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Heat Won't Turn Off - how to turn of un-wanted heat: radiators, baseboards
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Heat won't turn off - troubleshooting & repair: this article explains where and how to turn off the heat if simply turning down the thermostat does not stop un-wanted heat coming from heating radiators or baseboards.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
How to Turn Off Un-Wanted Heat in buildings
 Question:
I live in a rental property. It is a three floor house, which old school round honeywell thermostats on each floor. All three of these thermostats are turned down as low as they can go.
It's nice out now, but our heaters still leak heat. The landlords have told us we need to turn the heat off, that there is a "slidey switch" on each of the three thermostats to turn them off.
I live in New York, they live in colorado and don't specifically remember how to do it, even when I sent them cell phone pictures of the unit with the lid off.
The only "slidey thing" I see is beneath the thermostat cover (I removed it to look) - it is what you describe at
HEAT ANTICIPATOR Adjustment (Photo at left).
The arrow is in the dead center of the scale. Should we adjust it?
If not, do you perhaps have some idea how we may succeed in no longer wasting money on heating bills while we have three fans blazing per room? -- Johan J. Sheridan
Answer:
Guide to Turning off the Heat in a Building - When the Radiators or Baseboards "won't turn off"
DO NOT try to turn the heat on or off by changing the adjustment shown in our photo and described by the question above. That's the heat anticipator not an on-off control for heat. The heat anticipator is a fine-tuning adjustment inside the thermostat and not something that a homeowner should change. The heat anticipator is explained at HEAT ANTICIPATOR Adjustment.
Just below we discuss several considerations in turning off un-wanted heat in a building. This article addresses problems with thermostat settings, non-working check valves or flo-control valves, and how to force the heat to "turn off". Separately at RADIATORS we discuss the problem of individual radiator valves that don't operate to allow turning a hot water or steam radiator on or off. Also see ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings.
Turning Off Heat at Thermostats that Set Temperature Only - Lack an "on-off" Switch
Thermostats
contain an internal temperature sensor which compares the air temperature at the thermostat to the temperature called-for by the user, turning
the cooling (or heating) equipment on or off as appropriate.
Because some controls are used in common on hot water heat, hot air heat, and steam boilers, readers should see these other articles: see BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES, and also see BOILER COMPONENTS & PARTS for a detailed list of heating boiler controls, other heating system components, parts such as circulator pumps & draft regulators. If your building uses warm air heat, see FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES. If your building uses steam heat see STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS.
Readers needing to find and fix un-wanted air leaks, heat losses, or other energy wasters should see HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS. Readers should see ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT CASE STUDY and also see HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS and INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT for energy saving retrofit detailed guides. Also see GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS for more details on how to inspect and test LP and natural gas piping, controls, valves, and tanks.
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 If with the cover on your thermostat (TT) looks like the Honeywell round thermostat shown at left,
(discussed at THERMOSTATS)
Then there is no "HEAT OFF" control on the thermostat itself.
This thermostat is adjusted by turning the clear plastic dial by grasping its outer ring. The upper temperature dial is the "set" temperature - the temperature you are asking to be maintained.
The lower temperature indicator dial is the "current room temperature" sensed by the thermostat. In our photo the room temperature is at 70 degF and the "set" temperature is below that, at 66 degF. In this condition the heating system should not be running to warm the building.
If this thermostat is set to a temperature above room temp the boiler (or furnace or steam boiler) will run until the thermostat is satisfied (and the room reaches or passes the "set" temperature on the thermostat.
So if you set the thermostat to a temperature below the room temperature, heat should be "off" and heat should soon stop coming out of radiators, baseboards, or air registers. If the heating system keeps on warming radiators or baseboards in this condition, we explain what to do about it in this article - below.
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Turning Off Heat at the Electrical Power Switch or Service Switch
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 If you want to turn off your heating system regardless of the temperature setting at the thermostat, and if the thermostat itself does not include an "off" switch (see the next description below) you can turn off the heat by switching off electrical power to the heating boiler or furnace.
To completely turn off the heating system, regardless of thermostat setting, you'd need to find the boiler or furnace "off" or "service" switch - an electrical power switch.
Usually there are two electrical switches controlling power to a boiler, steam boiler, or warm air furnace, one at the heater itself (for service people) and one at the entry to the utility room or basement where the heater is located, or somewhere in the living area near a stairwell or hall that goes to the heater.
Sometimes, but not always, these switches have a red cover.
See ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCH FOR HEAT for a description of the heat master on-off control.
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Turning Off Heat at Thermostats that Include a Cool-Off-Heat Switch on the Thermostat
 If your thermostat has a "Cool-Off-Heat" switch, such as those shown at SWITCH FUNCTIONS on a Room Thermostat then just slide that little lever to "OFF" or "COOL" if you have A/C and want the air conditioning to kick in.
If your home does not have central air conditioning it might still have a thermostat with these three settings.
To simply turn off the heat regardless of the thermostat's temperature setting, just set the slide switch to the "off" position (in the middle in our photo at left).
Incidentally, wrong temperature settings can also foul up delivery of cool air from an air conditioning system: for the thermostat to actually turn on the air conditioning system (if central air is installed) the thermostat switch must be in the "cool" position and the temperature set to a level below the ambient room air temperature at the thermostat location.
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Why Are the Baseboards or Radiators Hot Even Though the Thermostat is Set Higher than Room Temperature? Un-wanted Gravity or Convection Circulation of Hot Water
 If electrical power switch to a hot water heating boiler is in the on position (see ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCH FOR HEAT) and the room thermostat is set above room temperature, the heating system (hot water or steam) boiler or (warm air) furnace should not run.
But for hot water heating systems (baseboards, radiators), other defects could cause or permit hot water to circulate through the heating system by "gravity" (convection, warm water rising on its own through the heating piping) even though the thermostat is not calling for heat.
The problem, if this is occurring, is usually that a check valve (photo above-left) (found internal to some circulator pumps, or external as a physical device) intended to prevent hot water from circulating on its own - when the circulator pump is off - is either set to a "forced open" position, or it has become defective.
If that's the problem (diagnosed by a heating and service technician) then the valve or circulator needs to be replaced.
While waiting for that repair to be made, you can still turn off the heat, by turning off electrical power to the boiler.
See CHECK VALVES, HEATING SYSTEM for more about these devices.
What if Our Heating Boiler Also Makes Hot Water for Washing?
Watch out: if your heating boiler is also used to make domestic hot water for washing and bathing, through a tankless coil (see Indirect-fired Water Heaters), then turning off the boiler will mean you'll also lose hot water for bathing.
If that's the case, but you're getting heat when you're not asking for it, then the check valve, flo-control valve, or similar problem (or a faulty thermostat itself) needs to be diagnosed and repaired.
Also, before turning off your heating system completely in freezing weather, see FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING or WINTERIZE A BUILDING.
How to Save Heating Cost & Air Conditioning Costs by Thermostat Adjustments
Substantial heating or air conditioning cost savings can be achieved by manually setting back your thermostat when the building is unoccupied or when occupants are asleep. The thermostat is set several degrees (or more) cooler during heating season or warmer during cooling season.
The settings of thermostat "mode" switches into "heating" or "cooling" and the use of other thermostat switches to control an air conditioning blower fan or heating system blower fan are discussed in detail at Other Switches on a Room Thermostat.
Lots of websites offer calculators that will tell you how much you'll probably save in energy costs for every degree you set back your heating or cooling thermostat. Just don't set the thermostat down so low that you suffer costly damage from freezing pipes in winter or mold from high humidity in summer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about controlling building heat: when un-wanted heat is received or when heat just won't turnoff as it should
Question: how can I keep people from turning up the thermostat?
 I have a question. I have a daughter. she is 45. she is a toddler mentally. i need to stop her from turning on the heat all the time. it runs the bill sky high. there are political problems that make certain known solutions not possible. too late for spanking, no known way to stop her from turning on the heat all the time, cannot shut the heat off with switches, cannot pay the bill, cannot shut off electricity to the heat, its definately an interesting concept.
I basically mentally in your mind picture this: i have a 4 year old toddler who can reach the heat, and like a deviant keeps turning the heat on, but it's not deviant behavior it's incorrect behavior, its happening because of her medical situation related to thyroid, because of politics there is no known way to stop my 4 year old from turning on the heat and stopping the bill from being sky high. i must stop the heat and the bill from happening from my point of view.
Also, i refuse to believe there is No way to stop this from happening; theres gotta be a way, but danged if i know or can think of it or a way to stop her or the heat. is this crazy? i refuse to believe there is no way to stop her or the heat. theres gotta be a way.........help me on this fellas what am i missing here. - Anonymous 10/24/2012
Maybe a password protected digital thermometer?
