Condensation on cold water pipes. What should be done with this phenomenon

Condensation is formed on cold water pipes. The bathroom of this, of course, does not become more attractive. In addition, problems cannot be ruled out. Wet pipes fail much faster. Therefore, this issue should be resolved with maximum efficiency. What to do if you find condensation on pipes of cold water? First of all, do not succumb to panic, learn methods of dealing with emerging moisture and get to work.

Condensation on pipes is a common phenomenon to fight

Why condensation forms on cold water pipes

The main reasons for the appearance of condensate on the pipes include:

• the room is a source of high humidity;
• ventilation is poorly organized;
• poor thermal insulation of water supply pipes;
• sharp temperature difference. The formation of condensation on pipes in summer is especially noticeable. Sometimes water flows down the surface of the pipeline literally in a stream.

And if the occurrence of condensate for the latter reasons is understandable, then the question of what can be attributed to a source of high humidity requires specificity. This reason concerns:

• problems that arise during the operation of communications and buildings. Unwanted moisture can even form from local sources such as water vapor from cooked food, fumes from wet laundry, not to mention accidents in the water supply system or basement flooding. In addition, to think about how to get rid of condensate, the homeowner will make the banal clogging of the ventilation duct;
• defects of buildings that arose due to a violation of construction technology (poor waterproofing of the foundation, poor-quality thermal insulation of floors and walls);
• geographic features of the area: there are large ponds nearby or high air humidity in the region of residence is recorded in combination with rocky soil that promotes the appearance of condensate;
• adverse weather conditions: wet snow, long rains, etc. Protecting pipes from condensation is also required in buildings erected in areas with a humid climate.

A bathroom is a room with a high level of humidity and problems with ventilation in it inevitably lead to the appearance of condensation on the pipes

Piping can independently cause each of the causes. But most often, the need to find the answer to the question of how the pipe is protected from condensate arises under the combination of these conditions.

Especially often there is the appearance of condensation on the pipes in the bathroom and toilet.

Good to know! The reasons are associated not only with the specifics of these premises, although it prevails.

The most common factors causing this phenomenon in the toilet room are:

• poor ventilation of the room. To make sure of this reason, do not close the bathroom door at night. If the pipes are dry in the morning, it means that insufficient convection leads to the fact that condensation usually forms on the pipes. How to avoid this phenomenon? The answer is obvious - it is necessary to equip high-quality ventilation;
• the tank valve does not close, which is why water flows constantly. For this reason, the elements of engineering communication are cooling even more, which leads to the formation of condensate on the water pipes. What to do in this case? Just check and tidy up the inlet valve and tank taps;
• leak at the neighbors. First of all, it is necessary to inform the owners of the apartment located a floor above. But it can happen that when you rise, they will not be at home. Therefore, you should know how condensate is eliminated on a cold water pipe at least temporarily. This is done as follows: several turns of the bandage are wound on the fogging water supply element, after which its small segment is lowered into a container of any volume. At the same time, do not forget to pour out accumulated water from it in a timely manner.

Condensation on “cold” pipes in the bathroom can occur for the following reasons:

• water distribution system wiring feature. Often there is an incorrect installation of pipelines at a minimum distance from each other without proper thermal insulation. That is why on the "cold" pipes leading to the mixer, unwanted moisture appears. What to do? There will be no condensation in the bathroom on the water pipes laid in an open way when they are coated with a layer of thermal insulation. If the pipeline was laid in the wall, without more complex and serious manipulations, including repair, it will not do;
• The mixer is out of order. The liquid constantly dripping from it, not only leads to financial costs, but also to the gradual cooling of the elements of engineering communication. Heat exchange processes between air and pipes also occur at night, when their temperature difference is minimal. However, according to the laws of physics, in this case, condensation may form on the cold water pipes. What to do? Just fix the faucet.

A common cause of water droplets on pipes is faulty plumbing equipment

The reasons occurring in the toilet room are not excluded, namely, insufficient ventilation and leakage from neighbors.

How condensate is removed from cold water pipes

Several methods have been developed to prevent water droplets from appearing on a “cold” pipeline. But the most effective is the thermal insulation of the water supply elements mentioned above. After all, it eliminates the main reason for the occurrence of this phenomenon: sudden changes in temperature. Thermal insulation is most simply performed using an insulating tube, on which a longitudinal section is made for ease of placement on the pipeline.

