need info on heating/hot water system please

[donaldcarter55]

Hello eveyone, I havent posted in a while, some of you may remember me from previous posts. Well, we made it to Maine! Moved from Florida and BAM! got hit with snow the first week we were here! So much for the mild maine winters last few years! LOL!! I love it!

Can someone help me understand how my heating system works? I have a forced hot water oil burning heating system. It also heats the hot water for the faucets. It uses a normal thermostat on the wall to control the home heating, but i dont understand how it keeps the water hot for the faucets when the heat is not on. We are running out of hot water pretty fast, so I have to turn the thermostat up so that the furnace kicks on, then along with the house geting warmer, I get some more hot water. It does have a hot water storage tank, not very large, but I dont see any sensors or switches that control the furnace for just the hot water. How will we get hot water in the summer months? I must be missing something.... any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

[littleplum]

We had the same type of system in our apartment. Even though the boiler provides heat and hot water, you should be able to "shut off" the heat part, and you should be able to get hot water when the heater is not actively heating the house. Honestly, it sounds like something is wrong, and I would call a repairman. If the system is broken, he can fix it. If it is not broken, and you are just using it wrong, he can teach you how to use the system.

Didn't your home inspector show you how the system worked? That's supposed to be included in a good home inspection. At the very least, the seller or their agent should have explained it to you. These people that just collect their money and don't do their jobs make me