Skytube's pipe condensation issue

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

01-11-15, 01:18 PM

binkblink

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jan 2015

Location: USA

Posts: 2

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

Skytube's pipe condensation issue

Hello,

We've recently moved into a house that has one of those skylights (skytube) a dome on top of the roof and a sheet metal tube connected to a glass lens on our ceiling. We light the natural light that comes from it but we've noticed with this cold winter weather that the tube is condensating enough to collect drain mainly into the ceiling lens but it also is leaking in other areas since it's now leaking through the drywall ceiling.

How would we stop this from condensating? More insulation around the tube in the attic? Adding an exhaust fan to the somewhere on the tube and vent to the attic? Replacing the tube sheet metal tube with another type of reflective tubing?

Thanks

Upvote

01-11-15, 02:31 PM

joecaption1

Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation

Join Date: Apr 2013

Location: USA

Posts: 3,860

Upvotes: 0

Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post

Tube should have been insulated where it runs through the attic.
It's called a solar tube.
What room is this in?
What's the humidly level inside the house?
Lot's of things can cause this to happen.
Unvented gas fireplaces, no exhaust fan in a bathroom or not letting it run long enough after someone has used the shower, vent over a cooking stove not venting outside or it's not being used, crawl space with no vapor barrier.
ECT.

Upvote

01-11-15, 04:13 PM

binkblink

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jan 2015

Location: USA

Posts: 2

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

location for the solar tube

Hello joecaption1,

The solar tube is located over our island in our kitchen. The stove and or sink isn't that close either. The current humidity in our house is 33%. There are no bathrooms within 50 feet of the solar tube. We've only been in this house since last October and it started leaking the first time when we really had a nasty cold spell and it just started up again after this subzero weather.

Do you think adding a fan will help or not do anything?

Thanks

Upvote

01-11-15, 04:16 PM

Bud9051

Member

Join Date: Oct 2008

Location: New England

Posts: 9,460

Upvotes: 79

Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts

If any warm air from inside the house can leak into the tube or into the cavity around the tube where it can contact a cooler surface you will have condensation. These should be well sealed units as well as insulated as Joe said. Fiberglass insulation is an air filter and does not block air leakage.

Joe covered the other issue of too much humidity in the home.

Bud

Upvote

01-11-15, 04:39 PM

PJmax

Group Moderator

Join Date: Oct 2012

Location: Jersey

Posts: 62,501

Upvotes: 443

Received 3,485 Upvotes on 3,128 Posts

Here's another thread on the same subject. Bud was the responder on that one also.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/ro...k-i-think.html

Upvote

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Show Printable Version

Email this Page

Ducting, Air Circulation and Ventilation Systems
Window Condensation

K

Kelvininin on Oct 06, 2014

Hello Everyone... We just bought a house in MN outside of the MSP Burbs. The house was built in 88, has standard efficiency NG furnace, and AC. The windows are original as well. They are Anderson Double pane, crank out style windows, they appear healthy. There is slight water damage around many of the windows, obviously from years of condensating windows. I would say the construction quality of the house is very good. The evening temps are dropping in to the low 40s and we have already started getting condensation on the interior of the windows, more or less throughout the whole house. A quick check of the interior humidistat indicates that the interior humidity is 70%, this needs to be closer to 40% to avoid condensation of the windows. Considering my options, total house window replacement is out of the question and budget for this year. I am going to upgrade some of our bathroom fans with humidity sensing, higher flow fans, to see if I can get the humidity in the house to drop. If that doesn't work I am considering installing a Heat Recovery Ventilator. Am I missing anything?
Ducting, Air Circulation and Ventilation Systems
Bathroom exhaust fan location ?

P

panewhomeowner on Jan 12, 2015

Hi All, Recently bought a house which does not have an exhaust fan in the bathroom. It does have a skylight which we open during showers to allow for ventilation. This works fine in the fall/spring/summer months, but you can feel the cool air coming in in the winter. I would like to put in an exhaust fan, but not sure about where it should be positioned. I'll explain the situation and photo is attached. Can't see the skylight in the photo, but can see the walls leading up to it. The shower is enclosed with glass walls on two sides with a fully open top. About 1/2-2/3 of the area above the shower includes a ceiling above it with a light fixture. The ceiling then has four walls which are angled and extend up to the roof area where we have the skylight. Sorry, don't have a better picture at this time, but you can see the angled walls. When showering, the steam obviously gets on the ceiling above the shower and also goes up to the skylight portion. One option I see is to replace the light above the shower with an exhaust fan. However, since this isn't the highest point of the ceiling, I'm afraid that the exhaust fan won't be powerful enough to catch all of the moisture and we will continue to have the problem of moisture build up at the skylight area, leading to potential damage to the drywall. Not sure if there are any exhaust fans that can be installed with the skylight in place. Ideally I would like to leave the skylight as is to use in the warmer months. Thank you in advance for the help! [ATTACH]44788[/ATTACH]