Prospect Hall
Circulated Hot Water System

Prospect Hall is heated with circulated hot water and Fin Tube Radiation. Steam from the Central heating Plant is piped into the building where it is used to heat the circulated water. The water is then pumped around the building to heat the spaces.
Sensors located throughout the building monitor the room temperatures and report that information to an Energy Management Computer System also located in the basement. This information is transmitted to a Master Computer System in the Central Heating Plant where it is checked against a heating program dedicated to the Prospect environment. The automatic valves respond to this program to maintain the spaces at Setpoint ( the equivalent of a Thermostat setting).
The Engineer operating the Heating Plant when necessary can override this program.
Along the outside wall of each room is a section of Fin-Tube Radiation. The radiation is behind a grill, which is open at the bottom and has vents at the top. These openings provide for airflow over the heating pipes, and this design depends upon a clear path for air to naturally enter and exit the radiation area in order to heat the room. A covered or blocked radiator will not function efficiently.
A damper controls the air flow and is the only way to limit the heat output of this system. Each radiator has a damper control knob that controls the air flow over the radiator. This effects the rate of convection and thus the rate at which the room is heated. Turning the knob counter-clockwise opens the damper, and is the ON position. The radiator will HEAT the room best when the damper is open all the way. When the knob is turned clockwise all the way to it’s stop, the damper is closed. This is the OFF position and NO HEAT will exit the radiation. If you leave your damper control closed , your room will not get the heat needed to maintain your room at a comfortable temperature. This damper control knob can be positioned anywhere between fully open and closed, which will control the rate at which the radiator produces heat.
There is no other individual control for a system like this. Any change to the flow of hot water through a single piece of radiation would have a significant effect on all the radiation on the same piping loop. This system is balanced when first installed and remains so unless changes are made to the piping system.
This system provides generally even space temperatures and automatically compensates for outside conditions.

Data provided by MHC Facilities Management Department