How to choose insulation for heating pipes and whether it is needed

Reducing heat losses in heating communications of enterprises, utilities and private homes allows you to save significant financial resources on heating the coolant, so any methods of thermal insulation of pipelines are always relevant. In heating systems of private houses, the main way to maintain the temperature of the coolant in the system is thermal insulation for heating pipes; when used, it is installed on the outer surface of the pipeline.

It is useful for any homeowner whose heating boiler is located at some distance from heat exchange devices (for example, in a separate utility room on the street) to know the main types of heat insulators used to protect pipelines from environmental influences and how to insulate heating pipes. Depending on the material used to make the thermal protection, various methods of its installation are used; most of them are easy to do with your own hands if you know the appropriate technology.

Fig. 1 Thermal insulation for heating pipes in individual houses

Classification

Cardiomyopathies are divided into primary (idiopathic) without an established cause and secondary with a known etiology.

Primary cardiomyopathies

• genetic: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy;
• arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy;
• non-compact myocardium of the left ventricle;
• Lenegre's disease;
• ion channelopathies.

• mixed: dilated cardiomyopathy;
• primary restrictive cardiomyopathy;

• acquired: inflammatory cardiomyopathy;
• stress-induced cardiomyopathy (tako-tsubo syndrome);
• postpartum cardiomyopathy.

Secondary cardiomyopathies

The group of secondary cardiomyopathies is extensive and includes myocardial lesions in various diseases and pathological conditions. Among secondary cardiomyopathies, the most common are alcoholic cardiomyopathy, thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, autoimmune cardiomyopathy, etc.

Materials

It is also important to consider the method in which the insulation will be installed. On the modern market, materials are presented in three varieties, depending on this factor:

• roll Used for wrapping pipes. Their advantage is that they can be used on elements of any diameter;
• cylindrical. In accordance with the name, they are a cylinder. It can be either solid or with a cut. In the first case, the pipe is inserted inside the element; in the second, the insulation can be put on after the pipeline has been assembled. It is clear that in this case the diameter of the segments is very important, since the cylinders have certain dimensions. They must cover the pipe without any gaps, otherwise heat will escape through the latter;
• semi-cylindrical. In principle, this is the same cylinder, but divided lengthwise into two halves. One is installed on the top of the pipe, the second on the bottom. The disadvantage here is the same as that of the previous version - it is tied to the diameter of the pipeline. In addition, it should be noted that half-cylinders, also called “shells,” can be hard or soft. The former can only be used on straight sections of the pipeline, since the material does not bend. If you need to insulate a bend in a highway, then you need to use a softer option.

Fiber wool

These are the well-known mineral wool and glass wool. They are rolled varieties of materials, which makes them quite convenient for installation. The thermal insulation characteristics of both wools are simply excellent - both retain heat perfectly.

But there is a drawback that can cover all the advantages - it is unstable to moisture. With glass wool this is even more or less the case, but mineral wool not only instantly absorbs water, but also almost completely loses its insulating properties when wet. In addition, over time it is compressed, as a result of which it also begins to insulate worse than initially.

Glass wool does not have such problems, but there are others. Over time, it begins to disintegrate, releasing tiny particles of glass into the air. Naturally, if inhaled, this can seriously harm health, so such material is usually not used in a residential building.

If you decide to use cotton insulation, then the best option would be to combine them. Sections of the pipeline located on the street can be wrapped with glass wool - there it will not harm anyone, and moisture will not interfere with it. And insulate those segments that are located in the attic or basement using mineral wool. It is safe for people, and its location indoors will protect it from exposure to precipitation. However, it is better to make an additional protective layer of steel tape on top - this way you will definitely protect the material from getting wet.

Foamed polymers

This variety includes foamed polyethylene, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and rubber. The first is a roll material, the rest are semi-cylindrical. The main advantage of all foamed polymers is excellent resistance to moisture. They can be safely placed outdoors.

In addition, they all have a long service life, ranging from 30 to 50 years. The only drawback of the materials is their high level of flammability. Moreover, they not only ignite, but also emit very acrid smoke.

