just painted radiators: how bad / how long will they smell once heat comes on

We recently completed a reno and had all the radiators in our unit and the rental unit painted with oil-based Rustoleum paint. I’m expecting them to smell the first time the radiators come on. Does anyone know with this brand / type of paint exactly what to expect, e.g. should we leave the apartment when the heat first comes on, how long will it take for the smell to dissipate, etc etc. And, if it’s bad enough that we can’t be in the house overnight, how should I handle this with my tenants? I know, who wants to talk about heating in the middle of Summer? But we’re going to start looking for a tenant soon. Some people can be very sensitive to smells, so if the expectation is the smell will be very bad / last more than a day, I want to let serious prospects know upfront so they can make an informed decision of whether or not to rent from us. Thanks!

ps158

in Radiators 9 years and 9 months ago

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dorkofwindsor | 9 years and 9 months ago

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rust oleum is enamel….ie oil based. never paint metal with water based finishes. they will rust from underneath. just had to clear that up. i’d run the radiator for a day when the windows can be open. that should be fine – although you will surely know if it isn’t. i think you’ll be a good landlord. oh yeah – also never get advice on anything from the big box stores – you’re asking for trouble. you would be better off surfing youtube (as bad as that sounds – its true).

cmu | 9 years and 9 months ago

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OP, does not make sense to me. For one thing, radiators are not that prone to rust unless in a bathroom where humidity is high. And any unbroken paint surface will protect against rust…the oil in the oil paint is not extra protection. But I’m open to correction…

ps158 | 9 years and 9 months ago

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Thanks all. We didn’t use the high-heat product. The paint person at Lowes told us any of the oil-based Rustoleum is fine for radiators. CMU – I thought oil-based is important on radiators so they don’t rust?

MDR | 9 years and 9 months ago

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The painters used hi-heat Rustoleum spray paint on my radiators and after the initial application there was no odor at all.

cmu | 9 years and 9 months ago

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The high-temp paint is for furnaces & woodstoves. It’s a mistake using oil based paint. You can use any water based enamel. Then there would have been no smell, especially with low-VOC paint. Iae, I seriously doubt you’ll smell anything as even oil paint vocs dissipate in a few weeks. I have four radiators painted over several years. No peeling or whatever. The smell lasted no longer than on a wall…a few days.

no-permits | 9 years and 9 months ago

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did you use the high heat product? i’ve used it many times and it has never smelled after turning the heat on. maybe briefly but i can’t remember any noticeable smell. the smelliest part is actually painting them. i think it would be silly to mention this to prospective tenants or concern yourself with where/if you need to sleep several months from now.

sethamin | 9 years and 9 months ago

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I spray painted a small radiator at the beginning of last heating season with Rustoleum (regular spray paint, not the high heat variant). I vaguely recall there was a bit of a discernible smell for the first few weeks, but it was really minor. I believe spray paint is also oil-based, though I imagine it would be a different formula than regular paint, so I don’t know if it would react differently.

BobMarvin | 9 years and 9 months ago

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Maybe you could turn the heat on now, when you can leave all the windows open and set up a vent fan to dissapate any odor

ellenlourie | 9 years and 9 months ago

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Check temperature rating on primer and paint. Depending on steam pressure setting temperature of radiator can go up to 240F, on water based system temperature will be around 180-190F. It will peel, melt and stink if you have wrong staff smeared all over radiator.

Rick | 9 years and 9 months ago

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Wow, that’s really thinking ahead. In my experience radiator paint can smell pretty bad at first and less the days after. I’m not sure Rustoleum will be better but it could be. Often, it’s not just the paint that smells but the pipe joint sealer can be a strong smell too. Expect a strong smell at first that should dissipate over a week.