The plumbing in my house appears to be “leaking” or “sweating”, what is the cause of this and how do I fix it?

This “sweating” is actually condensation building up on the outside of your pipes. This condensation is due to the cold water inside your pipes and the humid air on the outside of your pipes which produces the “sweating” or “leaking” that you see.

To rid yourself of this problem you can insulate your pipes with pre-formed pipe insulation that is available at most hardware and department stores. You can also set up fans to keep the air circulating around your pipes to reduce or prevent condensation from forming. Another solution, but a more expensive one, is to install dehumidifiers near your plumbing. A dehumidifier will remove moisture in the air and produce dryer conditions throughout your home, which eliminates conditions that must exist to have condensation form.