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What to do if your apartment is cold in winter?
The cold season is a real test for both residents of high-rise buildings and owners of private houses. Many residents must wear warm clothes and use electric heaters to stay warm, despite the high cost of electricity, and sleeping under several warm blankets does not bring the desired rest and comfort. Low room temperature causes respiratory and pulmonary diseases, and bills for heating the apartment do not decrease... What to do and where to go in such cases?
Insulation options
There are two main ways to solve the problem of low temperature in apartments: insulation yourself or contacting the housing office. The second option, as a rule, does not give the required result, so we’ll immediately focus on the more rational one, that is, insulating your home yourself. The first thing you need to do is check possible heat leaks yourself. Such “weak spots” in an apartment can be rickety, old windows, roof leaks, improperly installed doors, as well as cracks in the walls and cold floors. All this can be eliminated on your own, without involving utility services.
Waterproofing a country house
Effective moisture protection is also necessary for every home. It includes a membrane of roofing felt, waterproofing or bicroelast between the frame wall and the plinth. If the base is thick relative to the wall, it is necessary to drain it to remove moisture. To avoid dampening of the insulation in the walls, it is necessary to provide an air layer for it with a thickness of at least 50 centimeters.
Remember that wet insulation loses its properties and is destroyed.
To protect the insulation from blowing, windproof material is used on the surface of the insulation located on the side of the air gap. And also “vents” are made in the upper and lower sections of the walls so that the air gap is ventilated.
Payment issues
Many apartment owners are interested in the question of whether it is advisable to pay for heating if it is cold in the apartment. Remember that according to regulations, you only have to pay if the apartment remains at an acceptable temperature for a full billing month. The term “acceptable” refers to a temperature that varies from +18 to +20 degrees with ambient temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius.
If the negative temperature outside is even lower, then for every degree of negative ambient temperature it is worth adding 2 degrees of heat to the room temperature. Example: -32 outside, the heating temperature in the apartment should be at least +22 degrees Celsius.
If the temperature in the apartment is below the standard (for example, due to emergency work), then according to the same standards, the apartment can be without heating for no more than a day. Moreover, one-time shutdowns can last no more than 16 hours, and the room temperature should not be lower than +12 degrees. There are other nuances of the temperature regime in the premises, which can be found in the relevant standards, as well as in the approved regulations for the operation of the heating network.
But we, nevertheless, do not settle on paper correspondence with housing offices regarding the temperature regime in the apartment, but on a more rational solution - on independently eliminating all “weak points”. So…
Application of liquid wallpaper
Adding varnish to the mixture when preparing liquid wallpaper will add additional shine. The range of colors allows you to choose a shade that will fit well into the interior. This type of covering is used in the area next to the bed because it has a number of undeniable advantages:
- moisture resistance;
- does not fade;
- safety (hypoallergenic);
- low maintenance (applied to different surfaces);
- possibility of additional decoration.
Eliminating sources of cold
If the temperature in the apartment is not comfortable for you, it is worth identifying places of heat leakage, which include leaky windows, balcony doors, frozen walls, uneconomical radiators, and an incorrectly installed front door. Depending on the identified cause, a further action plan is selected.
Please note that it is old wooden windows that are the main conductor of cold air in the apartment. Even if the windows are closed, they do not fit tightly, and there is a draft in the apartment. The only reasonable solution is to completely replace all old, emergency double-glazed windows. Qualified installation of modern thermal window units guarantees reliable protection from low temperatures and maximum possible heat retention. But this is only true in the case of qualified, professional installation of double-glazed windows with a guarantee of quality work! If you decide to save on installation, the windows will soon become depressurized, cracks will certainly appear, and thus all the work will not bring the desired result.
If you already have plastic windows, but there is a draft in the apartment, you need diagnostics, which can be carried out by a qualified specialist. Most likely, there is some hidden defect that cannot be identified at first glance. This defect may be associated with the consequences of precipitation; the mounting foam or window seals, which can be quickly replaced, may be deformed.
There is no opportunity to install a new, reliable modern double-glazed window? In this case, it is worth very carefully, painstakingly insulating the old wooden window. The most accessible and technically simplest method is to carefully close all the cracks with cotton wool, and secure the cotton wool on top with tape around the perimeter of the window. Construction stores offer a wide range of window insulation products, for example, self-adhesive foam insulation. It must be carefully stretched around the perimeter of the frame and pressed firmly. It is worth considering the only drawback of such insulation - exposure to moisture. Another option for insulating windows on a budget is to use transparent sealant.
