We recently bought a house in Maine. Our basement has lots of big (2″ or more) iron pipe going from the boiler to our old cast iron radiators. Our basement is very warm, because of all of the heat radiating out of the pipes. We’ve been trying to figure out the best way to insulate these pipes (so that the heat goes into the main house, not the basement!), and haven’t found much available. There is fiberglass, which we don’t want to use both because it is expensive and because we don’t want to deal with the fibers from it. The foam tube wraps we’ve used on our smaller copper pipes don’t seem to be available for the big iron ones. We bought some foil insulation, which is a layer of bubble wrap enclosed in foil on each side, and wrapped some of the pipes with this, but there is still a lot of heat coming from them.
Does anyone have any good ideas?
Joan
Replies
Pipes that size usually need an industrial type pipe insulation which these days comes in fiberglass with a white cover. You can get a self adhesive type cover for the joints that will keep the fibers away from the living space. Very effective. Usually when you get to specialty type insulations they cost more but there of course is a savings in getting the heat where you want it.
Keep in mind if the basement tempature is reduced so will the floor tempature above it which will make the first floor space feel cooler. Just something to conside as heat does rise. DanT
Here's some background on the insulation Dan mentions.
http://www.naima.org/pages/products/ci.html
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
They do make Rubitex¯ & Armaflex¯ in the larger sizes but there not recomended for higher temps.
Fiberglass is what we use on our jobs.
But if you don't want that you could frame around the pipes forming a chase stuff with insulation then rock the whole thing.
But that wouldn't be your cheapest route by far.
Fiberglass is the standard material used throughout industry for iron pipes around that temperature. The fiberglass comes preformed with a jacket that would keep the fibers in. Once installed and you clean up from the installation, you won't have any problem with fibers.
The rubber types generally won't take the higher temperatures, though silicone will. Silicone is expensive, though.
Here is a website for an industrial supply company which has lots of variety in pipe insulation so you can compare nearly every alternative there is.
http://www.mcmaster.com