QUESTION FROM Manny

Dear home wizard;
I have a conventional hot water baseboard,three zone heating system. Unlike the old cast iron radiators, there is no valve to shut off or reduce the temperature in any particular room/'s which are not being used. All the radiators have a louver which I can close, however since they are bedrooms (2 unoccupied) with no furniture or other plumbing, I would like to supply as close to no heat as possible to save on the sky rocketing fuel costs (oil). I understand that these bedroom doors must be kept shut so as not to absorb heat from the other heated areas.
Is there something I can do like removing the covers and wrapping the delicate blades with strips of aluminum foil to restrict heat in these rooms while assuring hot water flow to the other occupied rooms and bathrooms within this zone?

Thanks,

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Manny from CT:

Here are a couple of options for reducing the heat from your baseboard heating pipes in the unoccupied rooms. The option you select will depend on how "permanent" you want your fix to be:

1) You can bend a heat shield from rolled aluminum (used for roof flashing) from the wall above the baseboard to the floor in front of it, and do this for the entire length of exposed baseboard in the room.

2) Or you can remove the front cover and adjustable vent (carefully because you will need to put them back), then remove the aluminum fins from the copper pipe (pliers should do it) on the sections where you want to put the broom pantry and desk. Then you'll need to put foam pipe insulation over the pipe in these sections. After this, put the vent and front cover back on the baseboard.

3) Or you can remove that section of your baseboard heating piping completely and reconnect with pipe through the wall behind this area, or in the floor below it. This will likely be your most effective solution, but unfortunately, it will likely be the most expensive and the most permanent as well.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com