Insulation

stamato_4

It looks like white cardboard, no solid stuff. there are only a couple peices of it. Mostly the pipes are uninsulated. What is the best thing to put on the uninsulated pipes? What is the r value of the paper tube that exists

stamato_4

Insulation

Can someone tell me what insulation to use to insulate the uninsulated pipes for my steam system in the basement. I am assuming there is an obvious best choice. Do I just buy the fiberglass tubes from the box stores? Should I leave the old paper type where it remains or replace that too. how thick should it be? Should it be tight to the pipe or should it have a little play in it?

Jeff Lawrence_25

Paper type?

Is the 'paper type' insulation white or off white in color? Does it look like it's solid or near solid? How about a white cardboard?

If these answers are yes or anything near a positive ("Yeah, kinda-sorta like that"), you may have asbestos insulation. If you do, you need to get an abatment contractor out to look at what you have. If you're not going to disturb it, you should be fine.

Jeff Lawrence_25

White cardboard?

That's called (as I recall) Aerocell asbestos insulation. I'd leave it alone. I don't know the R-value of the insulation.

Best bet would be to install fiberglass insulation over the rest of the pipes. Three-quarter inch would be better than half inch.

Good luck.

stamato_4

Should it be tight to the pipe or should it have a little play in it?

Jeff Lawrence_25

tight to the pipe.



Most insulation does it's trick by trapping air and not letting it move around easily.

stamato_4

What about the right angles

What type of insulation do I put on the right angles and turns? The fiberglass tubes look great for straight runs but don't seem plyable for turns and angles.

David Nadle

Search earlier threads.

There's been a lot of good discussion of pipe insulation in the last 6 months.

They make special fitting covers that consist of a fiberglass "diaper" and a PVC jacket that wraps around and is joined with tape. You insulate the pipes first then do the fittings. You have to spec the correct size fitting covers for the pipe size plus the insulation thickness.

As a homeowner who's done a fair amount of research on pipe insulation, I think the optimal insulation thickness is 1" for 2" pipe and smaller. The ASHRAE code says to go thicker than that, so that's something to consider. I think most people on this board would tell you the 1/2" stuff isn't enough.

Larry Weingarten

Just to confuse...

... things a bit; the insulation you install today could stay on the pipes for fifty years. We base insulation sizing on cost effectiveness at today's energy prices yet we all know energy is going to cost a LOT more in fifty years. So, how about guessing what insulation level will be cost effective in say, twenty five years and putting that on the pipes? Over the last thirty years I've watched recommended insulation amounts roughly double every ten years. Seems silly to me to do something that will certainly be outdated in just a few years.

Just my two cents (adjusted for energy inflation, 98 cents).

Yours, Larry