Apartment too hot, no control over heat

TiffanyMcK

Hi! I live in a 1940s apartment building and have no control over my heat. It routinely gets over 90 degrees in my apartment in the winter, even with all the windows open and the fans going. There are knobs on some of my radiators (though not all) but they are covered in layers of heavy paint and don’t move. I’m thinking of covering the radiators in reflective aluminum insulation to block the heat altogether. Thoughts? Better solutions? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

pecmsg

Have you spoken with the landlord? He's paying for all that heat and its worth hi time and to save those dollars.

Assuming that's steam or hot water yes you can cover them.

TiffanyMcK

Thanks pecmsg! Yes, I’ve spoken to the landlord but apparently he can’t do anything on the apartment level so he would be adjusting the whole building just for me (and other tenants aren’t boiling hot like I am).

rick in Alaska

Well, I believe there are tenant laws that say you are entitled to proper heat, although I do not know the actual wording on that . You might want to check in on that.
Why is it they can not work on an "apartment level"?
You can try blocking the gap at the bottom of the radiator which will slow it down a bit, and then you can also block the grill if that doesn't get it enough.
Rick

GGross

If you can remove the covers you can wrap the fin tube in aluminum foil, it will stop the air from being able to pass through the fins, which should reduce the output of the wrapped sections to nearly zero. This would let you keep some heat from some baseboard sections if you want. Basically baseboard works via convection, so if you can stop the air from being able to pass through the fin tube you can stop the heat output, it doesn't need to be heavily insulated

hot_rod

Another option is some pieces of foam pipe insulation to shove into the gap at the bottom. I think they are 5 or 6' sections at all the home improvement stores.

Pushed under that bottom gap you would hardly notice it.

Adjust as needed for a foam thermostat

JoeEngineer

Ask your landlord, new valves, preferably with thermostats, say automatically control amount of heat that goes into your apartment; this can be done whether it's steam or hot water. Clearly, it's not electric you would be able to control that.

JoeEngineer

*they automatically... Danfoss is a well known brand but there are others

JoeEngineer

Also, looking at the photo, it looks like there is a damper control, simply close the damper, you will reduce, not completely stop the heat coming into your apartment; the valve is a bigger investment but will be a win win situation for both you and your landlord!!!

random12345

@TiffanyMcK What state are you in? I live in MA. The max allowable temperature is 78 degrees. Higher than that is a violation of the sanitary code: https://mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-winter-heating

410.180: Temperature Requirements
(A) The owner shall provide heat in every habitable room and every room containing a toilet,
shower, or bathtub from September 15th through May 31st so that it shall be:
(1) At least 68F (20C) between 7:00 A.M. and 11:00 P.M.; and
(2) At least 64F (17C) between 11:01 P.M. and 6:59 A.M.
(B) At no time shall the heating system, required by 105 CMR 410.160(A), used during the
heating season cause the temperature to exceed 78F (25C) in any room.
(C) The temperature shall be measured at a height of five feet above floor level on a wall any
point more than five feet from the exterior wall.
(D) A board of health may alter the heating season, as defined in 105 CMR 410.180(A), by
ending it no earlier than May 15th or delaying the start date no later than September 30th in a
particular year for all residences within its jurisdiction, by posting notice of such alteration on
the municipality's website. The board of health's decision to alter the heating season shall not
be required to conform to the provisions for the granting of a variance required by 105 CMR
410.700.

TiffanyMcK

Thanks JoeEngineer. The valve is painted over and won’t move, unfortunately.

And thanks random12345, I’m in NJ so I’ll have to take a look to see if we have something similar.

This is a super helpful community!

STEVEusaPA

JoeEngineer said:

Ask your landlord, new valves, preferably with thermostats, say automatically control amount of heat that goes into your apartment; this can be done whether it's steam or hot water. Clearly, it's not electric you would be able to control that.

LOL Almost no landord will pay to do that.

mattmia2

Does the housing code protect you in any meaningful way from the landlord solving the problem by not renewing your lease and leasing to someone else for more?

random12345

@TiffanyMcK How many units in the building?
https://proxy.lsnj.org/rcenter/GetPublicDocument/Sites/LAW/Documents/Publications/Manuals/TenantsRights.pdf
For 3+ apartments: https://state.nj.us/dca/divisions/codes/codreg/pdf_regs/njac_5_10.pdf

§ 5:10-14.3 Standards of maintenance
(c) Heating equipment shall not be operated in such a manner as to impair its ability to perform as required
hereunder or create a hazard anywhere in the system due to excessive temperature.
§ 5:10-14.4 Minimum temperature
(a) From October 1 of each year to the next succeeding May 15, every unit of dwelling space and every
habitable room therein shall be maintained at a temperature of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit between the
hours of 6:00 A.M. and 11:00 P.M. and at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit between the hours of 11:00 P.M.
and 6:00 A.M. The heating system shall be capable of maintaining the minimum required temperature in all
habitable rooms without the necessity of heating adjoining rooms more than five degrees higher than said
minimum required temperature. The design of the heating system shall conform to the ASHRAE Guide and
Data Book. The heating standard herein set forth may be modified by the Commissioner by emergency
rule.

Not sure if this would apply. It may be referring to other aspects of the heating system.
For 1-2 apartments: https://state.nj.us/dca/divisions/codes/codreg/pdf_regs/njac_5_28.pdf

§ 5:28-1.12 Responsibilities of owners and occupants
(n) Every owner of a dwelling, who permits to be occupied any dwelling unit or lodging unit therein under
any agreement, expressed or implied, to supply or furnish heat to the occupants thereof, shall supply heat
adequate to maintain therein a minimum inside temperature in all habitable rooms, bathrooms, and water
closet compartments of 68 degrees Fahrenheit between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 11:00 P.M., and 65
degrees Fahrenheit between the hours of 11:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M., from October 1 of each year to the
next succeeding May 1.

TiffanyMcK

@mattmia2 - no, so I’m trying not to be too squeaky of a wheel 😂

@random12345 - thanks for digging that up. We have 30 apartments.

random12345

If one of our tenants had to suffer through 90+ degree heat in the winter and open the windows and use fans, I would do everything possible to fix the problem. Unacceptable. I'm assuming you're not exaggerating the temperature btw...Have you measured it? If it really is that bad, your landlord really should take action. This is not yours to solve. You pay good money every month. Least he can do is not overheat your apartment. Good luck to you.