splitting thermostat in a brownstone
We rent two floors in a brownstone. Landlord says all heat in the building is controlled by the same thermostat, and won’t keep our apartment at the temperature we want (says the tenant above us complains that it is too hot). Does anyone know how expensive it would be to have a separate thermostat installed to control the heat in just our area of the building? I’m not sure if that is possible or if it would require a huge renovation of the building’s heating system. Hoping it’s doable and cheaper than having to move/pay a broker’s fee.
bbhues
in Heating and Cooling 10 years and 7 months ago
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10 replies
11211 | 10 years and 5 months ago
I guess i’ll write my experience (i’m not a landlord but I have to deal with this stuff sometimes) I agree with curiositykilledthecat post above LL cannot tailor the temperatures to the whim of every new tenant because sometimes tenants have to move out after some months and then LL is stuck starting over again – different tentants have different preferences and the same tenants have different preferences on different days. So LL imo will try to balance the system and check that the temperature meets the legal limits at least – currently 68 daytime and 55 at night (I put it up to 63 at night) I use wireless thermometers so I can put (up to 3) on different floors and read the temperatures from all the floors on my unit on my floor without having to run around. I try to get about the same temperature on each floor. If temperature is not balanced obviously check if all radiators are on- If all radiators are on and the system is not balanced LL can: 1\. (Slight imbalance) fiddle with the valves – get different size valves – this should help a little with balancing 2\. (Medium imbalance) Call plumber and switch out size of Radiator – I switched out a 10 bar full height radiator for a 16 bar full height radiator. I sometimes have to do this do this when there is a configuration change – ie Parlor floor sliding doors that used to be open are now closed, new wall has gone up or come down etc. Tricky business you don’t want to make a mistake with this and have to switch it back as the radiators are very heavy so the plumber will have to come with 2 people (or you risk your back carrying it yourself). I keep the old radiators in the basement if possible (again heavy to bring up and down) in case I have to switch one out in the future. My plumber did bring new ones for me a couple years ago and I don’t know if they were painted or something (graphite color) or if he used some smelly grease to connect them but they still stink when they heat up 3\. (Large imbalance) If it is very hot in one apartment sometimes that tenant will shut off one of their radiators – for example in a brownstone I deal with the top floor tenant has 4 radiators – if they are way to hot it may be worth a try to just pick a smaller one and shut it off
anotherposter | 10 years and 7 months ago
As far as getting the LL to act on any suggestions, maybe this is a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease and you have to complain about the cold more than the other neighbor about the heat. Obviously this isn’t how you want things to go, but your neighbor seems to have more control now or the LL is just using that as an excuse because he/she doesn’t want to run the heat more. Changing the size of the vents on the radiators in both apartments, if possible, sounds like a good option. Maybe the LL will go for it if you pay.
curiositykilledthecat | 10 years and 7 months ago
Many of the comments are really jumping to extreme conclusions (including Douglas claim that the landlord isn’t very smart?). All we know is that the OP wants a warmer apartment, but that the tenant above complains that it’s too hot. We also know that there is only one zone for the whole building. All of this is extremely common, and often more the result of differing opinions on what the “right” temperature is. In fact, most couples living in the same house can’t agree on ideal temperature. Before suggesting anything else, I think the OP is best served to record temps in a few rooms to determine: 1\. Is the landlord meeting the legal requirements for heat? 2\. Are any rooms cold for obvious reasons (huge windows causing drafts, exterior vs. interior walls)? 3\. Are all the radiators working? That is, are they heating at the same rate, and all getting equally hot? I am a landlord. The answers to these questions would be far more useful to me than a tenant who says they want the place to be warmer, and why don’t I just give him his own thermostat. Good luck.
thetinkerswagon | 10 years and 7 months ago
zhiding, yes a thermostatic valve (donfoss or danfoss?? spelling??) will help you reduce the temperature in a room which is too hot. but placing a smaller vent in will do the same thing without giving you the option of raising it as needed. the thermostatic radiator valves are basically adjustable vents with a temperature sensor attached. they also make adjustable vents with a little slide on them. people on here are alluding to asking the landlord to do something about this as it would be in his/her best interest to lower the temp on the top floor to save money. my answers have been designed to avoid the landlord. I am all for people saving money but I just to not have faith that this will save them enough to get them to jump. Steve
zhideng | 10 years and 7 months ago
I was thinking about this as well since i have 1 thermostat. But would putting in a thermostatic valve on the radiator help the problem in the rooms that are too hot?
DouglasAlan | 10 years and 7 months ago
Go to nyc.gov and check the law. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/tenants/heat-and-hot-water.shtml If your apartment isn’t at least this warm, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to make it so. It may mean actually hauling himself upstairs and adjusting your neighbor’s heat, but again, that’s his problem. If he seems to need motivating, and since he doesn’t seem too bright, you can remind him that adjusting the heat down upstairs will actually save him money.
ventilated | 10 years and 7 months ago
A second thermostat won’t cure your problem at all, unless adding a zone as described by thetinkerswagon. If you’ve got steam heat, ask your landlord to hire a knowledgeable plumber (not a handyman) to rebalance the system by changing out valves. In the long run, it will save your LL money, too. I think Steve meant to type Gorton, not Groton. A good book to read is “We Got Steam Heat!” by Dan Holohan, whose website is: https://heatinghelp.com/systems-help-center/ If you’re on the bottom two floors of a building with an extension, the extension is often much colder than the rest of the building and needs a lot of fine tuning to equalize the heat.
bbhues | 10 years and 7 months ago
thanks so much for the replies. unfortunately my landlord has said he won’t allow a second thermostat so it’s a no-go. i’m researching other ways to keep our area warmer (probably radiant heaters in every room).
resident2 | 10 years and 7 months ago
Suggest to your landlord that he have the system rebalanced; if it is steam or hot water it can be just a matter of changing the valves. If it is a hot air stem, it can be just a matter of opening and closing vents depending on where the one thermostat is placed.
thetinkerswagon | 10 years and 7 months ago
it would require more than splitting the thermostat if the issue is one apt being too hot; you would also need to put each unit on separate supply lines and install zone valves. insanely expensive for the landlord. here is what you can do: if this is a steam system, you (I would not even involve the landlord in this though if you damage one of the threads on a radiator or if they are already damaged you might have to) see if the steam vents on the radiators are the largest available. they go by number or letter. you can look at the make and check on line (Groton is one which comes to mind; there are others). if you can install larger vents, you will allow hot steam into the radiator faster and it will heat your apt longer before the thermostat says enough is enough. if that is not good enough or if you already have the larger vents installed, you can see if your landlord will install smaller vents in the other unit so theirs will heat slower, allowing the heat to stay on to heat yours. here in my house, I wanted to heat a room faster and already had the largest vent, so I took a drill to it and made it even larger. I warn you about the threads on the radiators as often they are worn and damaged and they can be chased and/or drilled out and rethreaded but that is for the pros. teflon tape may help with a worn thread and you should be using teflon anyway. I do not have the time to come out and do this work, so please, this is for informational purposes only. Steve