Therefore, when deciding to use these particular insulation materials, it is necessary to pay increased attention to fire safety issues.

Painted and sprayed insulation

With this approach, the insulation layer turns out to be monolithic; it, as it were, becomes another shell of the pipe, and therefore reliably protects the pipeline. However, it is worth considering that it is almost impossible to remove it.

In addition, polyurethane foam is damaged by the sun's rays, so when placing it outdoors it is necessary to provide protection. Paint does not have this problem, but it insulates worse. It is better to use it in regions that do not experience cold winters.

Dear readers, based on today’s article you will be able to decide exactly what and how to properly insulate the heating pipeline in your home. Do not neglect this procedure, because in the end you will receive significant cost savings and also protect the system from possible breakdowns. Good luck!

How to insulate a boiler room in a private house

Each modern insulation has its own technical characteristics. Among the existing options for such products there are insulation materials that are characterized by low flammability. Basalt thermal insulation performs especially well in this regard.

But still, before choosing a material, you need to decide on the work object. Usually they start with insulating the equipment in the boiler room that is responsible for generating heat. If you are insulating a conventional boiler, you will need insulation that can withstand very high temperatures. The so-called basalt super-thin fiber is suitable very well, since it is not afraid of heating up to +200°. True, basalt insulation will cost about 2 times less.

If you need to insulate an industrial installation, significant costs will not be required. The fact is that such types of equipment initially have protection against heat loss. However, the pipe will have to be insulated. If these elements heat up above +70°, it is impossible to use foam plastic or other insulation with low fire resistance to insulate them. Basalt fiber works best here again.

The need for insulation

Now look: you invest in paying for resources, but the heat is released not only into the house, but also outside, into the basement, into the attic, etc. Do you need these expenses? Hardly. Agree, spending money on heating your yard during the cold winter is perhaps the most useless investment of all.

This is why it is so important to insulate pipes. This prevents heat from escaping to places where it is not needed.

Non-residential premises and the street are areas where the pipeline must be protected. Inside the house - in its residential parts - this does not need to be done for obvious reasons, heat transfer should occur there anyway.

In addition, there are other advantages that insulation of heating pipeline segments provides:

protection against condensation and freezing

As long as the heated coolant circulates through the pipes, even if not insulated, critical situations do not arise - if you do not pay attention to heat loss, then everything is in order. But there are times when a heating system malfunctions for some reason.

For example, an accident occurs and the house is left without light - as a result, both the electric heating boiler and the circulation pump stop. That is, heating of the coolant and its forced circulation through the pipes stops. What happens in this case? That's right, the liquid inside the pipeline is cooling. If it happens in the summer, there is no problem. If in winter, then first condensation forms on the pipe, which in itself is not a very useful phenomenon, and then the cooled liquid begins to freeze. It also depends on what kind of coolant you use. Antifreeze, for example, will obediently turn into a gel and wait until the system is restored to functionality. But the water will turn into ice, expand and can do a lot of damage to the pipeline, especially at the junction of the segments. Thus, breakthroughs may subsequently occur, and the restoration of the heating system will take a long time. Agree, in winter a house without heat is terrible. Of course, insulation on the pipes will not completely solve the problem, but it will prolong the cooling of the coolant for a long time, thereby giving you a considerable amount of time to troubleshoot problems in the system;

Possibility of underground pipe laying. Not everyone wants to look at the pipeline located in the yard. It is much more aesthetically pleasing to hide it underground. But, as you know, the temperature there is usually lower than on the surface. Therefore, insulation in this case is an absolutely necessary protection of the pipeline from freezing.

As you can see, pipe insulation is necessary both to save your money and to extend the life of the heating system. A nice bonus is that you can easily perform the procedure yourself, even without special skills. You just need to figure out what material to use for the job. But let's talk about this in more detail.

