How to safely moderate my radiator that has no knobs?

November 5, 2007 4:43 PM

How to safely moderate my radiator that has no knobs? My studio apartment's heat is controlled by the landlord, and is just too hot.

the radiator does not have any knob or other way of controlling the temperature. the landlord is no help, so i am on my own. how would one safely moderate my radiator? initial thought: put a blanket over it. second thought: that might be a fire hazard. is it? are there better ways of doing this?

posted by ecks to home & garden (20 comments total)

http://ask.metafilter.com/74754/How-to-deal-with-automatic-heater-in-apartment
posted by kanemano at 4:46 PM on November 5, 2007

Open a window? That was my best solution when I lived in a similarly heated apartment and had no control over the heat.
posted by rtha at 4:48 PM on November 5, 2007

Ventilate with windows and doors, if the radiator is drying the air out excessively then put a large bowl of water under it.
posted by fire&wings at 5:02 PM on November 5, 2007

Putting a blanket over it will not be a fire hazard, it will warm up the blanket, it will not make the apartment less hot. (Why would it?!)

In the time-honored tradition of apartment dwellers everywhere, open the window.
posted by desuetude at 5:10 PM on November 5, 2007

Another radiator question, posted today:
posted by deadmessenger at 5:14 PM on November 5, 2007

If your landlord won't install a thermostatic valve then consider building a radiator cover. Instead of a screened front you could do a partially screened front to cut down on the radiator's ability to heat the room. If you completely enclose it it will provide very little heat. If you build it as shown it will probably only knock down the heat 15% or so. Somewhere in between would likely be optimal for you. You can experiment a bit until you get it right and then paint it. A blanket will work too, really, I have done it. The idea is to prevent air from directly flowing over the radiator so you cover it front and back, down to the floor, and you probably need multiple layers. Although I don't think 200 degrees on a blanket is a fire hazard, I was never comfortable leaving the blanket when I was out of the apartment. The radiator cover will also look much nicer than a blanket.
posted by caddis at 5:23 PM on November 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Putting a blanket over it will not be a fire hazard, it will warm up the blanket, it will not make the apartment less hot. (Why would it?!)

FYI: Blankets are insulators.
posted by 0xFCAF at 5:30 PM on November 5, 2007

In the time-honored tradition of apartment dwellers everywhere, open the window.

Yup. At least, that is the old New York tradition. In fact, if the other tenants are in a similar situation, and are opening all their windows, the landlord is losing ALOT more money than he would if he just put controls in the apartment. Once you get over the eco-guilt, the warm apt. with a breeze of cool fresh air is really nice.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:38 PM on November 5, 2007

I second the enclosure idea. Cut off the airflow, cut off the heat. I think the blanket idea sounds sketchy.
posted by rocket_johnny at 7:07 PM on November 5, 2007

The blanket might be better if you're worried about eco-guilt. If it's a hot water radiator (and what else could it be, really?) it won't be a fire hazard. The blanket will radiate heat into the apartment more slowly than the solid metal did and so should be cooler overall.

The blanket won't look nice like an enclosure tho.
posted by TeatimeGrommit at 7:28 PM on November 5, 2007

FYI: Blankets are insulators.

Oh. Well, yes. My fault, I was too brief in my posting. The insulation provided by a garden variety blanket, IMO, will not make THAT much difference in a small overheated apartment.

The nice thing about open windows is that it keeps the air from getting so terribly dry inside. I miss having free abundant heat, warm floors, and a breeze all winter.
posted by desuetude at 7:33 PM on November 5, 2007

Please tell me you've already asked the landlord if a compromise is possible... if not, that should be your first step. I've never had anyone refuse to try to find a middle ground.
posted by loiseau at 7:40 PM on November 5, 2007

Suggestions:

1. Ask the landlord if the radiator can be removed and a cap put on the pipe stub. This will set the landlord back about $200. And a cast iron radiator is very hard to move as they are extremely heavy, hard to dispose of if it's a walk up.

2. A radiator cover is mostly a decorative device, not meant to keep the heat lower.

3. Since there is no on-off valve you have no other choice but to try and insulate the radiator to contain the heat. Fiberglass insulation is sold in hardware store for steam risers, an insulation sleeve but none for box-like radiators.

