How to safely moderate my radiator that has no knobs?
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 e
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 t
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.
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.
