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I’ve been having really bad condensation problems on the tank of our toilet this winter. It’s done some damage to the recently refinished VG fir flooring. Last winter, after completing the bathroom remodel we did not seem to have this problem. It seems to me that if I were somehow able to insulate the tank that it might help the problem. A friend suggested a layer of closed cell foamboard glued to the inside of the tank might do the trick, but I’m hesitant to try that until I’ve exhausted more conventional approaches. I’d like to maintain the aesthetic if possible, i.e. avoid those fuzzy tank covers everyone put on their toilets when I was a kid. (That should pretty much peg my age.) Does anyone have any good tricks or thoughts? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
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Go to the nearest big box and buy a small clip-on type fan. Clip it on something near the tank, aim it at the tank, and turn it on low.
This thing will add a few cents a month to your electric bill if left on all the time.
*Mike - They do make toilets with the tanks already insulated. Reduce the humidity levels with a good fan? Perhaps you could add an automatic humidistat?Maybe raise the temperature of the room or water in the tank? If bathing or showering is the source of the humidity, then take less or shorter ones? Change the floor to a more water resistant type?
*How about a tempering valve, and send a mix of some hot and cold into the tank, so it ends up warm, and thus the problem is fixed......Hey , quit laughing...it could work...really.....sometimes I amaze even myself. Keith C
*I had the same problem a few years ago. Fixed it by gluing styrofoam inside the tank. This was sold as a kit specifically for this purpose, I think around 10 bucks. It worked like a charm.... even with the room all hot and steaming from the shower there was no condensation.It was a bit of a pain having to remove the tank, let it dry, and then reassemble.Good luck,Scott.
*Worked in Alaska once. They actually have heated toilet tanks, because condensation is such a big problem. The temperature rating is not that high, just enough to stop condensation.
*try this previous discssion... Mike Smith "How to stop a Sweaty Toilet ?" 3/14/00 1:13pmonly for the serious inquiry, mind you
*A tempering valve (controlled by a internal bi-metallic element) could be used as Keith suggests but they run about $75. Anchorage Home Depot has mixing valves for about $15 that mix 50/50 hot/cold. That's what I used. Works fine (both on the thermospihon loop to the master bathroom and on the dead-leg to the guest bathroom).I not sure about Luka's fan idea. It would work on window condensation because it warms the inside pane closer to room temperature. But the surface of that toilet full of water isn't going to budge in temperature for quite a while. There's not an insulating air layer on the other side like there is with the window. Blowing more air at it will warm it faster but will also make more condensation in the short term.Heating the tank would help. A fish tank heater for $20 comes to mind. They have an adjustable thermostat and would probably survive the 90 seconds of being unsubmerged. One downside is that you are using electricity to heat the water and the other is that most of warmed water goes down the pipes. That which remains in the tank (and the tank itself) would mix with the incoming and the heater would reduce the time and therefore the amount of condensation.Sytrofoam (factory-installed or DIY) seems easiest if the house is already built. You don't have to go inside the walls to tie into hot water.And about those foo-foo terry cloth toilet covers (always in colors that are never found in nature): I could tell when a friend was seeing a guy regularly or not by the abscene or presence of the matched set (tank, seat lid, footmat). Because the seat lid cover changes the balance so that the lid will stay up rjust long enough for you to get unzipped and into the task at hand and then come falling down. (Only a problem for pointers, not setters - their back keeps it up.)I used her facilities and said, "Lynne, did you break up with Mike?" "How did you know?" "The cover is back on the toilet." -David
*Mike,Be b sure this is a condensation problem first. Two reasons.First, in my Wisconsin climate its a little odd for a toilet to be sweating in the winter, rather than the humidity of summer. You have to have some pretty cool water coming in and the humidifier running strong (unless you have a well-sealed house?). Or are you just getting it after a long hot shower?Second, I thought I had a condensation problem once until it really started getting worse, and finally realized I had a tank to bowl leak that only leaked when being flushed.
*Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions. We did have a moment of anxiety until we determined what the source of the water was. We've managed to dry out the floor thankfully. Amazing what one of those little space heaters with a fan will do. That's been our stop gap until we could figure out a more elegant solution. The problem occurs as a result of our morning showers. The house doesn't warm up too quickly since it's about ninety years old and about as tight as one would expect a ninety year old house to be. It also doesn't help that the heat is provided by the original gravity feed heating plant. It takes a little while to get things warmed up sufficiently to dispel any condensation. The styrofoam insulation idea sounds like a winner since we don't want to replace the toilet and I'm not sure we could find a retrofit tank that would match the bowl. I'll check the plumbing supply houses around town and see if they have any kits, otherwise, I'm sure I can work it our with a sheet of styrofoam, a utility knife, and some caulk. I'll let you know how things work out.Thanks again everyone.
*Mike, I was going to offer the same suggestion as H D, but instead I'll offer this. Install a bath fan to remove that wet air, and leave the bathroom door open when you shower. Is the heat run into the bathroom dampered? If so make sure it's wide open.
*If it's a problem due to toilet use coinciding with morning showers, reset your internal plumbing with some prune juice at lunch and start pooping in the afternoon. Then you'll be using your employers water and getting paid for your time. And in the morning? Pee in the shower! :-)
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I've been having really bad condensation problems on the tank of our toilet this winter. It's done some damage to the recently refinished VG fir flooring. Last winter, after completing the bathroom remodel we did not seem to have this problem. It seems to me that if I were somehow able to insulate the tank that it might help the problem. A friend suggested a layer of closed cell foamboard glued to the inside of the tank might do the trick, but I'm hesitant to try that until I've exhausted more conventional approaches. I'd like to maintain the aesthetic if possible, i.e. avoid those fuzzy tank covers everyone put on their toilets when I was a kid. (That should pretty much peg my age.) Does anyone have any good tricks or thoughts? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.