Wednesday, October 10, 2007
the truth about radiators
Whether it wakes you up in the middle of the night thinking a puppy is living in your wall, or you are forced to make a fun fort around it in the dead of winter, your radiator is an important force in your life. So lets get a little better acquainted with our toasty friend.
Radiators work by channeling either steam or hot water through their pipes and thus heating the air around them. This then creates a convection current which pulls new cold air into the radiator.
They can also be really annoying.
How can I make my radiator stop banging?
Radiators bang around because of A) improper installation in space that doesn't allow for expansion and contraction or, B) fluctuating water pressure. While there is no quick fix for either of these, just hope it is improperly installed and you can whine enough to your landlord that they'll get a new one. If you have bad water pressure, good luck.
How can I turn my radiator down/up?
FIRST, find your thermostat. duh. However, many apartments don't have thermostats, it depends on how your building is heated. If you have a steam radiator, the valve will be on top and its pretty much an all open or all closed deal. Hot water radiators have a valve on the end which ideally can be loosened or tightened to change the temp.
and don't burn your little puppy paws- wear an oven mitt.
Cd at 1:31 PM
