Tip To Prevent Cold Water Pipe Sweating, Condensation and Stop Dripping

[@George-dm4uf]

Ten years later and you are still helping people! Thank you!

[@adancedillo5218]

Seriously! It’s 2023. I was searching all around my city water website standers viewing pdfs etc.. to find out why water was dripping everywhere. All over my computer and 5 monitors haha. Thank you so much! Yes it’s spring time BTW.

[@juddiehinton2823]

This is May 19, 2024. Thank you for your help.

[@lisawilliams7836]

5am in London with wet pipes, Thank you very, very much. 💖🇬🇧

[@peteraranguiz6709]

Thanks foe thr video. I just spend $250 for them to clean my pipes because he said it might be clogged somewhere.. i could havr saved myself $250

[@taliathompson8853]

12 years later, still helping us🎉

[@Don-yu3uq]

Thanks for the info. I have the main water supply pipe running under the drywall ceiling in my garage. The furnace in the garage heats the air and condenses on the cold water pipe 9 months out of the year, and I have a lot of mold on the garage drywall. Last year I wrapped the pipe with the foam pipe sleeve insulation like you show and it helped only a little but there was still water that collected inside the sleeve and at the holding brackets and there is a lot of rust and mold. I will now try and tightly wrap the copper pipe first with 6 mil poly moisture barrier so there will be no water touching the outside of the copper pipe and stop the rust. I will then add two layers of pipe foam insulation sleeves to be thick enough to increase the dew point away from the pipe. I will tape all cracks and joints closed and see what happens this fall, winter, and spring. Wish me luck.

[@MrHardware1]

Furnaces

[@MrHardware1]

Furnace exhaust is full of moisture. It must be vented outside, just a suggestion if yours is ventless. Maybe a dehumidifier will reduce the issue, unfortunately at a $30 per month electric cost.

[@nikiforberg]

Thank You for taking the time to explain how to do this, and what to use. Cheers!

[@MrHardware1]

The foam is easy and clean to install. Two rolls of black electrical tape so you band it often. Blair

[@PlataNoDC]

hope your record collection is ok!

[@michaelbavaro5916]

This would be a solution ….if you can get to the pipe to cover with this foam ?

[@MrHardware1]

You can wrap Fiberglas insulation around the tank to prevent warm moist air from contacting the cold tank. Leave the drywall alone, it should stay room temp.

[@nickfanzo]

Had this happen down in our basement, luckily not finished. Water all over the floor and our softener system. Installed a dehumidifier with drainage system in the basement and issue is solved. I think I’ll do this too

[@Kirbythediver]

Building cold plunge, trying to keep condensation to minimum. It will be housed indoors (70F) but circuit will be kept 40-50F

[@fifty9forty3]

Why would a trained, experienced licensed plumber not insulate pipes while installing if he knows beforehand, they are going to be buried in ceilings and walls?

[@timothytomei4303]

Just what I was looking for! Thank you

[@bobbybray]

Well done. Thank you for a simple explanation and cure! From UK

[@Jenny-gs4tj]

Does this actually work? Wall in my bathroom soaked due to condensation on pipes and toilet

[@MrHardware1]

there could be a leak in a wall or a floor drain that could be adding humidity to your basement. Wall leaks from lack of water management around the house is the most common cause of a leaky basement. Blair

[@icedmosquito109]

Great explanation. Thank you.

[@nrfa6229]

How do you stop a well water tank from sweating? Is their some kind of insulation to put around that? What do you put around the dry wall behind it from getting on it? thank you!!

[@syedzafferullah]

Saw the video and subscribed quickly for the useful content

[@TimmyCrackCorn]

I keep reading about this, and most (if not all) articles mention summer time. However, our cold water pipes are sweating (it is definitely NOT a leak) in the winter ONLY. This just started over the past two years (maybe three?) and we have been here for over 30 years. The basement has not really changed, so it's kind of a mystery why it just suddenly started happening. We have two dehumidifiers in the basement (as well as a whole house humidifier for the winter months), and relative humiditiy shows at between 40-50% throughout the basement. So it's not very humid. Any ideas?

[@MrHardware1]

I would check for causes of trapped moisture. New doors or windows, more insulation, basement rim joist insulation. Anything that will contain or tighten up your house. I suggest you add a cold air return duct from the base of the furnace to the rec-room wall so when the furnace runs it draws 5% of the air from the basement floor. You may be able to get rid of the dehumidifiers you are running. They draw a lot of electricity where the furnace does it for almost free. I have a video on this, Blair

[@TimmyCrackCorn]

@@MrHardware1 Thank you, Blair, for that detailed and thoughtful response. I will look into doing as you suggested, and in the meantime I have wrapped the incoming coldwater 3/4" line with pipe insulation. Take care.

[@edithamber]

M

[@chocolatechipslime]

Same problem here, winter time and pipes are sweating, the only thing I can think of that has changed in my bathroom is I did some caulking on the outside of the window

[@newton296]

good stuff, was wondering if pipe condensation could be a sign of other problems. especially if the condensation is getting worse.

[@NektarVision]

Thank you!

[@MuhammadAli-fi3mn]

Thanks for the video. Whenever I turned on the Air conditioning system in the summer, the water starts dripping on the floor. I can see the condensation on the brass pipe, where the pipe is coming out from the furnace. There is a small area of about 6 inches, where the pipe is not insulated. I can see a glue or rubber type adhesive was paste on the pipe, which came out gradually. I am wondering what type of adhesive/glue is used on that pipe.