The windows are insulated, but the apartment is still cold and uncomfortable? In this case, you shouldn’t stop, be disappointed, and you need to carefully examine the walls.
Cold walls, especially if the apartment is corner, allow heat to pass through quite strongly. High-quality thermal insulation inside and outside will help to significantly increase the temperature inside the room during the cold season. It is quite possible to carry out internal insulation without the involvement of specialists, but it is necessary to strictly adhere to the technology of the work and carry out all stages in accordance with our recommendations.
Internal insulation should begin with insulation of corners. To do this, insulation must be glued at the junction of the ceiling and walls. If the house is made of panels, the gaps between the panels should be sealed with cement and, if necessary, filled with tow. From above, such cracks must be additionally treated with transparent acrylic, completely environmentally friendly mastic.
Comments: 31
Tatyana Tatyana
You might think about a warm electric baseboard.
Tatyana Tatyana
Or make panels on the walls from parquet flooring
Related discussions
Need help in planning (zoning) an apartment. Treshka, 75 m. Need ideas.
Comments (26) Good evening. A decision has been made))). Time will show how correct it is. The decision is to make 2 children's bedrooms, a parent's bedroom without a bathroom, a kitchen (a kitchen-living room of 16-19 meters would be ideal), a wardrobe for parents, a sewing area for the wife and a place for household items .locker.My wife's arguments - it is better now to think about the layout and, unfortunately, refuse a more spacious kitchen-living room, than later, when the children grow up (and time flies quickly), separate them when they cannot share one room and bite their elbows. I sketched out this option (see picture). Pros, as it seems to me: the presence of 2 children's rooms, a separate bathroom (even if small), a parent's bedroom, a place for the wife's hobbies and a small kitchen-living room, no need to transfer communications. Disadvantages - the second children's room looks like a "carriage", the placement of the utility closet is not the best, the bathroom is small, and somehow not very functional. Please point your nose in which direction to move. I really want to squeeze out of these 75 meters something practical and convenient for everyone. Thanks in advance.)))
Need some advice. One-room apartment on two sides.
Comments (18) Olga, these are the requests. One-room apartment for three (for now)). The apartment is not the main one, in St. Petersburg, renovations have not yet begun, while everything is in progress. There was an apartment with exactly the same layout, but a two-room apartment. There was a full bedroom for a child, but it was empty all the time because... the child is small. The apartment was changed, now it’s a one-room apartment, and there’s no room for a nursery. Because the layout is familiar, I want something new, not like it was before. I didn’t like the kitchen-living room there, because... there was no demarcation of space, and the middle of the room was empty. Everything was done according to the walls. That’s why we planned a bar counter here. I wanted space and at the same time functionality.
Need design advice or a design project itself?
Wardrobe and work area on the loggia
Comments (41) Hello! With a bar counter that goes into the work area, it’s an interesting option, only my desk is too high for a desk then, for the bed in the second option, a retractable door will be needed, then there will be noise above the headboard. The first one turns out to be an ordinary door that opens to the side of the cabinet. I also wanted to clarify about the radiator (the vertical one is said to be worse in terms of heat distribution than conventional ones, since the cold air is closer to the floor, so I’m wondering if it makes sense to pay 20 rubles for it, plus the work, that’s why I wanted some extra rooms where the bar counter should be moved, purely externally, yes, the vertical one has a different look. I initially planned this option with a bed, like the second one, but everyone immediately began to write that this cannot be done at the entrance, which is why this option also came out as the first one, a lot I tried to do it in the program, these are the most optimal ones
Olesya B
Olesya B
Elena
For example here. You can figure this out yourself if your husband is handy.
Or in special The company can order a separate sheet of plywood, quilted with fabric, the length of the bed, with neat ends, and simply attach it to the wall.
By color you can make them like a sofa. If yours is really bright blue.
