Why Do water Pipes Sweat

Many of you might have seen the phenomenon of water vapors around a filled glass of chilled water. Wondering why water pipelines sweat.

Do water pipes sweat? Yes, water pipes do not sweat.

It’s the condensation that forms on the outside of the pipe, similar to exactly a glass filled with ice chilled water.
It is due to the moisture from the air, that comes in contact with the pipe, ultimately taking the form of condensation.
When there is more humidity, water lines will sweat a lot as compared to less humid days.

Other examples can be water dripping under the car when the air conditioner has been used for sometimes on a humid day or water dripping from a window AC.

Cordless Copper Pipe and Tubing Cutter 

AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT: Wrap this around type K, L, and M copper pipes and it will adjust from between 3/8″ and 1” automatically WATER RESISTANT: The head of the unit is sealed tightly to prevent water from leaking in and damaging the motor. Ideal for plumbing applications HIGH POWERED MOTOR works at up to 500 RPM, letting you work up to 10 times faster than standard hand-operated pipe cutters or saws LOW CLEARANCE: You can use this with piping that is as little as 1 1/2“ away from a wall without risk of damage to the tool or pipe RED LITHIUM COMPATIBLE: This tool will function with the batteries in the Milwaukee M12 lineup. These include the 48-59-1201, 48-11-1970, 48-11-2401, 48-11-2430, 48-11-2460, 48-11-2420, 48-11-2402, and 48-11-2440

Sweating pipes can be an issue when it comes in contact with iron parts leading to rust. Sometimes it can be risky, so it is better if handled properly. Rusting of metal parts comes at the forefront when we think of corrosion.

This is the reason, we find most of the water pipes are made of copper. Physical properties of copper are such that it doesn’t rust.

How To Handle Sweating Of Pipes

The quick remedy to get rid off sweating of pipe is by covering the pipes with foam insulation, which are widely available in local stores. These can be easily cut into smaller pieces as per the needs.

Keeping the air conditioning setting on higher side will have less effect on this.

Other methods available in the industry are, by use of Spray Foam insulation, but this comes with some drawbacks when pipes need repairs.

Thermax cold insulation jackets are the next best option with removable reusable insulation blankets.

Whatever method is used, one needs to make sure it’s checked from time to time because water may get accumulated under the foam.