How To Heat A Prewar Apartment Without Central Heating

Apartments that were built prior to World War 2 look differently than modern apartments. These apartments have smaller rooms yet they tend to have high ceilings. Prewar apartments are easy to find in many areas because they tend to exude an old world charm. One of the least liked parts of prewar apartments is that there is no central HVAC unit. Apartments built before or during the time of the war do not have central air and heating. Therefore, many of these apartments will have window units or use space heaters. If you want to safely heat your pre-war apartment, here are some ways to start making your home cozier. 

Install a ductless unit in the main room

One of the benefits of prewar rooms being smaller is that one ductless heating unit will be able to put out plenty of heat to spread to other rooms. Have your heating specialist set up your ductless unit in the main room and use it for a few weeks to determine just how well it is eating the bedrooms and bathrooms. If you want to have more heat, you can invest in ductless mini-splits in order to provide heating directly in the other rooms. 

Unseal the doors

Most people focus on sealing the doors in the home in order to keep the outside elements in. Focus on unsealing your interior doors, such as your bathroom door and your bedroom doors. This will allow the heating from the ductless unit and from other heating sources to seep through to all of the rooms. This will allow you to use less electricity in your prewar apartment, which can keep your electricity bill lower. Get the windows sealed, especially if you have removed an air conditioning unit from the windows so that you can stabilize the indoor temperature without any hindrance. 

Get the fireplace back in working order

Many prewar apartments will come with a classic fireplace. Buring a fire was one of the primary methods of heating prior in the prior century. If you have a pre-war apartment with a fireplace, have the fireplace cleaned and inspected to determine if you can burn wood inside of the fireplace safely. Do a test run to determine how much wood is necessary for a small fire that provides some heat without burning too hot. Check with your HOA or building management to determine if there are any rules for burning your fireplace. 

Contact a service, like Air Controls, for more help.