Insulating One Pipe Steam system

bergensteamguy

Hello folks, before I knew of Heating Help, I went out and insulated my bare steam pipes with 1/2 insulation. That was all they had at Home Depot. After finding Heating Help, I found a wealth of information. I read that it is recommended to use, at bare minimum, 1inch fiberglass insulation. I was wondering if there was a calculation to understand the loss of heat with 1/2 vs. 1 inch insulation? I read that bare pipes lose about 220 BTUs per sq foot for 2inch pipes. Any help is appreciated.

Gsmith

I think 1/2" may be ok, but 1" is better, but may not be worth the extra cost and work now that you have put up 1/2". How is the temperature in the basement (or other areas) where you insulated the mains? If the room temp is not too much higher than your set living space temp then you are probably ok with the 1/2".

Mad Dog_2

The Box store Insulation falls apart in a few years.   Get some Owens Corning as thick  as practicable.  Mad Dog 🐕