You likely have old-fashioned radiators if you live in an older building and know just how disruptive they can be with frequent hissing and clunking noises. Most buildings are steam-heated, which implies that water in the underground is heated by a boiler and circulated to dwellings as steam through a network of robust, cast iron radiators. And not only are they loud, but very easily they can get very hot, or worse, not switch on at all. You can control the temperature manually if you have a thermostat mounted. If not, you are at the discretion of your building management.
Six things that you need to know about steam radiator are:
Knowing the importance of knob on the radiator
A lot of people erroneously assume that while it's really just an on-off turn, the circular knob on a steam radiator controls temperature. Usually, you rotate the knob clockwise to turn off the heat, all the way counter-clockwise to turn on the heat. It shouldn't make any crashing noises if the radiator is off. Get your super to repair it if your radiator knob turns and spins and doesn't seem to secure in any direction. Another thing you can do to avoid the pounding noise is push up one side of the steam radiator so that it slopes towards the boiler and there is no trapping of steam.
Installing a valve to control the heat
Hot water supply systems have a much wider range of temperatures than most steam systems with low pressure. Only at 212 Fahrenheit, the equivalent to 100 Celsius, may steam systems run. You'll have to add a thermostatic radiator valve on each radiator to do so if you want to monitor the amount of heat your radiator produces in a steam system. In order to be able to control the heat, the form you have will determine the valve plus any additional hardware that you may need to mount.
Bleeding the steam radiator.
If your heat is on but the radiator remains ice cold, air may be trapped inside and heat may not be able to circulate. If that is the case, you might need the device to bleed. Loud noises, a banging sound, is also an indicator that your radiator needs to bleed.
Covering up the radiator
You can either spray it or put a cover on to conceal it if your steam radiator looks like it could use some prettying up. There are firms that can custom-design coverings in either metal or wood if you're looking to camouflage your radiators.
Replacing the radiators
For co-op owners, replacing their huge, cast-iron radiators with smaller, stylish ones is not unusual. If you want to fully remove your radiators, make sure you keep them secure somewhere so that when you are ready to sell your apartment, you can reactivate them.
Dealing with the heat
You can have to come up with some innovative ideas if your apartment is too hot, even with the radiators closed. One recommendation is to place fiber glass pipe covers around your pipes inexpensively. This prevents the heat from contributing to the temperature of the pipework in the apartment. Another choice is to open a window and get a great combination of cold and fresh air in the room.
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