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Can't control radiator

MrWilson
MrWilson Member Posts: 2
edited November 2015 in Strictly Steam
My condo has a very old heating system and as soon as they fire up the boilers, I can't get the temperature in my unit below about 85 Fahrenheit even with all the windows open in the dead of winter. I have two radiators like the one shown in the picture and one smaller one with no controls. First, what type of system is this? Does anyone know the name for this type of control? I've never seen anything quite like it. Second, I can't shut off the radiator in my bedroom. The one in the family room has the dial set to 0 and it doesn't generate any heat. The dial on the unit in my bedroom appears to have no effect on the heat. Finally, I didn't post a picture of the bathroom unit, but it looks the same just smaller, with no controls. Is there a way to turn this one down or off? It's consistently hotter than 90 degrees in my bathroom. Yes I measured...

Note: This appears to be a 2 pipe system, I only took a picture of the one side, the other doesn't appear to have any valves on it.

Comments

  • sonofaplumber
    sonofaplumber Member Posts: 52
    edited November 2015
    Those are TRV's (thermostatic radiator valves). Dan has a great article about them https://heatinghelp.com/systems-help-center/thermostatic-radiator-valves/

    Sounds like you have a couple not functioning and could use a couple added. Search the wall for "TRV" and you will find plenty of info on what you need to do.

    EDIT: where you are renting, and may not be able to have this properly addressed by a landlord/handyman as soon as you'd like, you can always drastically reduce or stop a radiators output by obstructing air flow.
    -Joel
  • MrWilson
    MrWilson Member Posts: 2
    sonofaplumber,

    Thank you very much for you quick response. Dan's article was very informative. I actually own my condo and the association was of no help with this issue so it sounds like I'll need to hire a professional. I only hope there is a way to fix it while while the system is running for the rest of the building.
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,276
    The often asked question: what pressure is the system running at, it is possible that your TRV's have a maximum upper limit of operating pressure. High pressure can squeeze thru a valve that wants to be closed. (It matters with single pipe TRV, which you do NOT have.)

    It should be pointed out to the association that lowering the pressure will save them money. But convincing them of it is another matter......"it has always been 5 PSI, why change it now?"

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