Reply: how to prevent thermostat tampering: install a locking thermostat cover
Anon,
There is an easy fix for this problem of anyone messing with the thermostat as you can see in our photograph I've posted just above. You can install a locking wall thermostat cover that prevents tampering.
Check with your heating supplier and almost certainly they can provide you withnan inexpensive clear plastic cover that screws to the wall, has vents toilet the thermostat sense room air temperature, and can be opened to adjust the thermostat by using a lock and key. You see these locking thermostat cover set ups often in offices and commercial buildings. It's an easy add-on feature to prevent thermostat adjustments by people who should keep their mitts off.
For more about wall thermostats, take a look at THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING
Question: how do I fix a thermostat that I have to set lower than the level of heat I want?
My traditional honeywell simple dial-type thermostat on the wall has two pointers and two temp. scales. However I have to set it on 60 degrees to get heat temp to 70 degrees.
What can I do? It was working fine until my condo changed the air/heating system this summer. - Jeannette 1/23/2013
Reply: check these reasons for a room thermostat that keeps calling for heat
Jeannette,
On most two-scale room thermostats, one scale reads the current or actual room temperature while the other scale is the set temperature - and is adjustable. When you move or adjust the thermostat to call for a different room temperature you will see the scale pointer move to your new setting on the "set" scale.
You are describing having to set the thermostat lower (60F) than the desired temperature (70F) to get the proper level of heat in your home. In other words, you say that the room gets too hot - hotter than you asked-for. Here are some things that would cause that problem:
- The thermostat or its wires have been damaged and are not reliably signaling the heating system primary controller. I wouldn't normally place this guess first, but as you think the problem began after someone worked on the system it's worth a check. Look for a loose connection or intermittent short in wiring. For example if two thermostat wires short together that's the same as constantly calling for heat.
- The thermostat is being blocked from properly sensing room heat. That could be due to movement of the warm air supply registers to a new, more distant location, or more often, due to furniture, drapes, or even dust and crud that block the air inlet openings around the thermostat that allow it to sense room temperature. Dust can also interfere with moving parts in older spring-type thermostats.
- The thermostat is tilted out of level. If the thermostat is an older mercury-bulb type then it needs to be level on the wall.
- The thermostat is located on a cold outdoor wall or where cold air blows on it; if your thermostat was not moved and is on an interior wall and in a draft of cold air, this isn't likely to be the cause of the problem you describe.
- The primary controller on the heating system is not working properly; on occasion we find that the primary control on a heating system, for example an internal relay, is sticking and keeps heat on even after the thermostat has said "enough". This is easy to check. When the heat is on and running and the thermostat is set to say 68F, when the room reaches 68F (measured at the thermostat on its scale), just disconnect the thermostat wires right there at the thermostat. If heat keeps running (more than a couple of minutes if you have warm air heat), something else is wrong.
- There is some other problem we haven't thought-of.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Thanks to reader Johan J. Sheridan for discussing thermostat control difficulties and heat that kept coming out of baseboards - 08/03/2010
- Proliphix Corporate Headquarters,
3 LAN Drive Suite #100
Westford, MA 01886
Phone: +1.978.692.3375
Toll Free (U.S.): 866-IP-LIVING (866.475.4846)
Fax: +1.978.692.3378 - Sales: sales@proliphix.com Customer support: support@proliphix.com http://www.proliphix.com/ - quoting from the company's website:
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- Honeywell Controls, the company wants you to use their contact form at this web page: http://www51.honeywell.com/honeywell/contact-support/contact-us.html
Honeywell Consumer Products,
39 Old Ridgebury Road Danbury, CT 06810-5110 - (203) 830-7800
World Headquarters, Honeywell International Inc.,
101 Columbia Road,
Morristown, NJ 07962,
Phone: (973) 455-2000,
Fax: (973) 455-4807 1-800-328-5111
- White Rodgers Thermostats and HVAC controls,
Homeowner information: http://www.emersonclimate.com/en-US/brands/white_rodgers/Pages/wr-homeowner-info.aspx
Contractor information: http://www.emersonclimate.com/en-US/brands/white_rodgers/wr_contractor_info/Pages/white-rodgers-contractor-info.aspx
White Rodgers Product Catalog (don't misspell the company's name as White Rogers Thermostats) -
http://www.emersonclimate.com/Documents/thermostats.pdf - Thermostat Catalog
- Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
- National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
- The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
- Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
- The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
- Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
- "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
- Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
- Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
- Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
- The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.)
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
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Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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