What is condensation on utility networks and what to do with it

Condensation is the deposition of moisture from the air on cold objects. A similar phenomenon can be observed in a hot bath. When in contact with cold walls, water vapor passes from a gaseous state to a liquid state, and then collects (condenses) on the surface in the form of drops. The same thing, but in slow motion, happens with the metal elements of the cold water supply system. Since steel is an excellent conductor of heat, the temperature of the outer surfaces of the pipes is equal to the temperature of the cold water passing through them. It is much lower than the temperature of the surrounding air and the water vapor present in it, especially if a pipe with hot water passes nearby. This difference causes condensation to form.

Polypropylene has low thermal conductivity, so the outer surface of a cold water pipe made of this material cools less than that of a steel pipe. As a result, vapor condensation on polymer structures does not occur, or occurs in insignificant quantities. If moisture nevertheless condenses, it is enough to insulate such places with a thin layer of insulation - you can use hemispheres made of foamed polymer.

Polymer products

Modern thermal insulation materials made from foamed polymers have become widespread.

All of them retain the properties of the original materials:

• high resistance to moisture and low water permeability,
• ability to withstand the effects of aggressive chemicals,
• biological decomposition.

Thermal insulation properties are due to the cellular structure obtained during foaming and hardening of the material.

Due to this, excellent sound insulation performance is achieved. Insulation made from foamed polymers is used during the installation of a heating system with polypropylene pipes (the procedure is described here) in apartments or private houses.

The mechanical characteristics of materials and heat resistance are determined both by the properties of the original polymers and by the manufacturing technology.

The most widely used insulation materials are:

• polyurethane foam;
• foamed polyethylene and materials based on it;
• expanded polystyrene (used for thermal insulation of heat accumulators for electric heating boilers - written in this article).

Polyurethane foam

High strength and rigidity allows the material to be used on pipelines subject to significant mechanical stress.

The insulation is non-toxic and has the resistance to chemical and biological influences and moisture resistance common to polymers.

Available in the form of half-cylinders (thermal insulating shell), easy to install.

Foamed polyethylene

The material has excellent resistance to various influences and elasticity.

Universal in use - can be used in various conditions, for example, in the basement, for thermal insulation of a heat accumulator (read how to do it yourself here).

Limitations are imposed by the heat resistance of the material (for samples made from cross-linked polyethylene it is higher) and susceptibility to ultraviolet radiation, which requires additional protective measures.

Insulation made of foamed polyethylene is used for pipes and thermal insulation of household communications (split cylinders of various diameters produced by manufacturers are convenient for this).

Consumers are offered materials based on polyethylene foam, such as penofol, which has protective reflective coatings of aluminum foil on one or both sides.

Expanded polystyrene

Low thermal conductivity and water permeability, long service life, excellent heat resistance allow the material to be widely used both for thermal insulation of household networks and for industrial needs.

It is produced in the form of halves of cylinders, simply mounted and dismantled.

On its basis, such universal insulation as penoizol is produced, which provides excellent performance characteristics.

Other insulation materials

Among other foam insulation materials, foam glass deserves special attention - a durable, waterproof, heat-resistant material that is inert to any impact.

It also became the basis for progressive coatings, such as heat-insulating paint.

A material containing foam glass, ceramic microspheres and perlite allows for effective protection of pipeline surfaces, while having excellent thermal insulation properties.

A layer of heat-insulating paint, a couple of mm thick, gives the same effect as several layers of conventional insulation - mineral wool or polystyrene.

The release form in the form of aerosols simplifies the use, and absolute safety and performance properties allow use both for household communications and in harsh industrial conditions.

Watch the video below to see what thermal insulation for heating pipes looks like.

Functions of heat insulators for heating pipelines

If we consider a private house, the heating boiler can be located inside the building in the basement or outside in a separate technical extension. The latter option is often used in the absence of a gas pipeline and the use of solid dirty materials as fuel - coal, firewood, peat, briquettes, pellets.

Many private houses have outdoor baths or saunas, so as not to complicate the design by installing a separate tank for heating water; it is supplied into the premises from the boiler, and the distance between the objects can be quite significant. When deciding how to insulate heating pipes, choose materials that meet the conditions below.

Reduced heat loss

The principle of operation of any insulation is to protect the insulated surface of the protected object from contact with the environment. At the same time, due to the low thermal conductivity of the insulator, heat loss is reduced, and the equalization of air temperatures and the hotter pipeline proceeds much more slowly than in the absence of a heat insulator.

