K-Flex Titan

Steam_Guy56

Hello All,

I am replacing the missing insulation on my one pipe radiator system, and I previously read a while back on here about someone recommending kflex titan insulation. I was wondering if anyone else had experience using it and any tips you have for doing a retrofit install.

All of the online catalogs I am seeing don’t distinguish whether the item is for high temperature use, they just mention that it comes in two materials (epdm or pvc) and then list one item for sale.

I expect a lot of you guys only use fiberglass for steam insulation. The reason I am looking into this kflex titan stuff is because I hate how fiberglass collects mold and dust, and apparently doesn’t have that much better insulation per dollar compared to this plastic stuff. Ideally I would have liked to use rockwool, but I can’t find anyone selling it for what I can afford.

Again, I appreciate any thoughts or experiences you guys have had with the kflex titan insulation.

Waher

You’d need Kfkex Titan HT not their standard offering. Otherwise it will crumble at sustained 212f temperatures.

it has a lower R value per inch than fiberglass and won’t work as well.

the higher quality US made fiberglass like
https://buyinsulationproducts.com/ sells is less prone to loose fiber shards and has a more moisture resistant rubberized paper type jacket. Add Zeston PVC pipe insulation jackets over fiberglass pipe insulation if you want to encapsulate it with a completely waterproof and cleanable surface.

pecmsg

how does fiborglass retain moisture on steam pipes to form mold?

Steam_Guy56

Thanks @Waher, I am looking at Johnstone Supply and Supplyhouse.com and the only manufacturing codes for kflex titan I am seeing are like this 6RSR048158 with the last three digits being the pipe size (this part is 1 and 5/8th” pipe OD). I am guessing the 6 is for a 6ft segment, which leaves the RSR048 to represent that it is kflex Titan pvc.

It might he a long shot, but would you happen to know the part number for the High Temp epdm version.

I called kflex a few times and emailed them but was unable to get a response. The people at supplyhouse.com had a better price thann Johnstone (same part no.) so I called them and they swore that the part was the high temp version. After the parts arrived, I checked the markings on the tubing and the stamped R factor indicates that they are the lower temp PVC kind. I might just have to go with fiberglass if I can’t even get a straight answer from Kflex about it.

@pecsmg , there are a few runs that never see the light of day, and the basement can be quite humid in the summer (95%+ humidity). They might get killed in the winter, but I am not going to clean the dead stuff off in the summer every year.

Waher

"It might he a long shot, but would you happen to know the part number for the High Temp epdm version"

I've tried to find this out before without any luck. The people who install solar hot water systems should know since it's the insulation type they use for the line sets.

Steam_Guy56

Thanks @Waher,

I ended up getting johns mansville fiberglass for the 2.5” mains. I’m going to put the kflex titan low temp insulation on the smaller diameters. According to the specs it is supposed to be able to handled sustained temps up to 220F and occasional spikes to 250F. It’s more risk than I usually would take, but I think that with the one pound steam I am planning to put in the pipes it shouldn’t fail, or if it does then it should be warrantied.