heating pipe insulation

[kbearn]

Hi.
I want to re-insulate my boiler heating pipes which have 12 miter run so at to reduce the heat loss and prevent water gathering around the pipes. I am in the process of uncovering the pipes by digging by hand.
Has anyone any experience of this.

 

[D_Hailsham]

Hi.
I want to re-insulate my boiler heating pipes which have 12 miter run so at to reduce the heat loss and prevent water gathering around the pipes. I am in the process of uncovering the pipes by digging by hand.
Has anyone any experience of this.

Are these pipes exposed to the cold - e.g under the ground floor or the boiler is outside? If so, it's worth insulating them.

But if the pipes are within the house, the heat given off by the pipes contributes to the heating of the house, so there is no heat loss.

 

[JohnD]

if the pipes are in an unheated space, including under the floor, they ought to be insulated as heat will be wasted, and they may freeze.

You talk as if the pipes are undergound. Armaflex is good for that.

 

[Norcon]

Armaflex Tuffcoat would be your best bet.
http://www.pipelagging.com/armacell...tuffcoat-underground-insulation-c-236_93.html

You'll have to slit the insulation though so the sealing integrity is lost to a degree. You'll need the appropiate glue/sealing compounds also.
I'd be inclined to add a second covering with the 13mm sheet.
Not easy though with pipes in the ground.

I did it once with Class O and then ran the f&r pipes inside separate 4" ducts.
Then drilled them and pumped with expanding foam.
Disconnecting the pipes would be a good idea.

Its not uncommon to see steam rising from the ground in the middle of winter on many installs.
Uponor (or similar) pre-insulated is the way to go now.