Any heating main can be placed on the surface of the earth or under the ground; in the first case, soft insulation is usually installed for heating pipes in the open air; when placed underground, protection from hard materials is installed due to soil pressure.

Rice. 3 Mineral wool is a popular thermal insulation material for heating pipes

Frost protection

If hot water in an individual heating system is supplied from the boiler to an object located at a considerable distance from it, the water supply is usually laid underground at a distance from the surface below the freezing point. At the same time, it is not always possible to place the pipeline at a sufficient depth, so if the supply of hot water is interrupted for a long time, the remaining and cooled liquid in the pipes may freeze in severe frosts. To protect the underground line from freezing, it can be thermally insulated by placing it in hard shells or soft shells located in pipe channels.

Prevents condensation formation

Construction regulations prohibit the laying of metal pipes in the ground in the absence of insulation or protection of the outer shell with auxiliary materials; the situation is different indoors, where steel, galvanized steel, and copper pipelines are quite often laid. When the heating is turned off, the liquid in the metal pipes cools down and condensation appears on their surface, water drops cause corrosion of the outer wall and, if there is a large accumulation, fall down to form puddles on the floor - this can cause damage to the flooring.

To combat this phenomenon, porous heat-insulating materials for pipelines that are resistant to water or with good vapor permeability are used.

Rice. 4 Foamed polyethylene - thermal insulation for outdoor heating pipes

Protection against thermal burns

In municipal and household services, the temperature of the coolant transported through pipes can reach values ​​close to 100 ° C, so the task of protecting service personnel or residents of a private house from burns when coming into contact with pipes becomes urgent. To do this, their outer walls are covered with thermal protection from various types of heat insulators, the shell of which cannot have a high temperature by definition.

Neutralization of geometric deformations

The ability of all materials to expand when heated is well known, so a hot pipeline, when passing through walls or floor slabs, is placed in steel sleeves of larger diameter. A heat-insulating shell is placed on the pipe, protecting the assembly from hard contact of the enlarged shell with the wall of the sleeve.

When laying pipelines in walls or under the floor, their expansion can lead to cracks in the plaster or screed, so the use of an elastic shell that absorbs part of the thermal expansion helps to avoid problems associated with geometric deformation of the pipes.

Rice. 5 Expanded polystyrene shell - thermal insulation for heating pipes in the ground

Choosing insulation

Let's try to figure out which insulation to choose for external sewer pipes.

Let's conduct a small comparative analysis of the two most popular options for heat-insulating materials: mineral wool and polystyrene foam:

Insulation of pipes with mineral wool requires the mandatory use of additional waterproofing material

As an insulation material, mineral wool can be successfully used if certain safety requirements are met when working with it, in dry conditions and with the obligatory additional waterproofing layer. However, foam plastic thermal protection, due to its excellent performance characteristics, is pushing it out of practice in modern realities.

Styrofoam

Modern insulation for sewer pipes is a foam shell. It consists of two or even three parts, on the sides of which there are locks equipped with a simple device for fastening. Shells selected according to the diameter of the pipe are simply put on it and snapped into place.

Don’t forget to allow for overlaps when putting on the shell. Their overlap in length relative to each other should be at least 20 cm.

The service life of foam shells is more than 50 years. They can be used in any climate zone.

Foam shell - effective in use and easy to install

Expanded polystyrene

This material can be characterized as follows:

• Excellent thermal protection is provided for pipes located both in the ground and on the surface.
• The affordable price of heat-insulating material is important for the consumer.
• Expanded polystyrene protection can be used repeatedly.
• The elasticity of the material due to the porous structure makes it possible to carry out work not only on straight sections of the pipeline, but also on bends.
• Expanded polystyrene shells are installed quite simply:
  two halves of the required diameter, which when assembled form a “casing” for the pipe, are combined around it;
• The coating is additionally secured with construction tape.
• Installation of such a thermal shell can be easily done with your own hands.

