Pipes behind drywall sweating? Can't insulate

My dad has the temperature very high this year due to health reasons. So, the cold water pipes are now sweating. He has insulated the pipes that are accessible, but what about the pipes behind the plaster ceiling. We would prefer not to turn off the humidifier. And we run the dehumidifier on occasion. Is there anything else that can be done? thanks

Reply to
lbbs
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This has less to do with the temperature than the humidity level. It sounds to me like the humidity is excessive and I can't imagine that very high humidity is necessary for his health (I could be wrong...)

Get a Hygrometer and actually measure what the air is holding. You shouldn't need to be above (roughly) 50%RH.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

The answer to your problem, I think, lies in within the question of how much condensation is *too* much? Unfortunately, the answers vary. I have a pipe that does this in my basement that I noticed when it was bare before we rehabbed the basement. It's the the main cold-water service line coming in off the street, and it sweated during the winter, but never enough to drip, so I didn't pay it any more mind than I pay the consdensation that forms on my toilet tank but never enough to drip during the summer.

If his accessible pipes don't have a huge amount of sweat coming off them (enough where you'd see big rivulets of water running down them), you *may* not have anything to worry about. However, if true peace of mind is what you're looking for, you'll have to rip out the plaster that runs beneath that line, insulate the pipe, and then either re-plaster or stub in drywall along the channel.

Other than that, I just think old people just arive at a period in their lives where they're compelled to keep every room they own at a constant

90 degrees. This is pretty much why God invented Tucson, Arizona.

AJS

Reply to
AJScott

"We would prefer not to turn off the humidifier. And we run the dehumidifier on occasion."

This is a little confusing.

In any case, it all depends. To keep the pipes from sweating you need insulation of some sort and a vapor barrier between the insulation and the source of the warm moist air.

I suggest your construction may limit the amount of humidity you may have without suffering structural damage. The choice is yours.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

One question for OP before comments, do you have a carbon monoxide detector. A combination of health problems and excessive humidity could indicate a CO problem (water vapor and CO2/CO are byproducts of combustion).

I heard that normal comfort range is 40-60% relative humidity, but I think that references when you need to dehumidify (cooling system or basement humidity). It should not be necessary to add that much humidity during the heating season because it may condense (or form frost) between windows and on other cold objects (possibly in walls and attic), especially as weather gets colder.

My humidity is currently 25%, I don't get static electricity shocks, my skin is not dry, my throat is not dry, so it is enough to be comfortable without fogging my windows. It might normally be lower (20% or less) if colder outside, but this winter has been mild in Chicago area.

Reply to
David Efflandt

If you were able to use heat tape on the incoming water line, the water temperature might be raised enough to at least reduce sweating.

TB

Reply to
Tom Baker

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