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Household Hints & Help

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)

6. Old black plastic knobs will tend to crack easily when you try to use force on them,

Reply to no_hypocrisy (Reply #3)

Thu Aug 28, 2014, 05:32 PM

Aug 2014

I replace them with metal ones (you remove the knob by removing the screw in the middle).

For stuck ones you can just try a pair of "Vise-Grips" gripping the shaft below the knob, but the
problem may just be that someone painted it shut or the valve packing (contained at the bottom
of the shaft secured by a large nut that the shaft goes through) has become solid and needs to be
replaced.

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Steam heating via radiators [View all] no_hypocrisy Aug 2014 OP

That little black handle should shut off the hot water to the radiator. The Velveteen Ocelot Aug 2014 #1

Turning the black valve clockwise (when viewed from above) should shut down that radiator. n/t PoliticAverse Aug 2014 #2

Thanks. If it's stuck, how do you loosen the little black knob? no_hypocrisy Aug 2014 #3

There should be a screw in the middle of the top of the knob. The Velveteen Ocelot Aug 2014 #4

If it's stuck, I wouldn't mess with it then. Kaleva Aug 2014 #5

Old black plastic knobs will tend to crack easily when you try to use force on them, PoliticAverse Aug 2014 #6

Frozen pipes break and leak. Plan a head. kickysnana Aug 2014 #7