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My mother is troubled by the water condensation that collects on the toilet bowl and tank in winter. The house is at elevation and the incoming water is very cold. I cannot think of a solution other than to heat the incoming water. Has anyone heard of a device that would heat the water in the tank to 70oF? Or should I just suggest she turn her concerns elsewhere?
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Wouldn't insulating the inside of the tank help? I think there are some products out there just for this problem.
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there's a long thread in the archives called "sweaty toilets " or something...
i like insulated tanks myself..
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This only happens if the indoor dewpoint temperature is well above the water supply temperature. If it's a winter problem, check for sources of excess humidity in the house such as crawl spaces, humidifiers or backdrafting combustion appliances. If it happens in summer, check the sizing of the air conditioner--big air conditioning units lead to high humidity, small units lead to low indoor humidity.
Check for a leaky flush valve. About half of the toilets I've seen have leaks at the flush valve, and they can be hard to detect. Does the water meter have a spinner on it? It takes a lot of water moving through the tank to create condensation.
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Get a "tempering valve". It mixes hot an cold keeps the supply water temp to your toilet around 70degrees. A tempering valve is made for just this purpose.
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When I replaced the toilet in my basement I was appalled that the supply was the hot water line (incidentally the supply for the dishwasher was the cold water line, so I assumed incompetence). Turns out that this is a great way to solve the sweaty toilet in hunid cool areas problems despite the waste of energy. Frank
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This was the subject of a long thread not too long ago, I'm sure a short search would have found the other thread.
Anyway... Get a small fan. Set it someplace where you can aim it at the tank. Turn it on low, and just leave it on forever. Takes no more electricity than a 100watt light, I believe. It'd certainly cost you no more than what it'll take to supply the heated water for the other 'cures'.
: )
*Baths already have more humidity in them than is good for the house. Keeping a 2 gallon tank of steaming water in the bath all the time sounds like a poor solution.
*Sorry...that's not condensation. Either get those boys to aim straight, or make them sit down.
*FWIW. A good friend who is a plumber cautioned me when I plumbed my house, to double-check all my water closet supplies. It seems that on this one job somone plumbed the w.c.supplies into the hot side, and it wasn't until they lit the water heater that they found out. It was a cold day and when the hot water hit the cold porcelain one of the tanks cracked. Sounds like a bad tank to me, but it sure made me check.
*Beals:26 years ago My family followed me to Alaska. We were surprised to fing warm water in the toilets. Found out it was a standard for Alaska at the time. To accomplish this feat the plumbers used a mixing valve (local terminology for tempering valve). While it may not be the easiest retro-fit; it is a permanent fix for condensation on toilet tanks and bowls. We recently relocated back to Idaho and am quite surpised the same feature is not commonly used here (same problem..cold winter temp).BTW. it really is a surprise the first time you plunk down on a warm toilet.Just Bob
*Years ago I worked in an office that had been recently renovated (in north central Alabama). One of the bathrooms had the toilet connected to the hot water supply. It was a very pleasant experience, with the seat comfortably warm. Although it was a very small bathroom, there was no evidence of excessive moisture, porcelain cracks, or other problems. I was sorry when the contractor fixed the mistake.
*We actually plumbed our cabin hot water line into our toilet to prevent condensation. The reason we decided to do that is because our well is very deep and very cold, and the condensation would be non-stop summer or winter. It works great unless it gets flushed several times in the morning. Then, it gets a little "steamy" to those unsuspecting visitors who were not expecting to sit on the "hot seat". We have a 1.6 gallon flush, so it doesn't seem to add much to the electric bill, either. Of course, that's a year-round cabin, not a house.
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My mother is troubled by the water condensation that collects on the toilet bowl and tank in winter. The house is at elevation and the incoming water is very cold. I cannot think of a solution other than to heat the incoming water. Has anyone heard of a device that would heat the water in the tank to 70oF? Or should I just suggest she turn her concerns elsewhere?