WHY DO COLD WATER PIPES “SWEAT”
REASON AND SOLUTIONS
- As warm, humid air contacts these much cooler surfaces, droplets of condensation form. Just as you’ve likely noticed on your glass of summer lemonade, condensation can build up until it runs down the side of the cool surface.
- Pipe sweating occurs because cold air holds less water vapor than warm air. When a cold pipe touches the hot, moist air around it, the temperature around the pipe drops and the air reaches its dew point. This causes the water vapor in the air to become a liquid and collect on the side of the pipe.
- How do I stop my cold-water pipes from sweating? One of the easiest ways to keep water supply pipes from sweating is to cover them with pipe insulation. K-Flex Wall Insul-Lock Pipe Insulation (available from SupplyHouse) features a slit along the length of the tube that makes it simple to slip over your water supply pipes.
- The best way to eliminate sweating water pipes is to stop the warm, moist air from reaching them. This entails wrapping the exposed pipes — or any sweating pipes — with foam pipe insulation.
Foam Piping
- Works best in cold water pipes
- Flexible material
- Inexpensive
- Mold resistant