I own an apartment building, and in only one unit I am seeing a lot of sweating on the toilet and aluminum windows(both on the glass and frame) It gets so bad that it puddles on the sill and runs down the wall, it is causing damage to both. There is no sign of leaking water or water getting in from outside or through the slab foundation. This unit is on the ground floor. The unit has an electric furnace. Any sudgestions to find the source of this problem would be appreciated.
2007-01-09 14:08:20 · 5 answers · asked by Donald C 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
These are small one bedroom units, and they do have a functioning fan in the bathroom. I don't think the problem is in the bathroom. This unit sits on the north west corner of the building.
2007-01-09 14:58:39 · update #1
this is outside the box thinking, but...does this units exhaust fan have it's own outside vent hood or does it run into a shared vent shaft? if shared, does the current or did the previous tenant smoke? could the upstairs tenant have blocked off the vent so that the smell of cigarettes couldn't enter their bathroom? if it has it's own vent, could insects or animals have built a nest in the hood or duct work? for whatever reason the humidity isn't getting out of the bathroom and is condensing on cold surfaces. also, i would make sure that the fan and the light have to come on together, no separate switch for the fan. that way it has to be used every time the light is turned on. we had a couple of three family houses and spent a lot of money to upgrade the bathrooms only to have one tenant complain about mold. they never used the fan, too noisy, and wired separately(our fault). and they always kept the door to it closed so as to not have to hear the upstairs toilet being flushed. when it comes to tenants, they can drive you nuts! i am glad we sold the houses, i was tired of babysitting!! good luck, and i hope this helps you solve it.
2007-01-10 00:52:29 · answer #1 · answered by car dude 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check to see if the toilet is running on. This causes continual cold water to fill the tank, and condensation then forms on it, probably in pretty large quantities when the shower/tub is used. This condensation then causes higher humidity that shows up as condensation on the windows.
With electric heat, there is no air exchange going on, so good functioning bath exhaust is a must. Check that the fan is working and the backdraft damper is opening up.
2007-01-09 15:30:27 · answer #2 · answered by roadlessgraveled 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if this will help you, but I have been having a similar problem with my car and I was told to hit all the windows and the door frames with a high pressure hose and have someone inside to see where the water comes in from. I guess you can try this on your windows to rule out a problem with the weather sealing of the windows, and then go from there. Good Luck!!
2007-01-09 14:24:13 · answer #3 · answered by Kelly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I own a home, I have the same problem with our first floor bathroom. Someone told me that when it is warm in the house and cold outside condensation forms. Especially around ceramic fixtures. Our heater is ground level, upstairs, we do not have a problem, heat rises. They said that ceramic features withold the temp of thier environment(cold on the bottom they will retain cold air, heat rises so no problem on upper level).
2007-01-09 14:27:54 · answer #4 · answered by ktterdfurguson 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make sure the bathroom fan is working and being used, it can be wired to come on when u turn the light on.
Is it on the north or east side of the apartment, and shaded most of the time?
Check that the HVAC vent register is open and sufficient airflow.
The bathroom is always colder to me, I had to reinstall the window and caulk the outside and inside.
2007-01-09 14:22:56 · answer #5 · answered by john t 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