is this the valve that closes my radiator?

evagram

I live in an old building in NYC, and the heat is turned on all the way, making my apartment boiling hot. I've opened all the windows and it is still unbearable. I want to turn off or turn down my radiator, even though my landlord told me it is not possible. (He said no one in the building can, but I don't believe him.) The radiator is hissing all the time and I can hear it in the hallway before I even open the door to my apartment. Yet when I walk by other people's apartment, I don't hear anything. I figure they must've figured out how to turn it off??



This is what the bottom right of my radiator looks like. In the top of the photo, it shows a metal grate that blocks me from accessing the rest of the radiator. If I turn the valve that I've shined the light on, will it turn off my radiator? It is very old and rusted, and I've already tried to do it with a wrench but it is barely moving. However, I don't want to waste my time and energy if this won't do anything. Please help.

Also, if this is the valve I need to turn, is it safe to put WD40 on it to loosen it??

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!

Bondo

Ayuh,.... Yes it is a valve, 'n yes, it's old, 'n rusty...

I wouldn't touch it, as the odds are Great that you'll break it, 'n then Really have a problem...

evagram

thanks, but that's really not helpful. I have a thermometer and it is reading 85 degrees in my apartment. I have to do something. Please, anyone else??? I tried again this morning and moved the valve a little more, about half a turn. Is it safe to apply some WD40?

Canarywood1

If your bound and determined to try shutting it off,then yes you can apply WD40.

AllanJ

Put several layers of cotton or wool blankets* over the radiator. This will reduce the heat "radiated" into the room.

The same technique is used to balance baseboard radiators in houses with those. Closing some of the louvers reduces the heat output.

This will reduce the energy usage of both steam and hot water radiators. For steam radiators, when "enough heat is bottled up in the radiator by the blankets," steam stops condensing on the inside and the radiator stops accepting more steam from the boiler while other radiators in the house or apartment complex, not covered with blankets, are still accepting steam and continuing to heat their rooms. For hot water radiators the continuously circulating hot water exits the blanket covered radiator without having lost as much heat and the energy might be released in a radiator in a different, colder, room.

Some steam heating systems make more noise if valves on radiators are not fully open or fully closed.

* Don't use synthetic blankets; they may biodegrade and exude vapors when heated.

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