How Are You Insulating Your Storage?

I will be getting the one on the left insulated sometime this week. Its anywhere from 2" to 4" thick and from 7 to 9 R-value . Then I will be framing them in and blowing in fiberglass. I would say it will be around R 40 all said and done eh.

Huff

Gene.EJ said:

I was just curious if anyone wanted to share pics of their water storage setups, and how they were insulating them, whether its factory or custom, maybe an estimated r-value and a few measurements... was thinking the topic should present some very neat pictures and a few ideas. as well as show people the alternatives out there..
Intrigued to see...

Click to expand...

The tank was first covered in foil backed insulation as seen on the boiler heat exchanger, then three layers of 2'x4'x2" rigid insulation were placed around the tank joints staggered and each layer held tightly held in place with aluminum banding.
In the summer, when the only draw is domestic supply, the tank lasts 10-14 days - 195 F down to 115 F.
This install was done over 30 years ago!

I have about 2" of Dow Froth Pac on mine. That does a very nice job. I need to finish off the job with a box just to keep the last bit of heat in during the summer and for fire safety.Spray foam does a very nice job of holding in the heat in the tank. There are some old posts on this topic.

RobC said:

I have about 2" of Dow Froth Pac on mine. That does a very nice job. I need to finish off the job with a box just to keep the last bit of heat in during the summer and for fire safety.Spray foam does a very nice job of holding in the heat in the tank. There are some old posts on this topic.

Click to expand...

Sure looks like a nice easy way of insulating a tank, very neat!

I dense packed cellulose in a box around the tanks. I should be over r - 40 in most spots. It was cheaper than foam and
pretty effective. I also laid some fiberglass batts on top the box so I could access the lid and the top of the tanks without moving
much cellouse. I made cuby holes for each tank Towards the bottom to acess plumbing and temp sensors and use
fiberglass for those. I have some foil wrap I'm going to put around the insulation on the pipes.

Spray foam. Froth Pak 180. 400 gallon buffer tank. 1-2 inches on the bottom half, 2-5 inches on the top half. 1" equals almost R-7. But the fact that the seal is almost perfect, it stops all air flow. Very good stuff. Expensive. But very good.

How expensive for the foam, if you don't mind sharing RobC or Gasifier?

dogwood said:

How expensive for the foam, if you don't mind sharing RobC or Gasifier?

Click to expand...

I never used the stuff, but from a quick Google
http://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=16183

dogwood said:

How expensive for the foam, if you don't mind sharing RobC or Gasifier?

Click to expand...

I think I paid $369 for it, or close to that. Then I spent another $30 on a tyvek suit w/hood and a N95 mask. Worth every penny.

I had a problem getting mine to expand properly. Dow sales rep or local sales guy never figured it out. Search exothermic reaction. For the cost and if I did it again I would sub it out. I would look to get 3" put on. Put some masking tape sticking off tank in various places so you can see how deep the product is applied.
When done they are like Thermos bottles.
I paid about the same for the 2 pt kit.
Suit up and cover up the floors etc. the stuff when sprayed is sticky.
Cheers Rob

I paid $300 for the spray foam on one 500 gal tank. I'm getting some more done on friday.

Why don't you guys use tank insulation from owens Corning or JM?

100s.f. for $150 1" thick, $210 for 1.5" and $250 for 2"

http://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/servlet/the-222/Fiberglass-Bendaboard-Pipe-Tank/Detail

SIERRADMAX said:

Why don't you guys use tank insulation from owens Corning or JM?

100s.f. for $150 1" thick, $210 for 1.5" and $250 for 2"

http://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/servlet/the-222/Fiberglass-Bendaboard-Pipe-Tank/Detail

Click to expand...

I used a 1" layer very similar to the above , foil side in then three layers of the 2'x4'x2" rigid compressed fiber glass insulation . Works very well!

It cost me around $100.00 for cellulose. Two tanks !

Sierradmax or Hobbyheater, what r-value does the Corning or JM tank insulation have? Didn't say on the linked site.

Mike

SIERRADMAX said:

Why don't you guys use tank insulation from owens Corning or JM?

Click to expand...

Because it is not as good. No joints with spray foam. Spray foam forms perfectly to any surface. Round tank as well. You would have joints when insulating with that insulation. How many? How much would the total cost of that type of insulation be for a 400 gallon tank at the 2" price? It certainly would not seal as well because it would not form to the curvature of the tank as well. I am sure the insulation works fine, I just don't think for what you save, and the job it does, you should go with it. If you can swing the money, better to spend a little more to get it sealed right the first time. Just my opinion.

The way foam insulates is different. The R value doesn't tell the whole story. Most conventional insulations slow down the migration of heat or cold. Foam comes close to stopping it.

dogwood said:

Sierradmax or Hobbyheater, what r-value does the Corning or JM tank insulation have? Didn't say on the linked site.

Mike

Click to expand...

The installation was done around 30 years ago so can't remember the R value of any of it .The foil backed insulation came in one big sheet , the rigid insulation was placed on the saddle's and the insulating blanket was also put under the tank before it was lowered into place . The tank diameter is also 56" so by using a banding machine it was possible to pull all the layers tight . A very trying procedure, if I had to do it again spray foam would be the way to go.

That foam is flamable but you see a lot of folks that dont cover it and have it right next to their boiler. Thats one
reason I went with cellulose. The price was the other. I'd put it up against 2" of foam anyday.

Woods..

I'm planning cellulose too. I had planned to put in some 2" hard foam in a sort of "collar" around the bottom of the dome.. So I can still have access to the tank bottom drain. I'm building the tanks into a 4x8x10' box in the utility room. Figure I'll make a small trap door in bottom for access.

I just worry about the worst case. With blow in (and I hate fiberglass) cellulose I can always pull it out if some strange things happen.

JP

My 1000 gal tank is 19' feet long. I boxed it in with 2 x 4 framing, 4' x 4' x 20'. Box is lined with 2" foam on the inside (R-10), and sheetrock on the outside, except a plywood top so that I can use the whole top of the tank box for storage, no lost floor space, and except is one end is removable for access to supply/return piping. Then the inside of the box is stuffed with 6"+ of fiberglass (R-19+). A 4' x 4' removable piece of the plywood is on the top above the various tank fittings for an access panel. Not the best picture, but shows the box under construction.

Jp, Just be sure to pack the insulation down as you blow it in. Also make the box around it air tight. I agree If they ever get a leak it would be a mess, but I've never heard of anyone one here getting a leak in their 1/4 steel tank.