Thermal piping insulation is your best friend when it comes to reducing your electricity bill, and it also benefits the environment. Furthermore, lagging the pipes can also reduce noise radiating from exposed pipework. These are the three principal advantages of pipe insulation and make a strong argument for homeowners to make an effort to insulate the pipes in their homes.
If you are reasonably handy and able to reach the pipework in your home, it is simple to insulate pipes yourself without hiring a contractor. If you still need to, you’ll find plenty of handypersons or plumbers in your area who can complete the job.
What Is The Most Popular Material For Insulating Pipes?
There are several materials used in thermal insulation, so we’ll have a look at the properties of the most widely used:
Elastomeric foam tubing
Elastomeric foam tubing is an insulating material made from synthetic rubber with a closed-cell composition. When buying pipe insulation, you’ll need tubes, but elastomeric foam is also available to insulate ducts and is sold in a plate shape.
The main benefit of this material for insulating pipes is its low thermal conductivity, which means heat transfer proceeds at a lower rate than in materials of high thermal conductivity.
Elastomeric foam tubing is also very flexible, which makes it easy and fast to install.
Foams of this kind used to cover pipes are typically sold in two-metre rolls.
The elastomeric foam helps with condensation control and, therefore, is a popular choice for machine and boiler rooms.
Polyethylene tubing
Polyethylene is a material used in many diverse applications in the packaging, automotive, and electrical industries, to name a few. One of the applications of polyethene is as a pipe insulator to limit heat loss.
Polyethylene has a higher thermal conductivity than elastomeric foam, which makes it a less effective insulation material. Since it isolates less than other choices on the market, the price is also lower. This material for thermal insulation is sold in units of two meters and is usually grey.
Mineral wool tubing
Glass wool and rock wool are superb insulators. They are extensively used in all types of buildings, from residential to industrial.
This is another material with low thermal conductivity. It is a feature that makes it a top choice for insulating pipes and fittings in cold and hot piping installations.
You’ll find wool insulation sold as a bare tube or a tube covered with aluminium foil, which acts as a vapour barrier.
Which Should You Choose?
Once you know the different materials used for the thermal insulation of pipes, you have to choose the one that suits you best.
To make it more straightforward for you to determine the best type of insulation for your pipes, consider the following criteria:
• Conductivity: This is linked to the thermic insulation of the material. This quality is necessary to know, as the degree of insulation depends on whether a material has low thermal conductivity.
• Thickness: This property is predominant when choosing pipe insulation. The thicker the tubing, the more it will insulate.
• Working temperature range: This attribute shows the maximum and minimum temperatures the material can withstand. This is essential to know to prevent the materials from decaying.
• Reaction to fire: The performance of any material used in the household with natural elements is significant. In this case, knowing how an insulating material behaves with fire is vital. It is imperative for safety reasons and compliance with regulations.
Thermal Insulation Lowers Bills
Once you have chosen which type of insulation to use, you can install it, whether you decide to do it yourself or call in a professional. Once wrapped, you’ll already see savings on your next utility bill. Energy savings are notable in a house with good thermal insulation.