The Importance of Insulation in Steam Heating Systems
In this excerpt from his Dead Men’s Steam School seminar, Dan Holohan talks about why it pays to insulate all steam pipes - even the return lines!
Comments
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The danger of asbestos has been greatly exaggerated and the safety of fiberglass has also been exaggerated. Take proper precautions working with either.
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My house has a 100 year old two pipes steam system. The asbestos on the pipes is in good condition (actually excellent condition for its age). I have thought about adding a layer of fiberglass insulation to encapsulate the asbestos and add insulation to improve the efficiency of the system. Assuming I did the installation myself do you have an idea of the ROI. I took some temperature measurement after the boiler had shut off and the radiators were hot. I measured the room temperature in the basement and crawl space where the pipes are at ~60 F. The supply pipe was ~90 F. I then looked at material costs - pretty expensive, and I did not find the "snap-on" insulation in the larger sizes that I need, meaning that I would have to do a spiral wrap. Another though is to wrap with "duct" tape to encapsulate the asbestos, but that would add negligible R value. Suggestions?0
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If the asbestos is in good condition and not falling off, I suspect the ROI is small. And the most dangerous thing to do with asbestos is to mess with it. I’d leave well enough alone until it gets bad enough to be worth removing.
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can I insulate the pipes coming directly from the boiler?
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Of course. In fact it’s advisable.
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What works really well for encapsulating asbestos is to wrap it with ‘rewettable cloth.’ Not going to add much to the R-value, though it has to be better than duct tape.
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Couldn’t agree more. Dan is wrong on this one. For many reasons, it’s unnecessary and, frankly, foolish to remove asbestos that’s in decent shape. For protection, I encapsulated all my asbestos-covered pipe in rewettable cloth.
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Never considered insulating the wet return line. Thanks.
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I thought the same and went ahead insulated all the returns lines in my apt building.. then I realized there are opposing opinions after i got this comment:
Nice job, however, don't insulate the returns. They don't give off much heat most of the year and if you end up with a bad trap, the piping can help cool the condensate so its doesn't destroy nearby traps. This is especially the case if you orifice the supplies.No regrets though, my system is pretty happy.
Bryant 245-8, 430k btu, 2-pipe steam in a 1930s 6-unit 1-story apt building in the NM mountains. 26 radiators 3800sqf
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The main advantage to removing the asbestos is future building resale value. In these parts, at least, virtually no federally backed mortgagee will lend on a building containing asbestos. You wouldn't want to deal with this "problem" holding up a future sale.
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Wouldn't it be more efficient to insulate the wet return lines on a 2 pipe steam system? Keeping the return as warm as possible? I will be getting the Asbestos insulation removed and reinsulating. All of the 2" pipe returns are insulated in Asbestos. Insulate the return or no?
Weil McLain EG-50-PI 175000 2 pipe Steam Boiler Vacuum System. Installed 12/13/91..
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I insulate them if I plan on paying the bills for some ten years or more or if the returns are in unconditioned space. If I specify the job as an engineer, I call for returns to be insulated.
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Would insulating large steel pipes in basement of a vintage 1928 home with hot water heat be advantageous to the fuel bill as well?
How about returns on a hot water system? Insulate or not?
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Absolutely. I had all the asbestos insulation removed from the 1.5-3" dia. hot water heat piping (converted gravity system) in the basement of my 1898 Victorian during a renovation project. Ran the pipes bare for about a month before the fiberglass insulation was installed. My gas bill jumped nearly 50% that month! Well worth insulating the entire system. Every last inch of it. Lot of water in those big old house pipes.
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