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Yugimut0

Wet wall due to condensation

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Hi, I recently received a complaint letter from hdb lodged by my neighbour sharing the same bedroom wall as me. They claim that their bedroom wall is dripping wet due to condensation caused by the wall being too cold and it is caused by my aircon being too cold. Hdb is requiring me to lower the strength of my aircon and point it away from that wall. The letter also state that they have surveyed and determined that this is the cause of the issue and remind me that hdb laws states that owners are allowed to install aircon on the basis that they are in proper working condition.

My question is firstly, what kind of survey did they do to determine the cause without coming into my flat to check at all? Secondly, why would my aircon affect their wall if hdb have built our flats well enough to isolate each unit to their own to uphold the quality of the build promised by the government and to protect our privacies as owners? Thirdly, in such a case, who is judging and appointing that the fault and solution lies with me solely and not shared and/or if the hdb is also partially/fully liable? Lastly, are there actually laws that govern such neighbourly disputes and are they actually applicable to this issue? (The letter says I can use my aircon as long as I maintain it in proper working condition and it seems like the complaint is that my aircon is working too well...)

Last year around the same period (May-June) I did receive such a complaint before and from July onwards there seems to be no such complaints anymore until now. I believe that the issue has to do with weather changes and rise of humidity, and will be solved after the wet season passes. But as a courtesy, I'm currently planning to insulate my side of the wall to prevent thermal transfer, hoping that it will help the situation. I'm not well verse in such matters so I'm not sure if the insulation should be done on my end or my neighbour's end, but I'm willing to do it anyways. I have my reasons to maintain a cool temperature in my bedroom and it will be rather disruptive to my family if I were to lower the aircon.

I'm asking for advise and help from you guys to determine if my actions are correct or am I actually not liable. And is there help that I can seek from my standpoint to resolve this issue as apparently the hdb thinks that the issue is my fault (and I guess global warming is real and it's also my fault...) Please help, thanks!!!

 

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Just direct the blower fins into your room and not blow directly at the adjacent wall, and that should solve the problem.  I had a similar issue in my own home.  No need to insulate.

 

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That's what I did and then my aircon got this mechanism that when it points down for 10 mins it will reset its position back straight so as to prevent water droplets from forming on the fins and damaging itself. So it kinda point at that wall the whole night while we sleep, I thought of fixing the fins with tape to prevent it from resetting but my aircon only few months old, so I guess it's not a good idea to start damaging it like that. 

 

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If your air con fin cannot point away, easiest solution is to Velcro or stick a foam insulation board on that affected wall where the blower directs.  A bit ugly lah...

 

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Means that I'm correct to assume that insulation needs to be done at my side of the wall and not my neighbour's side right? What kind of foam board is good for this application and how thick? Styrofoam can? I'm not familiar with these things...

 

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I think Styrofoam sheet will do. White which is easy to find and cheap in art shop.  1 cm thick should be fine to try.  You can paint it later once the problem is solved.  These are only my suggestions, no guarantee it will work.  But I believed it should.  Cheers.

 

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Thanks for the info! I think I'll try that, but I still wonder if the complaint was actually valid, is the hdb right to say that it is my responsibility in this matter or is there actually no right or wrong in this instance? I understand that the solution lies on my end but am I responsible to pay for the expenses to rectify it, what do you think?

 

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