We're in an NYC pre-war apartment building. Under every window, there's a built in radiator:
Each has a knob that supposedly shuts the radiator off but it doesn't always work. Meaning you can tighten it down and the radiator still gets hot.
I saw a nearby real estate listing where someone had built a cabinet below their windows, creating a bench and some storage. I'm interested in trying the same thing, but I'm worried that storage over and around the hot radiators would be a mistake.
Does anyone have suggestions on insulating the radiators so that we won't be melting crayons? Or for turning them off? Anyone tried this?
Note: these photos are both from real estate listings. The first isn't our actual unit, but does show how the radiators are flush against the wall.