A sweating toilet can be more than a nuisance to deal with. The water dripping from it can ruin a bathroom floor. It's an issue millions of homeowners face every summer.
Being a homeowner, the last bathroom-related issue you need to worry about is a sweating toilet. The condensation running down the toilet can seep under your bathroom floor and rot the plywood. It can also ruin your bathroom's wall paint color.
What makes your toilet sweat, though? And can you fix it? Let's find out.
What Makes Your Toilet Sweat?
Hot and humid weather is the primary factor that makes your toilet sweat. When the temperature rises, it increases the moisture in the air. At the same time, the water coming through the supply line is relatively cold (about 50°-60°F).
As soon as the moist air hits the cool toilet surface, it condenses, turns to water, and starts dripping onto the floor.
Toilet sweat can flood your bathroom floor in a short period. Today, many manufacturers make insulators for toilet tanks, claiming to fix a sweaty toilet; however, not all of them work.
Fortunately, you can find a handful of tips to prevent your toilet from sweating. Let's get into them!
7 Ways to Stop Your Toilet From Sweating
Here are some useful tips to help you deal with a sweating toilet:
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Change Your Habits
This is one of the easiest but most effective steps to prevent your toilet from sweating. With a little cooperation from your family, you might be able to fix this issue without spending any money. Try these steps:
- Take shorter and cooler showers, especially on hot days, to lower the bathroom's temperature.
- Turn on the bathroom fan while leaving the door open so it can get the moist air out of your bathroom.
- Do not open the bathroom on humid days.
- Wait until the bathroom cools down before flushing the toilet.
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Insulate Your Toilet
Insulating the toilet is another effective way to stop it from sweating. There are several ways to do this. For instance, you can use an insulation kit or cover the outer side of the tank.
In addition, you can buy insulated toilets from the market. However, these toilets are quite expensive, so take that into consideration before you go for one.
Furthermore, you can ask a plumber to place foam rubber or polystyrene sheets inside the tank.
Lastly, you can insulate the pipes of your household. This serves the added purpose of protecting these pipes when winter comes around.
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Inspect Your Toilet's Flapper
If your toilet's flapper is leaking, it means the tank is constantly being filled with cold water. This wastes water while making the toilet tank colder. As a result, your toilet starts sweating.
Check if the flapper has a secure seal by pouring a few drops of food color in the tank. Wait for an hour and see if the color appears in the toilet bowl. If it does, replace the flapper.
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Install an Anti-Sweat Valve
Installing an anti-sweat valve in the water supply is another way to prevent your toilet from sweating. It adds some hot water to the supply line, raising the toilet's temperature to keep its tank warm enough.
Installing an anti-sweat valve in the water supply is another way to prevent your toilet from sweating. It adds some hot water to the supply line, raising the toilet's temperature to keep its tank warm enough.
You can buy anti-sweat valves in adjustable and preset variants from plumbing shops and fixture suppliers. When you buy an anti-sweat valve, pay an additional ten to fifteen dollars for an adjustable one. It allows you to adjust the water temperature and turn off hot water entirely when you don't need it.
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Reduce the Amount of Water Your Toilet Uses
To reduce the amount of water in your toilet's tank, you need to switch to a low-flow toilet.
Low-flow toilets are ideal for the environment since they don't waste water like regular sweating toilets. They also lower your water bills, allowing homeowners to save hundreds of dollars every year.
What's more, low-flat toilets are easy to use and require little maintenance and fewer repairs than regular toilets. They can last for several decades, making them a good investment for the future.
Another benefit of low-flow toilets is they are easy to install, allowing the plumber to get the installation done within a day. Some plumbers also claim these toilets increase your home's overall market value.
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Get Rid of Your Toilet's Tank
Having a tankless toilet can help prevent sweating issues. However, tankless toilets are not cheap since they use an electrical pump to move water in and out of the toilet. This means if the power goes out, you're not going to be able to flush your toilet.
If you find it difficult to get rid of your toilet's tank, use a low-profile toilet that is closer to the floor. This can lower your bathroom's and toilet tank's water temperature, ultimately preventing the toilet from sweating.
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Try a Drip Tray
Though putting a drip tray will not stop your toilet from sweating, it will stop condensation from ruining the floor. This way, you can at least save your bathroom floor.
When using a drip tray, you'll need to empty it regularly, but it's still better than replacing the entire bathroom floor.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with a sweating toilet is no small matter. It can flood your bathroom with water in no time and ruin the walls and floor. Every summer, numerous homeowners have to deal with this issue. However, it's not impossible to deal with a sweating toilet. You can follow the methods mentioned in this blog post to prevent your toilet from sweating.
Or you can contact Mesa Plumbing Company for reliable, satisfactory, and high-quality plumbing services.