Olga
Tatyana Tatyana
MebXLine
I would suggest almost the same option as Elena. I’ll just call it a false wall by the bed. We made similar ones in our products as a mandatory element. Just a wider drawer (to the height of the back). Functionally, it had another semantic load. Usually in children's rooms this wall wore out very quickly))) Children, however.
viktoriya77
HOUZZ-NL/UA
They will do it in front of you in any large construction supermarket. Don't forget the edge or painted trim on the top and sides.
2. insulates from the wall
3. does not change the style/design of the room and is not noticeable at all
4. easy to install/dismantle
Natalya Maximenko Design
But it seems to me that you can use cork in a bleached color. Make a strip up to the lowering of the wall shelves; make this decorative strip just up to the height of the wall cabinets.
The cork near the bed will protect against the cold, and after the bed it will serve as an “exhibition” stand where the child can “pin” his “works”
Dasha Sidikhmenova
patchwork rugs, pillows)))) a little funny)))) grandmothers hung carpet all their lives))))
Pay attention to radiators
Uneconomical batteries are a fairly common cause of cold in an apartment. Replacing batteries with bimetallic or cast iron models allows you to achieve an optimal microclimate in the apartment with the same material costs for heating. Reliable, wear-resistant and durable, such batteries are characterized by excellent heat dissipation, high power and the presence of a temperature controller.
If necessary, one of the batteries in the apartment can be turned off independently. The guaranteed service life is more than 50 years, so once you involve specialists and change the batteries throughout the apartment, you will enjoy all the benefits of this solution for many years and will forever forget that the batteries in the apartment can be cold in winter. Of course, if for some reason your heating is not turned off...
Prevention of wall freezing
To prevent the wall from freezing in the future, you must do the following:
- insulate and glaze the balcony if the problem wall is located nearby;
- check and repair, if necessary, the ventilation system;
- patch cracks and defects with silicone sealant.
All these recommendations taken together are the answer to the question of what to do if the wallpaper peels off on a cold wall. This is due to increased dampness that needs to be dealt with.
Exterior works
If simple internal insulation of an apartment can be done by anyone who has encountered cosmetic repairs, the same cannot be said about external insulation. External insulation is carried out by experienced specialists with the involvement of highly qualified industrial climbers. The main materials when performing this type of work are polystyrene foam and mesh for plaster mortar. Upon completion of the insulation process, the facade can be painted in any desired color.
If heat leaks occur through the balcony, only experienced specialists can help cope with this problem. To eliminate heat loss through the balcony, the balcony is insulated inside and out with foam plastic or other materials with high heat-saving properties (mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, etc.).
On the balcony, special attention is paid to the windows, ceiling, walls, and, if necessary, double-glazed windows. Remember that high-quality plastic balcony blocks will help retain heat and protect your apartment from drafts.
Which areas need to be insulated?
To reduce heat transfer from object to object, you need to put insulation on a warm object, as a result of which heat will leave it at a slower rate. Now the heat loss of the object will be directly affected by the thickness of the insulation and its heat resistance.
You can reduce the direct path of heat transfer if you place insulation in the following areas:
- house walls;
- floors;
- roof or ceiling;
- external and internal side surfaces of the foundation.
It is important! It is not practical to insulate the internal foundation if it is not insulated from the outside, because... this may cause it to freeze.
By the way, material on the topic:
Why does the roof freeze and how to deal with it?
Why do walls freeze and how to deal with it?
Cold floor and ceiling
The radiators have been changed, the double-glazed windows are in place, the plastic balcony block has been installed, there are no cracks in the walls, but it’s still cold in the apartment? In this case, there is a high probability of heat loss due to a cold floor or ceiling, especially if you live on the upper floors.
The reason for freezing of the ceiling may be deformation of the roof or a violation of its integrity, which leads to a violation of the waterproofing and the formation of mold on the ceiling in the room. The only way out is to insulate the ceiling on both sides. If the cold in the apartment is observed as a result of a constantly cold floor, the problem can be solved more easily than in the case of a cold ceiling. The floor is insulated by replacing the covering with warm linoleum or laminate, or installing a floor heating system.
Summary
The steps suggested above are a basic package of activities. You may have already done some of them. Or maybe you are just about to conduct an energy audit; by the way, it always makes sense to start with this.
The research results will tell you which direction to start moving in and will save you from unnecessary costs. When organizing thermal insulation of a house, an integrated approach is desirable; if you insulate the facade, then do it over the entire area, and not apartment by apartment.
