Condensation on Toilet Tank
Any theories regarding why this would suddenly become a problem ? I’ve been living in my place for six months, and two days ago condensation suddenly began forming on the tank. There are no cracks in the tank or anything else wrong as far as I can tell. Thanks
Any theories regarding why this would suddenly become a problem ? I’ve been living in my place for six months, and two days ago condensation suddenly began forming on the tank. There are no cracks in the tank or anything else wrong as far as I can tell.
Thanks
Unless, like the gangstas of Finland, you drink your wintry 40 in a sauna.
same thing happens to 40 ounce bottles when the weather starts getting warm! even if it’s super hot in the winter, you wont get the condensation because it’s about wet versus dry heat..
*rob*
this is like a science experiment,
you are observing the “dew point” in your bathroom.
this is the point at which water condences out of the air,
it’s a combination of three factors:
-Air Temperature
-Relative Humidity
-Barometric Pressure
depending on the combined factors you won’t always observe it in your home except at certain times of year. Assuming your toilet water and home air temperature have remained constant this case is most likely due to the change of a low pressure system this week to a high pressure system coming in for the weekend.
if your tank has a leak and is replacing the tank water with colder water from the city supply at a rapid rate, it could also lead to this condensation.
science can be fun.
Re: the valve, I think this might be common in buildings built in the 50’s. There is no handle or knob, literally a flexible hose attached to the pipe, and going straight into the wall.
I would love to install a shut off valve and replace the whole assembly and am accepting applications for volunteers 🙂
d_luxx — That’s ridiculous that your toilet doesn’t have a shut off! That needs to be fixed. Are you sure? What happens when, say, you clog the toilet and it starts to overflow… do you just have to stand there helpless and watch it happen! Yikes!
Also, the way my mom taught me to clean the toilet was to shut of the valve, flush the toilet and use the more concentrated water/toilet cleaner to scrub with. Of course, I don’t do that because I think that’s ridiculous — but it made me notice the shut off valve!!
That being said and if you can figure out how to shut off the water! It pretty easy to replace the whole assembly inside the tank. There are a few options, go to Lowe’s, buy the right one and follow the directions. It’s not hard.
I agree that you should do the food dye test. Easy and cheep.
While you are at it, you should install a 3/4 turn or speedy valve. It’s crazy not to have any dedicated shut-off to an appliance.
The water in the tank is FREEZING – it does not seem to be regular toilet tank water temperature. And it does seem to run just a *little* too long after flushing.
Hoping to DIY this, unfortunately, the mechanism in this toilet is not the kind with a float arm, which I know how to fix…its the weird other type and says “anti-cistern” on it. Also annoying – the toilet doesn’t have a shut off valve so I hope I don’t to have to turn off water to the whole condo and call a plumber to replace what is probably a $2 part.
Joshi is on to something… it’s probably not the case, but worth checking. The idea is that the cold water is constantly running (a little) and remains VERY cold… so the condensation would be worsened. However, it’s probably just a change in the season. The air is far more moist than it is in the winter (even during the blizzardy weather)
I have the same thing going on. Its an issue of Relative Humidity. Kind of a science thing but in a nutshell – The water coming in is cold, the air is warm – condensation forms.
It is not as evident in the winter because even though the air in your BR was the same temp, the relative humidity was likely much lower resulting in less condesation and much quicker evaporation of the condensation. Now that the relative humidity is on the rise, the air holds more water and condensation level will be higher. It will also not evaporate as quickly.