Insulating Boiler Piping

[BulldogAcres]

Over the past 2 years I have seen many posts showing piping for the boiler. I have yet to see any insulation on there pipes. I have about 20 feet of exposed copper pipping and have insulated all of it. I still have about 15 feet of iron pipe to insulate yet. Have not been able to find insulation for the 1 1/2 Iron pipe yet. I am sure there must be some heat loss with these pipes reaching temperature in the 180 degree F. Do many of you insulate your pipes or am I wasting my time and money insulating the boiler pipes.

 

[taxidermist]

I insulated my 1 1 iron with a foil faced pipe wrap from home depot. It comes on a roll, I also used foam pipe wrap on all my iron and pex pipe in the basement.


Rob

 

[Hunderliggur]

I think most post pics before insulating - you can actually see what the piping is. I have 1 1/4" copper at the boiler and it is insulated. It could be better insulated though, may need to get some of the overwrap insulation now that I have everything in place (I believe ;-) ). I used foil faced duct insulation in my basement to insulate my supply/feed lines which were in tight spaces. Works great.

 

[RobC]

At commercial supply houses you can get insulation with different ID and wall thicknesses. You want to avoid some of the more plastic types. They will deteriorate over time with exposure to heat.
Rob

 

[stee6043]

I prefer to think of my exposed piping as a "radiator" than an uninsulated mess of plumbing. ha.

For those of us running indoor boilers insulating our pipes likely isn't going to net us any gains. Our heat loss from plumbing goes to satisfy our loads. Unles it's surface mounted to an exterior concrete wall or something similar, of course.

 

[Gasifier]

I do have a run where I need to insulate my 1.5" copper. My feed and return line run between two floor joist right under my living room. Nice when it is really cold out, but when it is milder, or warm in shoulder season I don't need the heat there. I will be heating my hot water with wood as long as I can stand the heat in the basement. May even vent the basement with a small fan in the window just while the boiler is running to heat the storage tank up. (late spring, summer, early fall DHW heating) Hey, where did you guys get your insulation for your 1.5" copper? Any good ideas? I went to Lowe's but the biggest they sell is 1". I believe a local HVAC and plumbing store probably have it, but price will probably be high as well. If I remember right the 1.5" copper is 1.75" O.D.

 

[skfire]

Currently in the middle of insulating my runs from boiler to tanks and return(physical linear distance about 20', but actual install about 65' incl risers),lots of ells and off angle turns on the rise, fun fun.

Anyway here are some pix, I have about another half a day of install left, probably over the X-mas break.

Used JM Microlok HP, 2" thick. Bartered(like most of my copper and fittings)with a friend in plbg outfit in NYC and he ordered it through his supply house. Not easy to find locally, especially in the boonies where I live.

Word to the wise, check your angle cuts 2-3 times and plan for extra tape(and cover up and use baby powder on exposed skin).

Scott

 

[woodsmaster]

Looks Great !! They make that stuff 15 miles from me but I don't Know any one local that sells it. Im hoping to get some free from a friend that works there but no luck yet.

 

[skfire]

Looks Great !! They make that stuff 15 miles from me but I don't Know any one local that sells it. Im hoping to get some free from a friend that works there but no luck yet.

Doesn't the factory have "seconds" or scrap pieces they may want to sell?
Will they let you "dumpster dive"..?????
You could just get all the scraps and patch up with tape, as long as the insulation envelope/wrap is intact.
Good luck man..this stuff is great if you can get it.

Scott

 

[mikefrommaine]

Looks Great !! They make that stuff 15 miles from me but I don't Know any one local that sells it. Im hoping to get some free from a friend that works there but no luck yet.

Don't know if its a good price. But it is available on ebay

Shipping is outrageous though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-1-2-x-1-J...524?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336de53f0c

 

[goosegunner]

I snagged over 100 feet fiberglass pipe insulation with 1-1/2" thick wall for $50. It was for 2" and 1-1/2" pipe but I put in a thin layer of fiberglass to take up the extra space.

gg

 

[Gasifier]

Hey Bulldog,

I picked up some pipe insulation yesterday that looks a lot like Skyfire's. 30 feet cost me just over $50 for the stuff that fit 1.5" copper. I realized that it was not only the 1.5" feed and return pipes from the Wood Gun and tank over to the oil boiler room. It was also the 1.25" feed and return that go to the other side of the house. So, another $30 for 18 feet of that. Four pipes, two 1.5" copper, and two 1.25" copper. All throwing heat between two bays of floor joist, right next to each other, under the living room floor. Like I said, nice when it is really cold out. But too hot any other time. Anyway, it was a time consuming project. Tight spaces and had to take down some sheetrock and insulate, then put it back up. But, it is done. Now I can put up the rest of the sheetrock up and finish it off. The insulation should make a big difference in that area.

So, your thread you posted got me thinking about the fact that I needed to get that done. :lol: And now it is done. :lol: Thanks! And have a good one.