Possible heat thief in apartment building? Can someone below me turn down my heat?

[SeanJ]

Hi guys I'm in a little bit of trouble and thought this plumbing forum would be the best place to ask my question to get help. So heres the scoop like the title says I would like to know if the neighbour below me in my 5 story apartment can somehow turn down my rad. Basically my building is famous for having extra toasty, tropical climate weather type apartments in the winters which is how mine was like for Oct and Nov then one day I heard 15 very loud clangs my rad was shaking and then I can hear trickling then the heat went gone. Well not gone, gone but significantly reduced. Before I use to control my heat by opening the windows to cool off now I use the oven at times to warm the place. When I saw my super and told him he said people are not allowed to do that but my property manager says that it isn't possible. Can someone tell me if this is possible and how it can be done I'm in a one bedroom with a rad in the living room and one in the bedroom. So is my property manager full of it because I already basically called out the guy underneath me and told them he turned me down. Also I've been told I'm the only heat complaint in the building when I look out my window every single other apartment has there windows always open. So what do yoi guys think?

 

[frodo]

first thing first.

look at your radiator, find an air bleed valve. crack it open see if your heater is air bound.

 

[SeanJ]

Ok I will do that. I don't have a flathead but I will try get one tommorow and check and take pics, thanks for respnding.

 

[SeanJ]

 

[SeanJ]

 

[KULTULZ]

[/QUOTE]

-How to Bleed a Radiator - CLICK HERE-

Also looks like someone man handled the shutoff valve (handle) at some point. That would have allowed you to regulate the temp somewhat.

 

[SeanJ]

Ok so I'm not 100% sure what you meant by air bound but I know where the air bleeder valve is because the super was already in here checking it. Basically when I turn it counterclockwise a little bit of bubbling and trickling water comes out, kind of like sputtering. I'm not too sure if I'm supposs to hold the screwdriver in when I turn it or turn it and take off the screwdriver? When I take off the screwdriver it comes out with a little bit more force and I got the water on my hands. The water is hot but not terribly hot, I can drink this water straight out of the valve, is that normal? I am in Canada.
I don't know what I should be looking for but I hope that explanation helped? Frodo I am looking forward to a response from you and am sorry I didnt get back to you right away I've just been stressed out because I know for a fact someone turned down my heat and am not sure what I should do, again I hope this information helps and I do have some theories about what is going on here.

 

[KULTULZ]

I can drink this water straight out of the valve, is that normal?

I am in Canada.

Why would you drink the water? It might be a coolant mixture.

 

[SeanJ]

Hey KULTUZ I'm guessing the shutoff valve you're talking about is the one the right, right? When I did complain to the management telling them there was banging and then the heat went down drastically, like I mean drastically he said thats not possible and that everyone is allowed to regulate there own hear by turning that valve, so the super did come in and check. I have some new supers that I'm pretty sure don't have any super experience, they are tenants here and seem like really nice people and don't seem like they know what to do, they have admitted my apartment is colder thsn theres and said everyone is is too hot and that they have to open the window its so hot. Also they did send a notice to the people below me to check the pipes and they have refused entry. Basically I want my old heat back, and I am losing my marbles I just want the same heat as everyone else when I go outside and look from my balcony every single person has there window open. What is a person to do?

 

[SeanJ]

Sorry I meant to say if I wanted to I could drink it, i would never drink something out of a dirty old rad. I was just wondering if that was normal or not to give you guys more clues as to what is going on.

 

[KULTULZ]

Is there a hex on the shutoff valve stem that you can get a wrench on? There is usually a handle there.

Did you read my post on how to bleed a radiator posted above?

 

[SeanJ]

I just read the post and yes I bled the valve until water flowed out. It didn't change anything also the super came and did this already. I think it is safe to say this is not an air in the system problem. And yes you can turn that shutoff valve with a wrench and the super has turned it up already. Listen guys there was around 15 extremly loud clangs which half the building must of heard, it wasn't a few second event i did have enough time to walk to the rad and could feel it shake with every clang, then when the clanging stopped I heard water trickling. Thats the truth and thats 100% of the truth. I would be able to bet everything I have and some that the person below me turned down my heat. Look guys I got two oil filled electric heaters going and sometimes I got to also turn on my oven on top of that, it use to be hot like Egypt in here. Basically can someone pleass tell me if it's actual possible that someone turned it down, and did this guy have to punch holes in the ceilings or walls to do it because that clanging sounded like it was right below my feet which causes me to suspect this guy has a whole in his ceiling. Does that sound like a possiblity or is this impossible? Look this person shook the building and banged on something around 15 times, I just really wish I knew what it was, why and what I can do. The little bit of research I have down about a rad being hot but not heating properly is that the bypass valve is open all the way and the water is going in and out too quickly. Can anyone tell me if this is a possobility? I don't know much about plumbing but I was really hoping you guys could help me figure out what might be happening here so I could at least go to the management and ask some tough intelligent questions to put them on the spot.