Good to know! This product is made of porous material - foamed polyethylene, energy flex, thermoflex, etc.

To combat condensate on pipes, a more complex, but, according to experts, more complete method is also used. To implement it, you will need an epoxy putty, acetone, a strong thread, a putty knife, a rust converter, strips of fabric with a width of 5-6 centimeters and sanding paper. The sequence of actions looks like this:

• sand the water pipe. This will increase grip strength;
• degrease the line element with a strip of cloth moistened with acetone;
• treat it with a solvent of rust;
• let the pipe surface dry. Then apply a layer of thick epoxy putty on it;
• quickly wrap the water pipe with a cloth. Secure its edge with a strong thread;
• likewise form another 2-3 insulating layers of fabric;
• apply a layer of epoxy putty again;
• wait for all layers to dry completely;
• Sand the piping and paint it.

When it turns out that water droplets appear due to leaking pipes, you can replace the failed section with a new elbow.And, if condensate removal on plastic pipes of cold water in this way is quite simple, then for metal pipelines special equipment can not be dispensed with. You can seek help from a management company or plumber. They will solve the problem as soon as possible.

To combat condensate, you can wrap the pipes tightly with a cloth, and then apply a coat of paint

Returning to the conversation about the appearance of condensation on plastic pipes, but already in the absence of leaks, this phenomenon is prevented by using the following types of insulation:

• polystyrene foam (polystyrene). This is the most versatile insulation of polymeric, for example, polypropylene "cold" pipes. It looks like a shell consisting of two halves. Due to the presence of a tongue-and-groove lock, the insulation is almost completely tight. Have you noticed condensation on polypropylene pipes? What to do? Wrap the “shell” problem area and fix its halves with adhesive (preferably reinforced) tape;
• mineral wool, glass wool. Available in special blocks for pipe diameters or rolls;
• polyurethane foam. This insulation demonstrates very effective insulation characteristics. It is capable of operating in the widest temperature range: -160 ≤ TºC ≤ +150. However, if we continue to talk about polypropylene pipes, then the formation of a layer of this insulation on them is carried out in the factory. Its thickness is 30-50 millimeters.

How to get rid of condensation on pipes using chemicals

The following products of the chemical industry are used to protect against condensation of water on a “cold” pipeline:

• "Stermizole";
• "Corundum";
• Teplomett;
• Astratech
• “Akterm Metal” and so on.

Treatment with liquid heat insulating agents - an effective way to get rid of condensate

The question of how to remove condensate from pipes with their use is solved in this way:

• First of all, clean the surface of the pipeline from rust (if work is carried out with metal pipes) and from any impurities;
• further, to ensure the best fit to the pipe of the insulating mixture, treat its surface with a primer.
• apply a protective mixture to a completely dry surface. This can be done with a spray gun, roller or brush. To ensure that condensation does not form on the pipes of cold water, it is recommended to apply up to 5 layers of the chemical agent. Perform this procedure only after the complete drying of each previous layer;
• to increase the life of the pipeline, on top of the insulating material, professionals recommend applying a so-called fixative. In addition to performing the main function assigned to him, he will give the thermally insulated trunk an aesthetic appearance.

Good to know! The drying time of such materials is a maximum of 1 hour.

Which remedy will help the condensate on the pipes best depends on the reason why it can form in the conditions inherent in a particular bathroom. An important factor is whether negative conditions are constant or periodic, and also at what stage of their formation they are now: they are just starting to form, or there is already a long period of time.

Steam trap

This device is designed to provide automatic removal of unwanted moisture. It is installed at the outlet of heat exchangers, including water heaters and air heaters. Such a technical solution helps to remove water accumulated in the system by separating it from steam.

In general, steam traps are of the following types:

• combined;
• Thermostatic
• float.

The most popular recent devices.In short, their principle of operation involves the use of the difference in the density of condensate and steam.

If excess moisture is generated due to steam equipment, it makes sense to install a steam trap in the system

The advantages of float traps include:

• resistance to sudden changes in temperature and high loads;
• exceptional reliability;
• high performance;
• there is no need for condensate cooling;
• work with a minimum load is allowed.

In addition, the energy saving indicators of thermal systems equipped with float traps are fixed at the optimum level.

All of the above methods, how to deal with condensate, are sufficient to eliminate unwanted moisture. If these measures do not help, then you will have to get rid of this phenomenon by waterproofing the walls and floor. And to entrust the performance of such a major overhaul is recommended only to specialists.