Foamed polyethylene

Modern insulation materials: polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam

The thermal insulating properties of this material are ensured by its unique structure - air bubbles in a polyethylene shell. Foamed polyethylene has the following operational and other properties:

• good heat retention;
• providing protection against condensation and fogging;
• resistance to mechanical damage;
• resistance to oil, gasoline, cement, lime;
• high elasticity and flexibility;
• durability;
• maintaining characteristics throughout the entire service life;
• environmental Safety.

The thickness of the protective polyethylene foam coating varies depending on the outer diameter of the pipes (7–114 mm) made of steel, copper or plastic, and can be from 6 to 20 mm.

Thermal insulation of large-diameter sewer pipes, connecting parts and pipes with a non-circular cross-section is made using sheets of foamed polyethylene coated with foil.

Staples, glue or reinforced adhesive tape are used to hold the insulation together.

Foam rubber

This flexible synthetic material provides high quality and effective insulation due to its properties:

• good elasticity;
• low thermal conductivity;
• resistance to moisture absorption;
• durability;
• fire resistance;
• ability to operate in a wide temperature range: from –200 °C to +175 °C;
• good noise absorption;
• environmental friendliness;
• non-toxic;
• efficiency.

Installation of synthetic rubber insulation is possible on pipes of any type (steel, plastic, copper). The outer diameter of the insulated pipes (6–160 mm) determines the thickness of the material layer: 6–32 mm.

Rubber has all the advantages necessary for insulation

Why insulate the chimney of a gas boiler

When passing through the boiler pipe, heated gases lose temperature, giving up part of their own heat to the walls of the structure. But at the same time, the gas must be vented outside.

The quality of draft largely depends on the temperature of the chimney pipe walls. If there is insufficient draft, there is a risk of smoke in the room and even poisoning from waste combustion products.

The efficiency of removal of combustion products, in other words, the quality of draft, depends on the speed of overcoming the moment of condensation formation. This indicator is largely determined by the material from which the chimney pipe is made.

In an insulated chimney, the moment of condensation formation is reduced and the quality of draft is improved

If a stainless or galvanized steel pipe is used as a chimney, then the period of condensation formation takes place within 2-3 minutes, but a standard brick chimney needs much more time - about half an hour.

At the moment condensation appears and until it disappears, active mixing of water with combustion products occurs, and as a result of the ongoing reaction, an acidic solution appears. It is this acid that has a negative effect on the pipe, causing its destruction.

If an asbestos pipe or brickwork is used as a chimney, then condensation residues can be absorbed into their walls. In the absence of high-quality insulation, accumulated moisture will freeze and destroy the chimney. Advantages of chimney insulation

If you properly insulate the chimney pipe from a gas boiler, you can identify a considerable number of advantages. The main ones are:

• Reducing the influence of precipitation;
• Reducing heat loss during the heating season;
• Improved traction quality;
• Presentable appearance of the chimney;
• Reducing the volume of condensate formed on the outside of the chimney pipe.

Taking into account the above advantages, it is obvious that insulating the gas boiler pipe is simply necessary. To carry out the work, various insulation materials can be used, each of which differs not only in physical characteristics, but also in the characteristics of the work.

What do angiography indicators mean?

The amount of radiation that will penetrate the veins and other brain tissue is determined by their density. It is expressed in various color shades. The bone in the image will be white, and the cerebrospinal fluid will practically not appear on the resulting images. Other brain substances have different colors and densities. Using them, doctors evaluate the internal structure. The doctor will provide a detailed transcript of the received images.

Thinking through the interior

When creating the interior of a boiler room, you must be guided, first of all, by its functionality. When thinking about finishing, it is important to take into account the location of windows and doors, the placement and number of sockets, lamps, and switches. To make the room seem warm and spacious, designers recommend using light shades for the walls and ceiling, and making the lighting uniform, but at the same time quite intense.

For the boiler room, it is recommended to choose simple and compact lamps without design frills. It is important to remember that each lamp will be enclosed in a special protective metal frame. An excessive number of lamps is not necessary; it is important that there is enough light in the room and that it can be easily accessed to service the lamp.