 

[SeanJ]

Seems like this is a subject not too many want to touch upon.
C'mon guys in other countries thieves get stoned for stealing, i can't raise the white flag here, this is grade A ultimate BS. Listen guys I think I'm a good Sherlock Holmes over here, I just need some science to back me up over here, I just want to know if this is possible because if it is possible then that's exactly what happened. C'mon guys give me some info here like what that banging could of been, what that valve is called or something so I can tell management I'm pretty positive the problem is this and this needs to be put back in a professional way to see exactly what type of response I get. It makes zero sense that for October and November my apartment was so hot I had to keep a window open like everybody else then the banging, now I got almost $200 of electric heaters warming my apartment????
I'm not trying to rant here I guess you can say I am a little bit PISSED. So far this is where I'm at, I complained to the super and they (its a couple) sent a request to check inside the apartment below me, that request was denied. Next I complained to management and he said no,no impossible everyone can adjust there own heat but it would be impossible for soneone else to turn me down, which leads me to believe that he's either turning a blind eye or the subject is so sensitive that he'd rather not talk about it. I'm trying my best to find another place in the area, don't know how things are going to work because I'm in a contract, they did though offer up another apartment in the building when one becomes available, wish that was today. I have no idea how much I just wrote because I can only see a small section of the box, but basically even if soneone can give me a one word answer just to help me feel better would be appreciated, is it possible that a tenant belkw my apartment was able to significantly turn down my heat?

 

[KULTULZ]

Seems like this is a subject not too many want to touch upon.

It is a little difficult to diagnose a complex system one has over the internet. You can only be given the basics and actual repairs have to be done by a professional.

Can your radiator be isolated from the others in the building? Depends on how it was plumbed originally.

Study This (and know there is a difference between hot water and steam heat as both are described in the article)- http://inspectapedia.com/heat/Banging_Pipes_Radiators.php

Remember, the inlet valve must be fully operational and fully open and all air must be purged from the radiator (or there may be some type of supply blockage @ or within the radiator.

 

[SeanJ]

Thank you KULTULZ for all you replies I do appreciate it when someone trys to help me. The banging I heard wasn't a clanging type or sound inside the rad is was somebody using some kind of tools to bang on sonething like a wrench and hammer is what I am thinking. The smoking gun here is that this building is not very insulated and at times you can hear into other apartments. The day this happened my balcony was open because it was too hot in here so I was letting in some cool air a d maybe the guy downstairs had his open too and right before the banging I heard the guy like groaning or cursing like those people that hate life and just complain right before the banging so that is why I know fore sure who it was and where it came from. I wish I knew why it was done because I dont party or make lots of noise I have no idea if it was done to personally spite me or if he just wanted to adjust his heat. Sometimes I think the noise from me openning and closing my balcony could be the reason. From the very few things I have heard from down there it sounds like the guy is a maintenence guy. I know I can isolate my rads here because when I first moved in my living rad was on and my bedroom rad was completely off. So the plumber came in and turned the valve wirh a wrench and within seconds it was on. I don't know if that is a clue to help figure this out. I am pretty much 100% sure I know what happened here meaning the person below me turned some type of valve turning down my heat now the thing I got to figure out now is can I prove this and how can I get it back.
And I am pretty sure this is a hot water system and that the building was built in the 80's and also about a week ago the heat was almost off for a day and then the next day they said they were working on the pump and it feels a teeny bit warmer but still no where near it used to be and I still got the electric heaters going. Another clue I can give is that the bottom of the rad says its around 40 degrees celsius with the temperatue laser and the top says its 50 degrees, so a around 10 degrees difference. And thank you again KULTULZ for replying to my post.

 

[frodo]

Ok so I'm not 100% sure what you meant by air bound but I know where the air bleeder valve is because the super was already in here checking it. Basically when I turn it counterclockwise a little bit of bubbling and trickling water comes out, kind of like sputtering. I'm not too sure if I'm supposs to hold the screwdriver in when I turn it or turn it and take off the screwdriver? When I take off the screwdriver it comes out with a little bit more force and I got the water on my hands. The water is hot but not terribly hot, I can drink this water straight out of the valve, is that normal? I am in Canada.

if it did not burn you, and is not under pressure

it is air bound. you need to bleed it tilll it stops sputtering [air]

and gives you a pumped stream of HOT water.

sorry did not get back,,,life has been happening



go to boiler room, find the make up water valve, make sure it is on

if it ws me, i would turn up the pressure,,lol,,,make it circulate. lol

 

[SeanJ]

Hey frodo thanks for getting back to me, so I tried bleeding the rad again and don't think I was successful. I was turning it and turning and the bolt came out pretty far, that can't fall out can it? Also it seems impossible to bleed these rads without getting water all over you, so I did get water all over my hands and it didn't burn me and just for a test I kept hitting myself with that water and I still am pretty positive I could drink it if I wanted to. I will try to get out that steady stream and see what happens tommorow when I have someone with me. Questions I have are only radiators with air in them suppose to sputter? Mine was sputtering also once the stream comes out is the temperature suppose to get hotter right away?

 

[SeanJ]

And does every unit have there own make up valve? And did you mean turn up the pressure to my apartment to circulate or the whole building? I am still trying to figure out these terms also is there a way to test if it's under pressure or not?

 

[frodo]

no,,,you better leave it alone. you need a hvac tech to bleed your system, get it running.

your landlord is an idiot. if a tech was working on your system, it is part of the job to bleed the system and turn over to the client a complete system

your land lord needs to call them up and tell them to bleed it. and stop doing the "landlord/handyman" nohelp crap

 

[frodo]

And does every unit have there own make up valve? And did you mean turn up the pressure to my apartment to circulate or the whole building? I am still trying to figure out these terms also is there a way to test if it's under pressure or not?

when you open the bleeder valve. if its under pressure you will know. lol

a dribble,,is not under pressure, a forceful stream of steaming hot water

is what you should get

OF COURSE TURN THE T STAT ON