Insulation and pipe hangers

Tommi68

Not to drag around an oft discussion, but is there a better trade reference for pipe insulation around pipe hangers? My building has many insulation practices form over 100yrs of maintenance.

I have new steam lines to insulate, the installers were plumbers who brought hangers that fit over of the fiberglass insulation. This causes the insulation to crush and will affect the slope of the pipe, especially when the hangers crush into the insulation close to a wall penetration, where the pipe cannot settle along with the hangers. My usual preference is to carve out insulation to fit around hangers, it takes time but I like it. This task is usually done on original pipes after abatement where the hanger is tight around the pipe. Most of my work is on 1-1/2"-5" pipes

I have some larger 6 & 7" pipes to insulate soon. Is the practice of adding rigid support under the pipe hanger reasonable on the 6" + (I have noticed 12" + pipes with hangers outside of the insulation that have internal supports to keep the hanger from contacting the hanger).

The primary concern with insulating is to reduce the heat load in spaces where the mains run. I am using 1-1/2" fiberglass with PVC fittings with batt fills.

thanks loads Team!

Jamie Hall

Your usual practice is correct — the hangars must support the pipe directly.

Waher

wood support peg through the insulation aligned with the clevis hanger (so that the metal pipe bears on the wood peg that bears on metal hanger) and a metal pipe shield to distribute the load across the surface of insulation if the clevis hanger stirrup is slightly misaligned.

https://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/pipe-insulation-support-pegs-with-pvc-disc/

https://buyinsulationproductstore.com/pipe-insulation-shields/

mattmia2

this is kind of the standard commercial way to do it. used to be some sort of asbestos product but this is one of the non-asbestos versions:

https://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/calcium-silicate-calsil-pipe-block-insulation/?srsltid=AfmBOoqao3oR5RaQUyIhAtplTxYCTCDjHKQ2auKni_70ZrDOmV0lYbkO

Tommi68

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1818846#Comment_1818846

Very industrial, probably very good insulator. We have some pre-formed block product, but every new person encounters it expects to have it sampled and tested for asbestos. Our system isn't robust enough yet to record places that have new insulation, only known ACMs.

EBEBRATT-Ed

The usual practice on heating pipes its to have the hanger directly on the pipe. For chilled water pipes to prevent condensation the hanger is larger and is installed over the insulation with a block the same thickness as the insulation between the hanger and the pipe and a metal shield over the insulation

Tommi68

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1819454#Comment_1819454

Ok, glad this is the accepted practice.

The plumber who are installing use massive hangers over top of the insulation, or installing the hangers without the insulation and I level the pipe.

The bottom condensate pipe had been abused during a large abatement. This line may need to be levelled and reinsulated.

EdTheHeaterMan

Easy Pezy pipe insulation.

Job done boss… all the near boiler piping is insulated!

(found this on Facebook OilHeat tech talk)

Tommi68

MrHeaterman, that is a level of thoroughness that I aspire to!

DCContrarian

I see a spot he missed.

Larry Weingarten

I'm just guessing @Steamhead would have something to say about the guy who did that job. 🤪

Yours, Larry

Tommi68

Have any of the collective used these saddles? It seems that it will simplify and improve insulating, especially in pipes over 4". The rollers in our supply tunnel are already insulated. Maybe there is diminishing return on using them under clevis hangers.

delcrossv

They would take the compression off the insulation- which is exactly what you want.