House Heating
About Our Heating System:
Don't touch it if you aren't on the Maintenance Crew; call an expert!
Overview:
Our house is heated by 9 boilers (wow!), divided among three boiler rooms in the basement. This is also where the Boiler Trolls make their nests; if you are not a member of the Maintenance Squad, do not enter the boiler rooms, lest you be devoured by the Boiler Trolls.
If you are very curious about how the heating system actually works, ICC has a handy dandy guide to hydronic heating systems here: https://icc.coop/maintenance/info/howto/tutorials/HydronicHeatingSystems.pdf
(Note: Reading this guide does not qualify you to enter the boiler room. Knowing things about HVAC in general does not qualify you to enter the boiler room. Being a member of the Maintenance Squad or an Official ICC Maintenance Person qualifies you to enter the boiler room.)
Thermostats:
The renovated suites in the house have different thermostats than the old ones.
There are thermostats for each lounge, kitchen, and large single/double room. Temperatures in the small singles are regulated by the thermostats in the large singles next to them.
To set your thermostat, just push up and down on the arrow keys on your thermostat until it reaches your desired temperature. Generally speaking, setting your thermostat to somewhere below 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a cool energy- and budget-conscious move. Some people may find that to be too cold however, and that is okay.
You May Be Wondering:
- Why is my room cold?
- Firstly, check to see that your window is closed AND locked; this is the only way to truly seal the window and keep out cold air. - Next, if you live in a small single, talk to your large-single neighbor; they may just like to keep things chilly. - If you're still stumped, you can submit a maintenance RFA about it; before you do, try to put your hand near the radiator baseboard to feel if heat is coming out. Make sure to mention whether or not the heat is coming out in your RFA.
- Why is my room hot?
- If it's summertime, this should be self-explanatory. - If it's cold outside but wayyy too warm inside, the actuator in the room's radiator (the thing that controls the room's heating system) is probably busted; submit an RFA!
- Is my furniture going to set on fire if it is pushed against the heat registers?
- Escher residents do not need to worry about U-M's regulation to keep furniture two feet away from their heat registers as that's simply not possible in Escher's small rooms and with our hydronic radiators it is not a safety risk.
- Should I try to take apart my thermostat and change the settings if my room's heating isn't working?
- I admire your problem-solving instincts, but actually we tried doing this once and it got messy; just go ahead and submit an RFA.
- Should I go check out the boiler room if there's a heating issue, even though I'm not part of the Maintenance Squad?
- No! If the Boiler Trolls do not devour you for insolence, The Ghost of Maintenance Managers Past will personally come kick your ass for treading on forbidden ground. Did I mention that you are not qualified to enter these rooms without a Maintenance Manager's permission even if you think you know what you're doing?
- Hey why are you so salty about people going in the boiler room anyway?
- Once upon a time, somebody got into the boiler room without permission and started Touching Stuff. One of the things they touched was one of the Sacred Boilers, which provides warmth and vitality to the house. They decided it would be a good idea to turn the boiler on; after all, it was a bit chilly in the house, and those silly maintenance people probably just forgot to turn the boiler back on. Besides, how much harm could they really be doing by pressing an on/off button?
SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH OF HARM. THEY BROKE THE BOILER MOTOR.
Moral of the story: Don't touch stuff without asking the maintenance manager first! And don't go in the boiler rooms if you aren't a member of the Maintenance Squad!!
