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Jschange

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« on: December 14, 2016, 09:51:47 PM »
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« Last Edit: December 15, 2016, 07:56:12 PM by LittleFriendlyGiant »

letired

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Re: How do I cheaply insulate a crappy apartment
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2016, 10:21:41 PM »
:/ that sounds really uncomfortable.

You might have more success if, in addition to the thermostat, you can point out WHERE you have found air coming in. Sometimes its easy and you can see daylight (and thus air can come in). I've definitely wandered around with damp hands trying to work out where that air is coming from.

I was renting from a friend in a tiny, adorable, uninsulated poorly maintained house with air leaks EVERYWHERE. The window plastic made a big difference. I put it on every window I could. Afterward, I could watch the plastic move a bit in response to the wind, but I didn't feel the breeze anymore! It was amazing!

I successfully installed new sweeps for regular doors. Youtube might be able to help with suggestions for weatherstripping sliding doors? Some supplies aren't THAT expensive and it might be worth it if the landlord isn't helpful.

There is also a really cool thing called Moretite rope caulk, which is basically like a GIANT wide strip of poster tack that you can make any width or length you need to. The first time I tried to use it, I was trying to stuff it into cracks and airgaps. The strategy that ended up working was to actually just leave it in big chunks and completely cover over the gaps. I'm using it to cover gaps where some casement windows don't close completely because the frame is warped a bit. It's removable and doesn't leave any residue.

obstinate

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Re: How do I cheaply insulate a crappy apartment
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2016, 12:12:39 AM »
You can buy and light little incense sticks to see the direction of airflow (the smoke will show you where the air is going). Then you just have to walk to where it's coming from.

dess1313

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Re: How do I cheaply insulate a crappy apartment
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2016, 12:17:55 AM »
look at the rubber gasket around the patio doors, they may be torn or missing.  do you use them regularly in the winter time?  if they are not used often, consider cutting some thick hard board insulation and putting a layer up in front of those doors.  its $20 at home depot or other places.  cover it with a nice decorative blanket.  make it fit tight, or buy the gasket seals for around doors and put it on the edge of the hard board foam to seal it.  That should both cut air flow, and add insulation value.  Also getting a tube of silicone may help if you have gaps in your windows or window frames that you can caulk shut.  biggest thing is to find out where the worst leaks are from as others have said

Freedomin5

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Re: How do I cheaply insulate a crappy apartment
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2016, 08:05:02 AM »
We live in China. Everything is poorly constructed here. What we did was wrap packing foam around the edges of all our doors to create an extra cushiony barrier. We then close all the doors and use a space heater only in the room that we are in. The other rooms in the apartment stay cold, unless we are in that room, in which case, we put the space heater in that room. Our space heater has wheels and a handle so it is easy to move around.

Even then it can get kind of cold because all our walls are concrete, so we just dress warmly.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!