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Old 01-04-2010, 11:27 AM
 
449 posts, read 1,694,969 times
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With the negative temps and winds we're having, I'm finding air literally blowing in all over the place. Our living room is the older part of the house, the air is coming in between the floor and the bottom of the baseboard. It doesn't help that its a tile floor. Its a long wall - 35feet? so it would take a lot of those draft dodgers. I put plugs in the outlets but air is still coming in strongly around the outlet cover. Or the outer frame of the windows, though I did put plastic over the windows. I don't mean you can kind of feel the cold, you can feel it blowing 8-9 inches away most times.

I've seen removeable caulk but this is a rental and I don't want to leave any marks. Has anyone tried it..does it really come off well later? The walls and baseboards are matching custom colors..no way to easily fix if the paint gets damaged.

Or is there a tape that would work? and still stick to a very cold floor? I was thinking of putting that around the outlet covers but still have to worry about paint getting messed up. I love the way each room is brightly colored the outlets are painted too but it makes it hard to touch up.
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Old 01-04-2010, 01:43 PM
 
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If I was you I would talk to your landlord if possible. I hope your heat is included in your rent. I have used removeable caulk before. It will come off if applied properly to begin with. As for electrical outlets you can go to Home Depot and get insulated pieces you put behind the top cover. Good luck
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Old 01-04-2010, 02:57 PM
 
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It sounds like you need some clear silicone along the baseboards.
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Old 01-04-2010, 03:46 PM
 
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During the worst of it, I'd be tossing the dirty sheets and towels along the base of that wall.
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Old 01-04-2010, 10:09 PM
 
Location: NE San Antonio
1,642 posts, read 4,081,398 times
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Might not hurt to ask the landlord/office for some help. When I moved into my last apt, I requested new stripping under the doors. They were happy to do it, but would not have if I hadn't asked.
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Old 01-05-2010, 12:56 AM
 
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I once lived in a place that was so drafty we hung heavy drapes and blankets all around the perimeter of the room. Long enough pieces that they pooled at the floor, 'trapping' the cold air.

As a temporary measure, I'd roll up blankets and lay them against the baseboards.

If the room is really 35 feet--which is a little less than 1/2 the length of a basketball court, so...enormous....I would find a way to block off part of it. Hang drapes or tape plastic around half of it so that you aren't trying to heat all of it.
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Old 01-05-2010, 09:26 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,296 posts, read 61,087,401 times
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Have any old blown out inner tubes?

They make nice gaskets. Remove the outlet face-plate and use it for a template to cut the rubber gasket.
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Old 01-05-2010, 08:00 PM
 
449 posts, read 1,694,969 times
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Thank you all for the tips. I was going to check with the landlord about using the clear silicon on the floor - if it clear, it might not be a problem. I did tape some newspapers to cut down on the drafts..don't have many spare blankets or towels that we're not using. And I've found out the wall between the windows is very cold - so handing something or maybe putting a sheet of insulation panel next to it might help. The windows are plastic covered, dryer sealed kind - with the plastic still being pretty cold, its cooling down the air in the room. I'm going to put some insulation board between the blind and the plastic to improve things. I've never lived in a place where the walls themselves got so cold. Oh, it is over 30 ft - the wide front side of the house, its a narrow rectangle. No basement or crawl space under so the cold creeps up from the floor - I think that really makes a difference esp with the heat vents in the ceiling (probably the central heat/air was added later).

All these tips are very helpful - thank you.

We were here last winter and its much worse this year - I think its all the extra artic air we've all been having. Luckily, the thermostat register is in the newer, warmer part of the house so it isn't kicking on all the time.
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Old 01-07-2010, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Eastern Washington
17,139 posts, read 56,841,082 times
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You can buy pre-cut gaskets for electrical outlets, they are made of foam, thin, pretty cheap to buy, they don't show much, I don't think your landlord would object to them. They fit regular 2-outlet 15 or 20 amp 115 VAC recepticles, and switch plates as well. I have used these things on every house I have ever owned.

Frost King - SEALERS AND COVERS
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