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As I approached retirement, my wife and I looked for a home we could afford and that we would love to have and retire in. We found an old house, approximately 70 years old, which had been remodeled and refurbished, yet still needing some things done. It was in a quiet neighborhood and the street has very little traffic, in that it is only two blocks long. When we first looked at it, no one lived there and the owners were having repairs made. The full bath room had the entire floor torn out and they were replacing the joists underneath along with the flooring because it had rotted. We bought the house and when we moved into it, all looked well and good. It was in mid Autumn and we found no problems until cold weather set in.
One cold day when I stepped into the bathroom there was a small puddle of water under and to the right of the toilet tank. The floor covering was asphalt tile so I knew this could easily seep between the tiles. I mopped up the water and told my wife about it. She then told me she had also seen a small spot of water the day before. I checked the plumbing joints for leaks and could find no evidence of any. I began to be concerned that the seal beneath the bowl might be leaking a bit.
I crawled underneath the house and could find no evidence of leaks or seepage there. But within the next several days, we found a wet spot now and then there underneath the tank. I began to feel the sides of the tank and found them beaded up with water droplets and the tank very cold to the touch. So it dawned on me that this was condensation dripping from the very cold tank in this room which was warm and humid, especially after our showers. There was no exhaust fan.
I knew that this dripping of moisture would again rot the new floor if something was not done very soon. Someone suggested that I buy a lining to go inside the tank which should stop the condensation. I found one and installed it inside the tank but I could see very little, if any, improvement. So we mopped the floor and wiped the moisture off the tank twice, or more each day. Then by chance, I found a valve in a Do It Best hardware store which boasted that it would stop toilet tank condensation. At first, I felt that this had to be a gimmick. But after looking at the valve and seeing the method and purpose of it, I understood that it would certainly work.
I bought one and hired a plumber to install it. In younger days, I would have installed it my self. The valve is not so ingenious, but a simple "Y" with one inlet having a screw-in valve shut off. It is also equipped with a backflow shutoff so when the valve is opened, it will not allow the cold water to flow into the hot water line. The side with the valve is to be connected to a hot water line and the open side connected to the original cold water line. You can shut the hot water side off during warm weather when it is not needed, then in winter you can open it enough to mix warm water going into the tank. This keeps the tank walls from becoming so icy cold and hence forms no condensation. The same valve has been installed now since1998 and I have had no more sweating of the tank.
These great little valves are available from most hardware stores, although many do not keep them in stock. Ace Hardware has one listed for $13.99. Lowes also carries one. The Do It Best Hardware stores carry a high quality one built by Mueller which sells online for $32.99. Mine is similar to the one carried by Ace Hardware. This is perhaps the best easy way to stop the tank from sweating. Another method which will usually do the job is to install a wall or ceiling exhaust fan. This will pull much of the humid air out of the room but may in some cases fail to stop the sweating completely. Also, if you don't have it already, they are costly to have installed.
To save one's floor from surely decaying is more than worth the cost and trouble of installing one of these valves.
Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born September 20, 1930 near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace in 1997, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He formerly produced a bi-weekly ezine. Archives are accessible at: http://piedmontcoc.com/hofarchives.htmlHe is also the author of Final Stronghold, published in 2003, available from Amazon.
I was advised to install an inexpensive styrofoam liner to stop sweating. Has worked since we built the house in 1982. Now the added feature is we contribute to reducing water consumption with the smaller capacity. -- Gerry McRae
Hi Gerry, thanks for commenting. I can't recall what my liner was made from, but it didn't work. Our situation is somewhat unusual though. We have lived in other homes that did not sweat as this one did. I installed a new toilet a couple of years ago that is a water saver itself. And believe it or not, it still flushes better than the older one.
well, sounds like you found what you needed. i had a puddle of water next to the bottom of the toilet, and it did ruin the tile. i needed one of the above:)
Thanks Susan, when one has this problem and ignores it, it will rot the floors, flooring joists and even the sills if they are in contact with the moisture. Moist wood also attracts termites. So it is well worth it to get this done. Mine cost me less then $100. even with a plumber to install it. Of course, that was in 1998. Thanks for commenting
Hi Beverly, thanks for commenting and I'm happy to hear that it may help someone out. I can't imagine why these valves are not advertised more. In fact, most stores don't even stock them, but can order one for you. Or you can order one yourself from HWI (DoIt Best Stores) online.
I've heard about these valves. Luckily, we don't need them. We have the opposite problem. Our air is so dry that we sometimes run a humidifier. One of the benefits of living in the desert ... very, very little mold or mildew.
Great article and good advice for those with the same problem.
Thanks Dianne, and yes, you are fortunate not to be plagued with this excessive humidity. I just wrote an article the other day about the importance of the correct humidity level in you home. It is number swa413440 if you care to read it.
I was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas for nearly a year during the Korean War and I assure you they don't need these valves out there. But they did need humidifiers. We use a humidifier regularly all winter, but then have excessive humidity in the summer.
Thank you Martin for your comment. I'm glad to hear that you found out about the valve. It's well worth the installation.
I've been told that an exhaust fan will serve the purpose of eliminating the high humidity in a bath room. But ours doesn't have one and would be an expensive chore to install one.
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I knew that this dripping of moisture would again rot the new floor if something was not done very soon. Someone suggested that I buy a lining to go inside the tank which should stop the condensation. I found one and installed it inside the tank but I could see very little, if any, improvement. So we mopped the floor and wiped the moisture off the tank twice, or more each day. Then by chance, I found a valve in a Do It Best hardware store which boasted that it would stop toilet tank condensation. At first, I felt that this had to be a gimmick. But after looking at the valve and seeing the method and purpose of it, I understood that it would certainly work.