[@MrHardware1]

Can you custom cut some foam pipe wrap and wrap the exterior of the foam with electrical tape? Or wrap it with cork tape, expensive though. Don't use glue unless absolutely necessary.

[@michaelash3381]

I put foam on the line from the start, came back six mths. later and sweating and dripping.

[@ml9633]

Use same foam with sticky edges, just used it, alot easier. :)

[@LiftingwithGrandpaCharlie]

Nothing worked for my toilet sweating except what I did cause my family turns bathroom into a sauna !

[@MrHardware1]

There is a foam liner kit, not always available, to line the inside of the tank. Call our store if you are interested, 586-596-7276 and ask for Dan or Jennifer

[@cas4611]

Thank you

[@estebandiaz8564]

Does this apply for the water condensation pipes that run from the ac furnace to outside the house as well? Those pipes sweat a lot during summer that started to drip and grow mold on them. Thanks

[@MrHardware1]

Normally yes. This is hard to be sure from here, but I would and if I had a friend in the furnace business that knows your house I would bring them in.

[@rudbeckia885]

Nice

[@mreido]

The water is running down the inside of my foam on the cold water pipe.what is wrong please

[@MrHardware1]

Sounds like you have some exposed pipe in order to create condensation. The other thing is to wrap all the joints with tape so moisture can’t get underneath the foam.

[@jors3028]

Hey, what do you do if the piping is running through the attic and is still condensing even though I covered it? Its ruining the drywall, and just ends up dripping down on the inside of the insulation until it finds an escape.

[@MrHardware1]

Jordan, if one layer of foam pipe wrap isn't protecting it from the humidity you may need 2 layers.

[@hazmat5749]

Wont the moist air just percolate through the foam and through the joints?

[@MrHardware1]

No, this is an old procedure with a successful history.

[@bk9852]

Mr. Hardware it's going to be 40 below wind chill Jan 29 2019 should you let water drip or not I had a plumber said no don"t do it I hear different what say you cold in Mi stay warm!

[@MrHardware1]

I have had to let the water drip, now I plumb the water lines well insulated from any exterior wall. Leave the sink cupboard doors open also.

[@bk9852]

Thanks , stay warm!

[@dearaji1]

Thank you so much.. helped me a lot

[@jessstuart7495]

Does pex pipe have this same issue? Or is the polyethylene material insulative and thick enough to prevent condensation in most cases?

[@MrHardware1]

Not as much, I would wait to cover if it sweats

[@godwantsplastic]

I have well water and the water main from the well condensates which creates a problem for the Sheetrock ceiling I plan on having it run through. If I insulate the pipe coming in it will just create more condensation at the sinks and toilets... I’m looking for a way to heat the pipe or water as it comes in...

[@blairgilbert7606]

I have used an electric hot water tank for a temperature buffer. Never hooked up the electricity, just the water and let it 'temper' the cold water coming in. If you are handy you could peal some of the 'skin' off to allow better temperature transfer. (I'm asking alot) Blair

[@godwantsplastic]

Blair Gilbert I can see how that would work. I have a bladder tank that holds water coming from the well but that’s getting walled off so it won’t be able to help normalize the water temp... I came across a self regulating heat line that can be installed inside the pipe. Running this from where the pipe enters the house and most of the distance to the well head might be an option. Your recommendation will be included as a back up, thank you! Maybe another bladder tank closer to the entry point? I have decided not to Sheetrock over the pipe, I’ll make it into a hinged access door so I can keep an eye on the pipe and make any necessary changes. Thanks for the tip!

[@fleadoggreen9062]

I got some mold because of the sweating pipe,where it comes at the house , and I have a water meter that sweats , anything I can do about the water meter?maybe a spray

[@MrHardware1]

You might be able to wrap the water meter and the pipe with a roll fiberglass insulation made to wrap pipes. It is about 4" wide and 1/2" thick and comes with a plastic wrap to go over the fiberglass.

[@lisawhite3177]

my mom lives in a mobile home, she has water under her home, had 4 plumbers come out could not find a leak, could it be condensation dripping , (she has been shutting water off during the day)

[@MrHardware1]

Condensation will form a line of marks (drips) below the pipe. If there is one spot that is wet I bet it is below a toilet or behind a frig with a water supply. Also air conditioners make a lot of water, could the leak be near there?

[@TheEDfromRED]

How about larger PVC pipe? I can't find a wrapping like that big enough.

[@MrHardware1]

Ed, you can purchase foam wrap in any size, I bet over 4" is available. Using fiberglass wrap will work also.

[@TheEDfromRED]

Cool, thank you very much

[@redsresearch]

shouldnt you use bapor barrior?

[@MrHardware1]

The goal is to insulate a cold surface from a warmer damp environment.

[@redsresearch]

@@MrHardware1 shudnt u use vapor barrior tho?

[@MrHardware1]

@@redsresearch yes you can, However it’s not necessary as the foam insulation solves every dripping cold water pipe problem I’ve worked on.

[@redsresearch]

@@MrHardware1 it's not wet if you take insulation off? your probs not in Canada tho...

[@MrHardware1]

@@redsresearch no when I snap off a piece of foam insulation to add a valve I find that the pipe underneath is dry.

[@MrHardware1]

I bet you have a leaky toilet on the second floor, making that pipe colder. Or you are using cold water up there more than the other floors.

[@4ofSpades4]

Hey it has been a while but could you explain why a leaky toilet cause the pipe to be colder?

[@kmill2220]

Yea I did this....didnt solve it

[@nickritter1992]

You look like doofy from scary movie 3.