Why is my apartment leaking air?

Question

I moved into a 20th floor apartment, and it is leaking air in weird ways. The apartment has 2 ac units in the wall and the heating is provided by the building through some runners near the floor (they are turned off).

So, the air in the hall outside the apartment is hot and I want to keep it out to keep my electricity bill down, but it is streaming through the crack in the door. I tried some rubber strips in the door frame, but the door is tilted so that at the bottom, the door is so far away from the frame that there is still a gap where air comes in. I have also noticed that there is a vent above the stove (meant to be used to carry fumes away when cooking) and a small vent right above the shower head in the bathroom (for who knows what purpose). Air is being sucked IN to these vents. I have also noticed a gap where the pipes to the bathroom sink come through the wall and air is streaming in from that gap.

What is going on here? How can I keep my cool A/C air inside my apartment? Can I force the apartment complex to do anything?

Answer 1

get yourself a door sweep. it is a wood, metal, or plastic strip with a rubber flap that hangs down. you can attach it to the bottom of your door with screws to block the draft. a product called "great stuff" will help with the hole your pipes come through. it is an expanding foam that you squirt in the gap and will continue to expand for several hours afterward to ensure that air can't penetrate. good luck!