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throw_away_899210 OP t1_iwbkjx0 wrote

Reply to comment by happyjazzycook in heat requirements/laws for tenants by throw_away_899210

Hey! So when the heat turned on this fall and my radiators weren’t hot, I turned all the valves as open as possible. Maintenance came over and they bled them, so they started to get warm. I’m going to ask again today because they’ll already be here. Two of the four are warm/hot but not hot to the touch. The other two aren’t warm at all.

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happyjazzycook t1_iwblwft wrote

Definitely something is wrong with the radiators that aren't at all warm, and the ones that aren't warm may not be filled to the top with water even though excess air was bled out of them. In our old house I kept the knobs in the guest rooms at a halfway position and they got warm but not hot, in the lower level of the house they were fully turned on and the radiators got so hot that I made foam cushions to keep my cats (and my butt) from getting too hot. Hopefully the maintenance guys are familiar with radiator heat beyond having to bleed the system in the fall. 🤞🏻 And, another thought is, maybe the boiler is getting to the end of its life and not heating the water enough.

You can read through this article for more insight on the issue, and it does mention that "Check the radiator control valve: If a radiator is not getting hot: (steam or hot water) first see if the valve that controls it has been turned off. Try turning the valve counter-clockwise to see if it will open"

Your landlord may need to contact a plumber who is familiar with hot water radiators if the maintenance guy can't figure it out.

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throw_away_899210 OP t1_iwbn1qm wrote

Well all the valves are completely open/I can’t turn it counterclockwise anymore. Either it’s a boiler issue or they are really just not great with heating. I doubt it’s a boiler issue - my water gets HOT - so I’m not sure. I’m also on the top floor so I don’t know if that has anything to do with it?

It’s not uncomfortable in my apartment - it’s 66 F right now. I can work from home and i’m not like bundled up or anything but we aren’t even in winter yet, so I want to get this addressed. Appreciate your help!

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happyjazzycook t1_iwbnrbv wrote

Hot water radiator heat is wonderful, the problem in our old house was that there were 12' ceilings, and I didn't want to replace the original doors/ windows so I weatherstripped as much as I could but it never seemed to be enough (went from that house to a new construction with geothermal-- wow, what a lovely difference that was!).

So maybe the boiler is old and inefficient. Maybe the valve is stuck and not open fully. Hopefully the maintenance guy can help shed a light o n the issue and it can be fixed. And, we keep our house at 68 so we're not too far off of your heat level. Maybe buy a small radiant heater to keep in the room where you are most of the time? Good luck!

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CricketFan207 t1_iwbvw9r wrote

It sounds like a boiler issue, this same thing happened to me in my first apartment here. It started to get cold and the radiators just didn't get warm. I'd speak to your landlord ASAP, there's a lot of houses in the city with hot water heat and folks that service those boilers are very busy this time of year.

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