Wrapping hot water main with insulation

Joel M

What do you pro's think about wrapping the hot water main 11/2 inch dia steel pipe with 1/2 inch fiberglass insulation like Frost King product? The pipe is in my basement, rec room side is heated so I wouldnt wrap it there, it was painted years ago with a silver colored paint, then I went over that with latex paint when I remodeled. The other side is where the boiler and laundry/work shop are. It is not cold on that side, but would wrapping 40 foot of pipe be worth the cost of about $40.00? Would it make my system more efficient? Thanks!

Joel M

does anyone know if this pipe insulation is worth doing?

dconnors

up to you

You certainly lose heat on bare pipe but whether the payback is sufficient is up to you. I like the German concept that any heat wasted is criminal.

Joel M

Actually my cost will be a lot less because I wasn't figuring the 3" width of the wrap. I agree heat waste is terrible, that is why I am trying low cost options. Cheers!

Constantin

The benefit of 40' feet wrapped is minimal...

...but why not? At the very least, it will speed up system response as less heat is wasted in spaces you don't intend on heating.

While you're at it, also consider wrapping your water heater with one of those 2" thick kits sold at Home Despot, et. al. Standby losses are quite real and can cost you a lot of money.

As for specific products, I don't like Frost King much because it's glues tend to be on the weak side. The window-kits from Frost-King are the pits compared to the 3M product, for example. Instead, I'd consider a quality pipe-covering like the Imoca-tubes sold into the professional trades.

But don't stop at insulating the tubes. Take a close look at infiltration around the house and try to stop it where you can. Then add outdoor reset to your system to reduce your energy needs by up to 25%.

dconnors

I was told...

If you wrap a hot water heater you may trap condensation and ruin the tank?

Constantin

Trap condensation where?

I don't see what exterior part of a properly functioning water heater is supposed to get wet during normal operations.

Naturally, the T&P Valve should be allowed to vent outside the supplemental water heater insulation. A simple cut/score before you slip on the insulation does that.

The draft inducer and lower areas of a regular gas water heater should be left well alone. You don't want to end up blocking either the intake or the exhaust.

You should be able to wrap an electric unit all around unless the manual specifically forbids it.

None of the gas water heaters I have wrapped with exterior insulation show any kind of corrosion on the exterior. Interior corrosion due to condensation in gas flues is unavoidable and has nothing to do with supplemental insulation.

Joel M

What is outdoor reset?

Uni R

outdoor reset

It is a control that varies how hot the boiler water can get based on the outside temperature. If it is 40F outside there is no sense having the boiler climb all the way to 180F when trying to heat the house. That wastes fuel and the larger temperature swings reduce the comfort factor. This control allows it to lower the boiler's high temperature to a lower level at higher outside temperatures and then raise the maximum boiler temperatures as it gets colder and colder outside.

Joel M

What is the down side? I live in CT and temps can swing wildly. Some times in winter it will be 5 degrees, the next day it may be 30 degrees, seems like the boiler would be cycling like crazy. Is this something new? I wonder why I never heard of it.

Uni R

outdoor reset

Short answer: $

These are nothing new. Tekmar makes nice electronic ones. I have a White-Rodgers mechanical reset on mine.