Help! There's a tiny draft under my air conditioner!

[Darth_Kitten]

Any heat saving experts here? When then put in my air conditioner(window unit) they put some kind of foam all around it. I noticed now that when it's winter and really cold, there's a little draft here. Reason why: between the foam and air conditioner there's a little hole to the outside. :(

What do I tell the landlord? like, Uh, there's a draft here and could you please fix it?
How do they fix it by the way? :)

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Finally!!!

A use for all that duct tape you purchased months ago. Seriously, I always duct tape over the holes.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. What's caulking?

could they use that? :shrug:

I don't know...but a little hole like that could make things horribly cold if the temperature REALLY went down. :(

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. I don't think you'd want to caulk your window sill.

http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/consumered/heg157.htm#wtc

[Don_G]

5. Caulking Is A Vinegary Smelling Goo

That dries to form rubbery stuff to seal holes. You can get a small tube of it at a hardware store or home supply place for a couple of bucks and do it yourself.

[trof]

4. canned biscuit dough

makes excellent caulking

[Mikimouse]

7. Yeah, but her cockatiel would probably peck it out

pretty quickly;-) I would second the duct tape suggestion. Also, I thought it was still fairly balmy in Winnipeg? Mother-in-law was still out in the yeard earlier in the week.

[Darth_Kitten]

9. hehe....but I'm thinking for the future...

I'm thinking "wind chill factor"...
;)

I'm not waiting. :)

[Mikimouse]

10. Awwwwww heck, what's a little -35C between friends?

We'll probably be up there freezing with the rest of you in December. I'm hoping that there will be the same amount of snow as in 2000 (I turn back into a kid when surrounded by snow, even after having been forced to drive in it for 20 years):hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. I put plastic sheeting over my air conditioners

Since I can't take them out of the window since I have no room in the apartment to store them, I tape plastic bags over the air conditioners and seal them up that way. Tehre really is no way, with a window air conditioner, to ever get it sealed up in its native form - one must always do something extra for the winter. I use garbage bags and some masking tape, and never had a problem.

[Darth_Kitten]

8. I thought I was the only one...

using duct tape and towels to seal things up. :) But I may invest in some caulking for this tiny hole underneath it. (between the "foam" and the unit). It was really drafty until I stuff a towel in it, but maybe caulking it would be better. And would probably look better as well. :thumbsup:

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I wouldn't use caulking

Unless the hole is very small...

But really, air will leak around the entire air conditioner, even where you don't see holes, an technically you'd ened even to caulk over all the foam, because there will be little leaks around it. Best, and cleanest, to just wrap it in plastic. IMO.

[Darth_Kitten]

14. Use both?

caulk up the little hole and then duct tape over the whole blasted unit? :evilgrin: ;)

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. That might work!

Could be a good idea.

[radwriter0555]

12. I just had my handyman take mine out Thursday. I wrapped it up in a

big plastic tarp, sealed it up with DUCT TAPE and am leaving it in a corner of the patio til next summer, when I use it again 3 times.

[radwriter0555]

11. Got duct tape?

That stuff solves a WHOLE lotta problems.

[Bozita]

16. They sell foam-in-a-spraycan

It expands when it comes out the nozzle and fills small gaps.

Since the foam contains 1000s of tiny air bubbles, it acts as insulation.

Stuff sells for about $5/can.