Water collecting on main cold water pipe under kitchen sink | Bathroom Advice | Plumbers Forums
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Discuss Water collecting on main cold water pipe under kitchen sink in the Bathroom Advice area at Plumbers Forums

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14
Hi.

Just found this forum and hope someone can help.

I've just moved in to a new house a few months back and have found that under the kitchen sink water is collecting on the mains water pipe. A plumber from Homerserve said that its condensation since he could not find a leak. He's told me to get some lagging and wrap it around the affected areas.

Water droplets gather on the pipe and just hang there. I did place a container below and after a few days there was a bit of water in it.

Can someone explain whether this is just condensation or something else. If it is condensation I don't understand why its there and what should be done about it.

Thanks
 
Try opening windows(turn on cooker hood fan-if fitted) when cooking , see if it happens less .
Put a plastic bottle of water 3/4 full in freezer for a few days , then leave it out stood on a plate on the work top about 6 ft away from stove ,if interested in home experiments !
The days it gets soaking quickly , are the days you may need a cooker hood / windows open or
if a shower cubicle is near by a bit more ventilation .
 
If you are not running off any water, check your water meter to make sure it has stopped as if it is still turning then you will have a leak somewhere which is why you have condensation with cold water running through mains pipe constantly
 
If a new house the pipes under your sink unit should have the Hot pipe above the cold pipe, Pipe insulation will help, cheep to do available from DIY outlet or local Plumbers cost you about £2.

I will be getting some lagging but thought I'd try and find the cause ie, leak or condensation. I have left the kitchen and cupboard doors open all day today and I've managed to isolate the affected area. There's no visible leak, no drips just wetness on about 10cm of the pipe (reduced from about a meter). Perhaps the nearby joint is weaknening slightly. Will need to keep an eye on it.

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
In that case switch stopcock off for around one hour within the hour do not use any water, turn stopcock back on if you hear water wooshing through valve then this will also indicate a leak
 
Try opening windows(turn on cooker hood fan-if fitted) when cooking , see if it happens less .
Put a plastic bottle of water 3/4 full in freezer for a few days , then leave it out stood on a plate on the work top about 6 ft away from stove ,if interested in home experiments !
The days it gets soaking quickly , are the days you may need a cooker hood / windows open or
if a shower cubicle is near by a bit more ventilation .

Over the winter months the windows have been closed but the cooker hood is always used as well as the separate extraction fan. Perhaps I need to get both looked at to ensure they are operating properly. Many thanks for the experiment I may give it a go.
 
Wipe the whole arrangement dry with tissue then put a torch on it and watch. Depending on speed of condensation and/or leak you may need to pop back at regular intervals. If it gets wet in one specific place first and runs down, it's a leak. If the whole affected area gets wet at the same time/rate, it's condensation.
 
Wipe the whole arrangement dry with tissue then put a torch on it and watch. Depending on speed of condensation and/or leak you may need to pop back at regular intervals. If it gets wet in one specific place first and runs down, it's a leak. If the whole affected area gets wet at the same time/rate, it's condensation.


Leak hunting with tissue , have twisted kitchen roll strips and tied in simple knot , and left dangling . 1 each end ... ( don't forget to remove ! )

Touch with a dry hand , if get fed up looking .
If cold is in regular use , Cold water is about 15 deg C .

Other thoughts , has water got under sink unit from seal along counter-top or wall , now as things warm up it's attempting to dry out ... Cupboard doors open sounds like a good move.
See if bottom trim is removable for temporary ventilation/checking for big puddle .
 
Leak hunting with tissue , have twisted kitchen roll strips and tied in simple knot , and left dangling . 1 each end ... ( don't forget to remove ! )

Touch with a dry hand , if get fed up looking .
If cold is in regular use , Cold water is about 15 deg C .

Other thoughts , has water got under sink unit from seal along counter-top or wall , now as things warm up it's attempting to dry out ... Cupboard doors open sounds like a good move.
See if bottom trim is removable for temporary ventilation/checking for big puddle .

The guy from Homeserve (as well as myself) have checked all the usual areas for leaks. They're all fine. Bottom trim is removable and all is dry... Dirty but dry. The only thing left to check is to see if there's a micro hole at the joint.
 
Hi everyone. I'd like to thank you all for your help. I think I've found the culprit. The downpipe on the exterior wall was blocked and rainwater was running down the wall. Got this unblocked now.... I don't know how a tennis ball got up there??? Anyway the wall can dry now and I'll see if that sorts it out. I'll keep you posted.
 
Plaster will dry, but salts brought to surface can become hygroscopic. This could lead some monkey with damp meter to diagnose rising damp. Give wall plenty of time to dry out before decoration.
 

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