Effectively and Safely Turning off Radiator

mike212

I have a room that doesn't require any heat, the computer equipment and monitors heat up the room enough on their own. I'd like to turn off the radiator in the room. The heating system is oil burning steam heat with one pipe radiators. We just moved to this home and have not used the heat yet.

Before I turn on the heat I'd like to sort out the radiator in this room and disable it. I'd like to find an energy efficient and safe solution. Knowing nothing I thought turning the supply valve to off would do the trick, but just to be safe I started reading here and it seems that path is not recommended. The consensus instead seems to be to turn the air value so that it is upside and leave the supply valve fully open.

I attempted to turn the supply valve, however it won't budge. I've tried both clockwise and counter clockwise. I'm afraid to use too much force for fear it snaps off (the home is 90 years old and I imagine this radiator may be that old as well).

1) Am I correct that I should not turn off the supply valve?
2) Is turning the air value upside down the correct way to handle this? If yes, should I put more pressure on it as I turn? Do I turn from the air valve itself or should I use some sort of wrench where it connects to the radiator?
3) Will disabling this radiator potentially lead to other problems such as a frozen pipe? In that case should I ultimately have a TRV (Thermostatic Radiator Valve) installed instead where I can leave the heat on, but on a very low setting?

Thanks!

Note the air valve looks like this:

http://controlscentral.com/product_pictures/Large/618ANGLE.jpg

It is a Maid O Mist.

JeffM

If you find the air valve hard to turn and are afraid of breaking it, you can simply block the vent hole by putting a piece of tape over it. That achieves the same effect as turning it upside down.

ChrisJ

Remove the vent and either install an 1/8" NPT plug, or wrap new PTFE tape around the threads on the vent and reinstall it snuggly upside down.

I do have to ask though if you just moved in, and have never even used the heat how do you know the computers and equipment will produce enough heat all winter?

I do realize it's possible, back in the late 90s I had several vacuum tube amplifiers and a lan party going on in a bedroom in late December during a snow storm and actually had two fans in the window (one blowing in, one blowing out) and the heat shut off to keep the room cool enough.

KC_Jones

I agree with @ChrisJ I would wait until winter to decide. Unless you have a server or something seriously hard core in there you may be surprised how much heat you need in the dead of winter. Remember that rad will only heat all the way across on the coldest day, if even then. I had my office in a small 8x8 room for years with computer, modem, router etc. and I was glad the rad was next to the desk.

mike212

Thanks. I'm having lots of trouble getting the vent off, it just won't budge. After reading the responses and thinking some more I think the best solution - if I can remove the existing vent - is to install something like this... which if I understand it correctly will allow me to turn off the heat OR adjust a dial to allow more / less heat as desired.

VENT-RITE #1 STEAM AIR VALVES, ADJUSTABLE

I hear you guys that in the dead of window I may want heat even with the computers. That may be the case, will wait an see. I have two powerful workstations with 6 monitors and the heat output is fairly large. When I start it up its cool, but after a few hours I'm in my shorts while the rest of the house if still cold. If its 10 degrees outside instead of 50 those dynamics will drastically change but for now I need to turn it off.

I'm going to continue to try to turn the air vent, but if I get nowhere I'll try some tape as suggested and then turn on the heat so the rest of the house can warm up.

Fred

Even if you get that valve to turn, it most likely will still let some steam into the radiator, may even as much as if it were open. Either turn the vent upside down or plug it.

Jamie Hall

An adjustable air vent valve is asking for trouble. If it is too wide open -- and most of them are, most of the time -- it will steal steam from the rest of the system, and lead to somewhere else being too cold.

The best bet -- assuming that for some reason just turning the existing vent upside down isn't feasible -- is the idea to take it out and plug the hole. If it is really truly impossible to turn (remember -- anti-clockwise to loosen!) then the next best bet is to tape over the vent hole, as has been suggested.

Whatever you do, make sure that the valve to the radiator is fully open. Otherwise it will probably make noises.

I must say that I agree that waiting to see how things go has some merit; I've never been much in favour of fixing things before I find out if they are broken.

mike212

I'm going to the store tonight and will get some penetrating oil to see if that will help me turn the air vent.

I can see what you are saying on the adjustable air vent, but I would probably just keep it in the off position, and if it gets cold, just turn it one or two notches, so its likely to use less than its fair share of steam and not take away from the rest of the house.

I understand the wait and see approach but I already know that right now any heat will be too much. In January that may change, but right now no heat is on and my house is 62 degrees everywhere except my office which is currently 78 degrees where I'm sitting (even warmer if I measure on top of my desk near the monitors). By the end of the day my office will be around 84 based on where its been getting to. I know any radiator heat in the office will just be too much right now.

BobC

On the Maid o Mist air vents you can unscrew the orifice. You can buy a kit that has the vent and 5 different size orifices so you can select the size you want.

If you tape over that hole you should be all set and if you want you can replace the orifice with a 1/8" NPT plug.

Bob

mike212

Thanks all for the advice. I'm using tape over the two radiators I'd like to keep off and they have remained off.

Since I'd like to swap out the air vents for adjustable air vents I tried to use PB Blaster but the air vents still won't budge. For now though all is working well with the tape.