4. You could call 311 if you live in NYC and make a complaint that the heat in your studio is unbearable and your radiator has no on-off valve, can a health inspector require the landlord please to install an on-off valve? Buy a simple thermometer and log the temperature in your studio over a month. Keep the log to show the inspector.

5. You could tell the landlord that since you have no on-off valve on your radiator and it requires you to keep the window open, that puts your apartment in danger of being burgled, which is a safety hazard and greater security risk for the building and other tenants.

6. The paradox is that once you open a window to lower the heat in your studio, it triggers the boiler to work harder to produce more heat.

An on-off valve for your radiator is the way to go.

A practical book you might check out is Get a Grip, New York, How to Complain Effectively and Get Satisfaction by Raymond Alvin.
posted by nickyskye at 10:24 PM on November 5, 2007

I'm kind of in a similar situation. I rent out the basement of a friend's house as my "apartment". The heating system is a separate one down here, but since warm air rises, if I don't keep my heater on a fairly high temp, the other 2 levels in the house get really cold.

The only window I have in my room is a tiny one. Maybe only a few inches high? I can open it but it's already underground, with half of a oil drum around it, plus a half-round plastic cover on top of that to keep out rain and snow. So opening my window isn't really an option.

As far as the heater vent itself, it runs the entire length of one wall and has no dials or switches to turn it off or down except at the thermostat, which I won't do because then my roommates would freeze.

It gets really stifling hot in my bedroom and I'm just out of ideas on how to make it better. :(
posted by Zarya at 1:55 AM on November 6, 2007

The 5 inch Window fan for the basment and Soleus Air FB1-30-20 12-Inch Box Fan or Lakewood 007/JR Floor / Box Fan for the studio.
posted by nickyskye at 7:33 AM on November 6, 2007

Zarya, do you mean you have forced air vent the width of the room pumping air into your basement apartment? I have never seen anything like this. Are you sure it is not a finned radiator?

We have some standard forced air vents that don't shut tightly and I have taken to pulling off the vent cover and putting several layers of foil behind it. They sell magnetic vent covers but in my experience the magnets in them are not strong enough to withstand the fan pressure. Only a little bit of this should be done though otherwise you can throw off the heat balance. I do it for a lower floor room that turns into a walk in refrigerator when we run the A/C. You might also find a valve in the ductwork leading to this vent.

2. A radiator cover is mostly a decorative device, not meant to keep the heat lower.

I think the goal is to reduce the heat output, not eliminate it, and reducing airflow over the radiator should do that, although it will probably have to be drastically reduced to obtain a good effect. A standard cover won't cut off the air flow, it would need to be modified, or you could build your own to this purpose.

3. Since there is no on-off valve you have no other choice but to try and insulate the radiator to contain the heat. Fiberglass insulation is sold in hardware store for steam risers, an insulation sleeve but none for box-like radiators.

In a previous thread someone mentioned a hot water heater blanket. This seems like it would work pretty well to eliminate most of the heat output and they can be cut to fit.

4. You could call 311 if you live in NYC and make a complaint that the heat in your studio is unbearable and your radiator has no on-off valve, can a health inspector require the landlord please to install an on-off valve? Buy a simple thermometer and log the temperature in your studio over a month. Keep the log to show the inspector.

Surely the best thing. You would improve energy efficiency, yet retain the ability to crank up the heat if needed.
posted by caddis at 10:10 AM on November 6, 2007

Thermal blanket, interesting idea, duct tape might help in rigging up a cover. Wear a mask and long sleeves when cutting it, fiberglass is not healthy to breathe and no fun on one's skin.
posted by nickyskye at 11:06 AM on November 6, 2007

awesome, thanks for all the suggestions and ideas. A lot to think about here.
posted by ecks at 1:13 PM on November 6, 2007

Caddis, I'm not sure what a finned radiator is. I can get a picture of the whole vent if need be.

Those magnetic vent covers sound like they'd be worth a try. Ideally, I'd like to block as much of the air coming in here as possible, so that it gets re-directed back into the vents in the family room.
posted by Zarya at 4:32 PM on November 6, 2007

I used something like this, and it didn't hold but your results might be better as there will still be an outlet downstream, whereas mine were at the end of a run.
posted by caddis at 7:37 PM on November 6, 2007