Radiator Not Working Consistently

[Green_NV]

Hi all,

Just found this forum and it looks great! Forgive me if I could have found this answer by looking longer—I've searched for a while.

I am in a cold walk-up apartment on the 4th floor of a turn-of-the-century building in Brooklyn. Not sure how old the heating/boiler system is. In my apartment, I have 2 radiators that either don't work consistently or that I don't know how to work consistently. My super seems to be able to get them roaring, to where they're too hot, but I'd like to learn how to control them myself (and get some heat in here!).

Each is built into the wall, behind a removable metal covering, and has a supply valve with a knob at the bottom right and what I think may be an air valve at the top left (last photo). When the super has gotten them too hot in the past, I've closed the supply valves down some, but when I try to heat them back up by opening the supply valves, nothing happens. Several other tenants complain about the heat working intermittently in our building.

Can anyone tell by looking if this is something I can control with the air valve on the top left? Do I need a particular kind of tool to open/bleed it? Or does this sound like a more central issue to the building/boiler system?

Thanks for reading and any advice!

Neil

 

[Gasmk1]

The air bleed is easy from your local ironmongers you just need a bleed key they should know what you are asking for. The other is the blue handled gate valve which will control the flow through the radiator also worth cleans the radiator with your vac

 

[Green_NV]

The air bleed is easy from your local ironmongers you just need a bleed key they should know what you are asking for. The other is the blue handled gate valve which will control the flow through the radiator also worth cleans the radiator with your vac

Thanks, Gasmk1! Very helpful.

Is it common to need to bleed the radiator each time I turn the gate valve all the way down?

 

[Gasmk1]

No just feel the top of rad if it’s not as hot as the bottom may need bleeding

 

[Green_NV]

No just feel the top of rad if it’s not as hot as the bottom may need bleeding

Thanks! I got a bleed key and that seems to have gotten it back to life. Now I just want to keep it from getting too hot. Can I keep the gate valve half open and control the heat that way?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Gasmk1]

It will get as hot as the system is the valve just slows the flow or shuts it off