Wet Water Pipes

tim9966

Been to have a look around a friends new house today, and we noticed that the outside of the copper water pipes in the house are wet.

It's not just one section it's all the cold water pipes from the moment it enters the house, goes through the meter, then branches off to the sink, and upstairs.

In my house the pipes are all bone dry on the outside. I don't think it can be a leak, unless it's in more than one place. Any ideas as to what is causing it?

daveyjp

Condensation.

ariba10

I second Condensation.

anotherbaldrick

I third condensation , it will only be occuring on the cold water pipes , does the house have enough ventilation ? if the condensation is streaming probably needs more ,they must be doing a lot of showering, cooking and boiling nappies.

tim9966

Ok, I'll let them know they need more ventilation. What else can get rid / reduce condensation?

ormus

i fourth condensation.

ikati5

I have the same problem, why do some houses have it and some don't? How do you stop it?
We can't heat the water inside the cold water pipes and it will always be warmer on the outside of the pipe than inside?

Any solutions?

elver_man

Agree on condensation.

Which is caused by warm air containing moisture hitting a colder surface releasing some of the moisture and forming water droplets.

Try reducing the condensation by:

Keeping the house at a constant temp throughout the day ( ie keep heating on a lower heat for longer period rather than heating to a high temp for a short period).

Good ventilation,

Dont let steam from one room go around the house, for example keep the bathroon door shut when bathing / showering or the kitchen door shut when cooking.

Dont dry cloths / towels on radiators.

I've also tried insulating the cold water pipes, which did cure a problem i had in kitchen and utility room. But you have to make sure that the insulation fully covers the pipe and that corners are cut properly / joined with tape as only a small gap allows the condensation to form again.

Also is your friend using gas heaters (the bottled gas type) ?

MsSupertech

Problem = condensation, solution = ventilation, no brainer. Condensation is the downside of our enthusiasm for airtight draft-proofing to try to save heat loss...
Kitchens and bathrooms are the main culprits, for obvious reasons. Try to keep he doors shut as much as possible when cooking and showering and make use of extractor fans or crack open the windows even in winter.
(Of course if everyone stops breathing in the house it will help too - but that may be a little extreme!)

withabix

This is why uPVC windows (and timber framed sealed units) have trickle vents.