Slippery floor, condensation on ceiling: Neighbours vexed by resident with 'too cold' aircon

He'd slipped and fallen on the wet floor in his home caused by water dripping from the ceiling. But is it a water seepage issue? The resident, surnamed Wang, 62, claims it's due to the room temperature of the unit above.

Wang, who lives on the third floor of Block 431B Yishun Ave 1, told Shin Min Daily News that the problem started in February last year, when the family noticed water droplets forming on the ceiling of their master bedroom.

"We've even had to place a bucket in the master bedroom to capture the droplets. But it's treating the symptom, not the cure," said Wang, who works in the food and beverage sector.

He added that due to the moisture, the wooden doorframe of their master bedroom was beginning to show signs of rot, and the light fixture appeared to be coming loose.

Wang shared that he'd once slipped and fallen on the wet floor caused by water dripping from the ceiling, suffering a gash on his elbow as a result.

Wang told Shin Min that he'd provided feedback to the authorities and they had sent someone down to do a check but was unable to resolve the problem.

He acted upon a suggestion to apply a coat of paint to prevent water seepage, but the problem resurfaced after less than a month. Not only that, mould began to form on the ceiling.

"We had to change our sleeping arrangements. I sleep in the living room with my son, while my wife takes her rest in another room," said Wang.

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Conversely, a neighbour on the fifth floor shared how their bedroom floor is always wet with moisture.

The resident, surnamed Lee, 45, told Shin Min that she'd noticed the issue last year. The first thing she would do when she got home from work was to wipe the floor of the master bedroom so no one would slip and fall.

To ease the situation, the accountant would also turn on the air-conditioning every night, spiking their electricity bill.

Said Lee: "The air-conditioning of the unit downstairs is too cold. I have to turn on the aircon every night to 'match' the temperature so as to avoid condensation caused by the temperature difference."

Lee stated that the neighbour downstairs would usually turn on the aircon in the evening till the next day, averaging more than 12 hours.

Not aware of issue, resident claims

Wang added that he'd approached the neighbour upstairs but was met with an unfriendly attitude from the other party. The resident reportedly said Wang's ceiling was the root cause and suggested that Wang approach HDB instead.

Similarly, Lee claimed that she'd spoken to the resident, but the latter was unapologetic and said that the problem was with her flooring.

When interviewed by Shin Min Daily News, however, the fourth floor resident denied that they were ever approached by Wang and Lee.

"I don't know about this. They never came to find me," said the homeowner, adding that their aircon temperature is usually "over 20 degrees".

However, the homeowner told the Chinese evening daily that they would be mindful not to set the temperature too low in the future.

A aircon repairman interview by Shin Min added that the problem could be caused by the waterproofing done in the home.

"Condensation or moisture on the ground can be caused by temperature differences, but if the waterproof layer is done well, the problem can be avoided."

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candicecai@asiaone.com