help!!

peanuthead

hey there

need some help

Im renting a room at the moment. Now I know its the landlords job to look after this, but forget that, because its just not happening!!

Can someone help me, the most ferocious draught is coming in through my window. Now its coming in from underneath the windowsill, so its not that the window is sealed wrong, more likely that the surrounding area around window wasnt redone properly (I think they were a DIY job to begin with!!)

I need some sort of a DIY fix to this problem. Someone mentioned spay pollyfilla under the windowsill (Its loose, so I could hold it up into place, spray into the small gap/cracks and paint over??)

Having said that there also is a smaller draught coming in under the window, but I could get a draught excluder for that.

I have also been told to fill the open vent in the room with expandable foam, can anyone tell me how much that costs?

Please write back with your recommendations, as Im going out of my head with the coldness, I have a sore throat this morning after waking up, not to mention the fact that the cold makes it hard enough to get out of the bed in the morning!!

Also, the house itself isn't well insulated, you could have the heating on all day and once its off the house is stone cold in 15-20 mins, and Im putting it back on again. The hall, stairs and landing are NEVER warm, not even when he heating's on!!

HELP ME!!

10-10-20

Stuff the window sill with newspaper. This should eliminate the draft.
We aren't supposed to advise on blocking the wall vents, but in my mind, one could do this if there was too much cold air entering the room. They are required to allow air exchanges in the house, which is a requirement.
Maybe consider adding sliding vents onto them instead of closing them over all together. You can get these for ~€5 in the likes of Woodies.

RKQ

Don't block the vent with foam! A sealed vent will result in Condensation and mould growth.

Consider a new plastic cover that can slide shut, as recommend by 10-10-20.

How big are the gaps under the window cill?
Spray Foam (€5 - €10) or mastic (€3 - €5) might do the job. Newspaper would work for the time being.

How long are the curtains? Could you hang a Quilt over the window to prevent the draught?

Good luck

DublinDilbert

10-10-20 wrote: »

Stuff the window sill with newspaper. This should eliminate the draft.
We aren't supposed to advise on blocking the wall vents, but in my mind, one could do this if there was too much cold air entering the room. They are required to allow air exchanges in the house, which is a requirement.
Maybe consider adding sliding vents onto them instead of closing them over all together. You can get these for ~€5 in the likes of Woodies.

if you can lift the windowsill a little, you'll get a better idea of what your dealing with... if there is a gap between the window and concrete some spray in foam would do the job. you might also be able to do this from the outside too.

yea don't block up vents if you can avoid it. If you have a gas fire you'll need a non close-able vent. What you can do is make up baffles for inside the vent, which will force the air to turn a number of times before entering the room.

dh0661

IMO
Option #1
Approach the landlord and tell him, if it's not fixed by the weekend you will be left with no other option than to look elsewhere for accommodation.
In these present times I assume that he'll find it difficult to find a new tenant.
Option #2
Get someone legit to repair the window, get a vat receipt for it and hand it lo landlord and deduct it from rent. He can claim it against tax.