condensation issues - major toilet sweat

wombosi

I was at a customer's house today replacing some rotten exterior trim.

They showed me their bathroom, too. It has hardwood T&G flooring which is "finger pokable" punky under the toilet.

The toilet tank has a liner, but the entire thing is dripping sweat, tank and bowl. There are no actual leaks in the toilet.

The house was built in the 80's and has fiberglass insulation.
In the basement, there is a 3/4" water line below the joists, dripping sweat like crazy across it's entire length. above it is unfaced fiberglass, which is wet to the touch around the pipe.

Bathroom has an exhaust fan, but they say the mirror is always foggy.

This was a bit out of my scope of knowledge, so I wanted to ask what you guys thought. They've already had a plumber look at it, who basically blew them off and mentioned something about changing the toilet supply to hot water, which sounds absurd to me.

I think essentially there is nothing wrong with the toilet and nothing wrong with the way the floor is built, just somehow there is a general problem of condensation/humidity/lack of breathability.

What would you guys do if this were your house? I suggested a dehumidifier, but there's "no room" in the bathroom. Maybe put one in the basement and remove the fiberglass under the bathroom, at least? Upgrade to a better exhaust fan?

Thanks a lot.

Proby

That would be the first place I would look. Many older exhaust fans had very low CFMs to start, then they get clogged with 15 years of dust which makes it worse. I would find where it vents to and feel if it has any air coming out at all. You should feel a good amount of air coming out (pretty scientific, huh? ).

It seems like there is a humidity issue, I'm sure a much smarter person than me will be around shortly to help you

beenthere

Exhaust fan vent may be clogged or restricted.

lloydb

This house wouldn't be supplied by well water would it? Water from a well can be cold and cause the tank to sweat. It may be hard to remove enough humidity to keep it from sweating if the water is very cold.

I'm leaning to a warm water fix myself

High Gear

Dew point !

Just like your glass of " ice tea " sweating on a warm day.

My bath fans are all on timers.

McSteve

My grandma's cabin has ice-cold well water, which makes the toilet sweat profusely. The solution was indeed to feed the toilet with warm water via some kind of mixing valve. It is a little strange to have a toilet full of hot water, but it works.

lloydb

See, I'm thinking this is the easiest fix, especially since you can get under it.

__________________
Broken Arrow hvac
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

StahlMaster

I've seen mixer valves the combine cold and hot water to supply the toilet. Most bathroom fans do not move the required CFM's as needed. Get the sq. footage of the bathroom and size the fan accordingly. But first make sure the fan is running and not obstructed.

D

DangerMouse

Thanks for this one. We have great well water too, but the new cheapie toilet she bought for the half bath sweats like a pig with the condensation. Our older toilet is a FlushMate® and is HIGHLY recommended by THIS guy!
IF it condenses, it does it inside the tank, and drips the water down and does not cool the outer tank. I pulled it recently to move it and dumped maybe a cup of water from the tank. The only problem I ever had was with a duckbill bladder valve that they since quit using. They sent me (free) a new insert for the top as well as the new bladder, basically giving me a new toilet again. It flushes like a jet plane and never clogs, so it's been a blessing for us! No, I do not own the company nor have any ties, I just love my toilet! Same as I recommend Johnson Pocket Door hardware! Quality WAY beyond the made in (you know where) units they try to sell you....what kinda crap is that anyways? The wife bought one accidentally, and I compared the two...wow. The crap one was returned, of course.
When it's done right, it's done right....you know? Po)

DM

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Click
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!