I recently bought a 24-year-old house that seems mostly in good shape, but I've noticed an unusual issue in the master bath. The toilet, shower, and tub are positioned in a row but are open to the rest of the bathroom. The external wall, which faces the morning sun and has a window over the tub, seems to be causing the tiles around the toilet to be surprisingly warm all day and night. I even turned off the hot water heater to see if that would help, but the problem persists. I'm worried it might be a leak in the hot water line under the slab. If that's the case, should I dig down a foot or two under the toilet to check for water? I know that the pipes are usually set in the concrete, but if there is a leak, where would the water go?
5 Answers
The significant warmth you're feeling sounds like a hot water leak, but you might want to check how warm the water heater outlet is. If it's cooler than the tiles around the toilet, that might rule out a leak.
Given the Florida heat, I wonder about insulation around the toilet base. The temperature at the base of that exterior wall is notably higher than elsewhere, which suggests thermal bridging could be a factor.
Have you checked if the water in the toilet tank is warm? Sometimes, in humid areas, they mix hot water with the cold to avoid tank condensation. It might be worth checking!
I hadn't thought about that, but I'm pretty sure that’s not the case here. The tank only has a cold water line, and the toilet itself isn't warm.
Do you have a recirculating hot water system? Those setups have a pump that keeps hot water in a loop under your slab, which can definitely create extra warmth where the pipes are closer to the surface.
Is it possible there's heated flooring beneath those tiles? If there’s a thermostat somewhere, that could explain the warmth.
We're in Central Florida, and honestly, the bathroom tends to feel 4-5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. It seems like heat is radiating from the floor, but I don't see any heating system under there.
Exactly! I've even put up umbrellas by the windows to block out some sun, but the wall still feels warm. I want to tackle all possible sources of heat to make the space comfortable.