too hot upstairs

[winonelson]

I appreciate that I am showing my ignorance of my home heating system to ask this question but I need your help so I am asking anyway. I have a steam boiler/radiator heating system with a new circulation pump. Despite setting the thermostat (which is located downstairs in the dining room) to approx. 64F when I go to bed, the upstairs bedroom is quite hot during the night - approximately 72F - although the downstairs has cooled off. Is there something I can do to lessen the heat upstairs? By the way, it is approximately 20F outdoors during the night right now!

 

[laurencerthomas]

The thermostat will react only to the temperature in the room in which it is situated. If, for instance, the dining room is poorly insulated and/or has a large window area, the thermostat will continue to call for heat even though the better insulated bedrooms are already too hot. There are several possible solutions. You could simply throttle back some of the upstairs radiators so that they get a lower share of the boiler output. If they are available for the system, you could fit thermostatic valves on the upstairs radiators or you could fit an upstairs thermostat and motorised valve to allow upstairs temperature to be controlled independently of downstairs temperature.

 

[Graeme]

I suspect the downstairs is open plan (like most houses in the states) which would confirm your first theory.

 

[hailbob]

I appreciate that I am showing my ignorance of my home heating system to ask this question but I need your help so I am asking anyway. I have a steam boiler/radiator heating system with a new circulation pump. Despite setting the thermostat (which is located downstairs in the dining room) to approx. 64F when I go to bed, the upstairs bedroom is quite hot during the night - approximately 72F - although the downstairs has cooled off. Is there something I can do to lessen the heat upstairs? By the way, it is approximately 20F outdoors during the night right now!

Like the one fellow said crank down the valve on the lead radiator on the second floor. If that doesn't help consider replumbing the second floor into a separate heating zone with its own thermostat.