Many of the typical mistakes in home insulation are easily eliminated. After which the energy efficiency of the building improves. As for the apartment, here, for example, it is easy to eliminate the flow of cold air through the installation ducts of the air conditioner, cracks in windows and doors. You will immediately notice that the room immediately becomes warmer.
Sealing seams
One of the most pressing reasons for low temperatures in a living room is insufficient insulation of interpanel seams. As a rule, the interpanel seams of many houses are filled with cement mortar, which, under the influence of moisture and negative temperatures, begins to crumble after just a few years of operation. In addition, the cement itself perfectly allows moisture to pass through and is not particularly resistant to mechanical stress. Therefore, even a small crack causes complete destruction of the seam. Even if your home is “luckier” and rubber was used to fill the interpanel space, then under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and temperature changes it also cracks and begins to let moisture through. That is why hiring experienced specialists to seal interpanel seams will help solve problems of dampness in the apartment and create a comfortable microclimate.
Our specialists will repair interpanel seams[/anchor], and will also help carry out all work related to eliminating any other sources of cold in the apartment.
If the cold comes from the doors
Please note that up to 40% of heat is lost due to poor quality, ill-fitting entrance door. Only complete sealing guarantees no heat loss. To achieve tightness, it is necessary to insulate the internal cavity of the door, and if the door is single-layer, that is, without an internal cavity, foam plastic must be glued to it. For an aesthetic effect, plywood of any shade or textured plastic is installed on the foam.
Having insulated the door leaf, it is necessary to check for cracks and gaps that could arise due to improper installation of the front door or shrinkage. All gaps should be filled with a special sealant, which is sold in hardware stores, and you need to pay attention to the thickness of such a sealant. A thin seal will not cope with the task, and a too wide one will become an obstacle when closing the doors.
If you have followed all the above recommendations and are absolutely sure that there are no drafts in the apartment, but it is still cold, you need to involve utility services. To do this, it is advisable to enlist the support of neighbors who have the same situation. Remember that in case of any sudden shutdown of the heat supply, you must immediately contact the appropriate authorities for clarification. A common cause of such outages is a breakdown on the line, and the heat stops flowing to all apartments at once. If the radiators are cold only in your apartment, you should also notify the utility services, as in this case serious malfunctions in the heating system are possible.
Battery clogged
Natural corrosive changes that occur during long-term operation of the heating system, as well as deposits actively deposited on the internal walls of radiators, are the main causes of blockages of varying degrees of complexity. As a rule, battery clogging is provoked by the use of ordinary tap water as a heat carrier, which has not undergone preliminary purification and has an insufficiently high level of purity.
A clogged internal part of the battery causes a disruption in the movement of the coolant, as a result of which some part of the heating system does not warm up well enough. Modern radiator models are characterized by increased resistance to corrosion. These include bimetallic radiators, which ensure 100% passability and uninterrupted heating operation even in dirty residential heating systems.
To sum it up...
So, it's cold in the apartment. Your actions…
Eliminate all possible heat leaks yourself.
If the problem persists, notify utility companies.
Write an application to the service company, after which a technician from the public or private company that services your home will diagnose the heating and find the cause. Within 24 hours, if the repair is expected to be minor, the cause of the low temperature must be eliminated. During this time, the technician will carry out repairs and adjust the heating system. There is a serious breakdown; according to the law, the problem must be fixed within a week.
If nothing brings results
If absolutely nothing helps, does not bring results, or you are not satisfied with the result of the master’s work, you need to write a complaint to the company that supplies heat specifically to your home. A qualified housing lawyer will help you draw up your application correctly.
With such a statement, you should sign up for a consultation with a company employee, and the application must be submitted in accordance with all legal details.
That is, write the application in two copies, indicate the filing date and the number under which the application will be registered. This is necessary if the case goes to court, because there are such situations, especially if we are talking about serious amounts of recalculation for heating. Such a complaint must be considered within three days. It is on these days that a company specialist will visit your apartment and take control measurements. Next, a measurement report will be drawn up, on the basis of which recalculation is possible. Before starting to fill out an application for work, you will be briefed by our specialist; after completing the documents for access to the roof (the company decides this issue independently and free of charge for the customer), a full assessment of the cost of the work will be carried out, taking into account the specifics of the object.
