Radiators hot to touch

Sophes

Hey experts! I have steam radiators that can get hot to touch. Is there a good paint to put ontop so lessen that? Or is the only good option radiator covers? Thanks so much!

pecmsg

Thats the purpose of the radiator, to give off heat. At 212°F nothing is going to burn. You can cover them if you want.

unclejohn

@pecmsg

You left out except your hand. Hehe. Sophes you will have to cover them too protect the rug rats.

ethicalpaul

Radiator covers are not a good solution, they can dramatically reduce the heating capability of your radiators. Now your radiators might be too big for your current needs, and you'd be OK, but they might not.

I would offer that if a child touches a hot radiator, it will be brief, rather harmless, and not repeated. But I don't know your situation so I don't judge.

pecmsg

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1744012#Comment_1744012

I know of NO kids that touched a Steam Radiator and suffered burns! Once they touch it they wont again!

Mad Dog_2

The kids will be 🙂 fine. My three made it through with a house full of hot steam Radiators, never an issue mad

STEAM DOCTOR

Covers, with openings on top, will actually increase the heat output. Any kid big enough to the top, is presumably old enough to know not to touch the radiator

mattmia2

I mean when I was in middle school and i encountered the first steam radiator that I had ever touched I did not know not to touch it.

bburd

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1744161#Comment_1744161

Didn't do it twice though, did you?

dabrakeman

Temperature is about perfect through the posterior side of a pair of jeans.

ethicalpaul

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1744155#Comment_1744155

Now you're going to go and make me try it 😫

STEAM DOCTOR

I already tried it. My house had boxes on the radiators when I moved in. Metal covers with a hinge top. I would come home and first thing I would do is open up the top. I would turn my back and somewhereclose it again. Finally got a sawzall and cut off the tops. Heat output was noticeably better. Every spring I am supposed to take the tops from the attic and put them back on top of the covers. Last time I did that was probably close to 10 years ago.

KC_Jones

Not sure if it puts your mind at ease or not, but I'll try. I have 3 kids, all born and raised in the same house with steam heat. Oldest is 15, youngest are 12 year old twins. The only time any of them were ever hurt by a radiator was when my oldest came running into the kitchen full speeed, tripped over something and went head first into the cast iron. He wasn't burned, but he did get a big lump on his head. Besides that they didn't touch them that I ever remember, and defintley never burned. I sit on one of our shorter ones when its running full blast, feels awesome. The temperature of the radiator is such that you would have to override your senses and try and burn yourself on them.

Now, if it was someone with CIPA that couldn't feel pain, then yes I would be extremely concerned.

ethicalpaul

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1744194#Comment_1744194

You are saying the heat output is better with the top of the cover off than on, that is not the debate. But I don't wish to get farther into it than that, I've had a busy week here 🤣

ChrisJ

I even have a cat that lays on top of radiators while they're steam hot……….

EdTheHeaterMan

Ask anyone who lived in a building that had steam radiators if they ever touched one of those radiators when they were HOT? Most of them would say YES, Then when asked how many times, they said ONCE.

To the peopel who need to protect human beings form touching things on a regular basis that burn us; you are of a different generation of human beings that need someone else to protect you from what common sense was able to do for thousands of years from prehistoric times until now.

Thanks for looking out for us! What would we do without you?