How My Heat Works: Brecon

The heating system for Brecon is controlled by a boiler, which is natural gas fired. This boiler heats water that gets pumped through the radiators in each room at Brecon. The boiler maintains a water temperature determined by thermostats located throughout the building. Brecon is divided into six separate heating zones, and each zone has one or more sensors. The sensors are located in Rooms 107, 112, 204, 214, 219, 304, 318, 409, the first floor dining room, and the fourth floor lounge. When the sensor is below the set point (usually between 68°F and 72°F), the heating pump for that zone comes on. When the temperature of the sensor(s) is satisfied, the pump shuts off.  Please see the heating zone diagrams, which show where sensors are located, by zone. 

These rooms with temperature sensors can have a negative effect on the other rooms. For example, if the student in Room 112 opens the window, that sensor will respond to the decreased temperature and the heating system will respond by running the pump to warm the space. This sometimes causes an over-heating condition in the rooms included in that zone.  Conversely, if the student in Room 112 uses a space heater, that sensor will respond to the increased temperature and shut the pump off, likely causing the other rooms in that zone to be too cold.

Note: The main heating valve closes any time the outside air temperature is above 60°F. This means that the heat is essentially “off” when the outside temperature reaches 60°F.

Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the heating season, the target temperature range in all the dorms will be set back to 65-67°F.