steam pipe insulation wrap-which are good products?

bob fitzgerald

Thad English

fiberglass

I used 1.5" thick fiberglass insulation with the foil backing for my mains, and it was money well-spent on improving the system performance. I got it from an industrial insulation company and it was easy to put on. It was expensive, but the resulting savings in gas usage will pay for it easily over the next 2 heating seasons.
I also had the steam chases in the house filled with blown in cellulose.

David Efflandt

I also used foil backed fiberglass, but just needed to insulate near boiler steam piping that had been exposed when boiler had been replaced the year before I bought the home. I tied around it with twine, taped all the seams with foil (metal) duct tape and removed the twine. I did not tightly tape the far ends, so if any moisture did accumulate, it could be driven out.

You do not want to wrap it too tightly because what insulates is the dead air space (the fiberglass primarily adds volume and stops air movement). I did not wrap the returns, because that is the only heat for my basement (which drops into the 50's in subzero weather).

If I was going to do longer sections, I would look for the somewhat rigid preformed paper backed fiberglass that fits the pipe.

Plastic foam tubes are not really suitable for steam. I tried that on some riser pipes and it tends to creep as the pipe expands and contracts.

Thad English

clarification

Just to clarify, the product that I used was a preformed rigid fiberglass insulation that is designed for use on steam pipes. It is split down one side and has a glue tab for easy installation.

PG

pipe insulation

Bob do yourself a favor and find the pipe insulation Thad is talking about. Easiest to install, best result, no twine or duct tape involved, plus it looks professional. Well worth th $.

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soot_seeker_2

Exterior covering for insulated steam pipes

Is anyone aware of an exterior pipe wrap material other than PVC? The steam lines in my plant are fiberglass insulated & covered with white PVC. Theses covers provide easy-to-clean surfaces & protect the fiberglass wraps from damage, but they have a critical weakness. When the fiberglass insulation gets wet (from washdown operations), it transmits heat very effectively to the PVC & melts it. I'm wondering if there's an heat-safe product available to protect fiberglass wraps.

Brad White_9

Childers Aluminum

"Childers" 0.016 corrugated aluminum seamless jacket joined with rivets on insulated surfaces. Jacket is to be joined at lap seam by rivets every three (3) inches on center. Joints shall be staggered 90 degrees apart, and lapped no less than two (2) inches."