Off-Gasing Radiator Paint
We rent an apartment in an old brownstone with steam heating. This the first winter we’ve cut on the radiator in the bedroom. It’s gotten quite cold the last few days. Everything was fine until my husband and I started having weird pain in our lungs, even though we have a high-capacity humidifier running throughout the night. So yesterday we made a a makeshift barrier by draping our curtains over a baby gate that fenced in the radiator. We hoped it would force some of the heat out of the cracked window. The next morning we felt a little better and we dissembled everything for the day. When we lifted the curtain, we were greeted by an awfully strong chemical smell coming from the space over the radiator. It smelled like off-gasing paint, as if the smell had accumulated over night and was trapped by the curtain. Our landlord painted the radiators before we moved in a few years ago. Shouldn’t the off-gasing process be done by now? I’m just really concerned by the smell. We really don’t need the radiator on in the bedroom, but I would like to know if the paint smell is something we should be concerned about because we slept with that off-gasing for a few nights. If it is a problem with the type of paint, is that something we can request the landlord to remediate especially with a child in the apartment? If anyone could give us some pointers, we’d be very grateful. Thank you.
brownies
in Plumbers and Plumbing 11 years and 6 months ago
4
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4 replies
no-permits | 11 years and 6 months ago
you guys just sounds crazy.
cmu | 11 years and 6 months ago
OP says ‘first time readiator was on’ so that probably explains the smell. Contrary to above opinions, latex paint is absolutely fine, you shouldn’t use oil based (unless you’re like my ex who’s a painter and likes oil paint smells). I have three radiators painted with latex, one twice, and have never smelled anything other than normal ‘fresh paint’. The temp (215-220) of a water radiator does not need high-temp paint. What’s surprising is both your strong reactions. Are you allergic? Even oil paint should not do that.
backeast | 11 years and 6 months ago
It’s possible that if the radiator has never been on since it’s been painted, it would still offgas now when you first turn it on. As I understand it, the kind of paint that needs to be used to paint a radiator is the kind of paint that offgasses, and there’s no getting around it, i.e. you can’t use low or no VOC paint for a radiator (this is what our architect told us).
steam_man | 11 years and 6 months ago
Turn off the valve at the base of the radiator and see if the smell stops. Only certain paints should be used to paint a radiator. I’m not an expert on paint but I would not use a latex based paint on something that reaches over 200 degrees. High temp paint only!