiler chimmey runs from the basement thru the wall between the closet and the kitchen on the 1st and 2nd floor) and when I was doing joint compound, the room temp on the t-stat was showing 76 degrees

 

[777ER]

how about an apartment thermostat that has a max temp limit

http://landlordstat.com/

I acutally came across that website a few mins before you posted the link. Ordered one for the 1st floor