When creating the interior of a boiler room, you need to understand that the main thing is the safety and coordinated operation of the heating equipment, so experts do not recommend excessive decoration in this room.

If the area of ​​the room is large, then in a place determined by SNIP standards, you can consider an area for placing shelving for storing non-combustible materials needed in the boiler room. Shelving and furniture in this room should be made only of metal. In addition, the boiler room must provide space for fire equipment and a fire extinguisher.

For information on the requirements for a boiler room in a private house, watch the video.

Methods for insulating water pipes

To prevent frost from damaging water pipes in a private house/dacha/cottage, you need to worry about their thermal insulation in advance.

It is important, even at the stage of laying communications, to consider options for insulating pipes, and not only water pipes. If this is done in a timely manner, the costs will be minimal.

There are quite a lot of options for insulation for pipes - it is important to choose high-quality material among the mass of proposals, without focusing too much on price. The cheapest option is wasted money. Among the methods of insulating a pipeline for supplying water to a house, the most popular among homeowners are:

Among the methods of insulating a pipeline for supplying water to a house, the most popular among homeowners are:

• extend the pipeline 0.5 m below the freezing level;
• use a heating cable;
• insulate with heat-insulating material;
• provide an air gap;
• buy a ready-made factory pipe;
• apply several methods at once.

Most often, more than one method is used. So, if the water pipes are deep, then the area responsible for the entrance to the house still needs insulation. Therefore, the most optimal option is selected for it in order to protect the local water supply system.

The depth of the pipeline depends on the region. To find out, you can use special lookup tables by finding your region or check it empirically

The heating cable has become widespread due to its ease of installation and high-quality performance of its functions.

Depending on the type of installation, there are 2 types of cable:

• outer;
• interior.

The first is mounted on top of the water pipe, and the second - inside. It is reliably insulated and made of safe materials. It is connected via a heat-shrinkable sleeve to a regular cable with a plug or to a machine. Read more about heating cable for water supply below.

The heating cable comes in different capacities. Most often found from 10 to 20 W

There are a great variety of thermal insulation materials on the market. They all differ in their properties, quality, price, installation difficulties and service life.

Which one to choose depends on the specific situation.

Among insulation materials, polyethylene and polyurethane foam half-cylinders - shells - are particularly easy to install.

The method of providing an air gap is also often used. It consists of a water pipe placed inside a cheap, smooth plastic or larger diameter corrugated pipe.

Inside there is free space for the circulation of warm air coming from an insulated basement or heated in another way.

Warm air perfectly protects the water pipe from freezing. Although it is often additionally insulated with polypropylene or other material

Another option is to purchase ready-made insulated pipes of factory origin. They are sold completely ready for installation.

They consist of 2 pipes of different diameters placed inside each other. Between them there is a layer of insulation. This insulation method is often called pre-insulation.

The option with ready-made pipes does not always satisfy the needs of a particular user - diameter, type of material and cost can become a real problem for purchasing them

The use of several methods of thermal insulation of pipes is due to the fact that all methods are imperfect and it will not be possible to apply them in all cases. Conditions of use in various households located in all regions of the country are radically different from each other. Therefore, you have to choose the option that suits your specific requirements.

Preparatory work

Installation of equipment requires a level base. Therefore, first of all you will need to level the floor. There are many ways, the choice depends on the design and material of the building, as well as on the desired speed of work:

A traditional wet screed allows you to get a perfectly flat base, but it dries within 28 days. If the screed has already been poured, it can be leveled with construction self-leveling compounds.

To level the walls, use plaster, plasterboard or CSP boards.

Alternative thermal insulation options

There are alternative methods of thermal insulation that prevent adverse consequences. They do not apply in all cases. First, you can remove all the water from the system - no water, no problem. This method is applicable for houses not used in winter. It will help protect the system from damage if water pipes freeze.

Secondly, you can ensure constant movement of water in the pipeline by opening the tap a little. This is not difficult to do if you live permanently. But the option is dangerous - suddenly you will have to leave home for a couple of days, and upon return you will be surprised in the form of a damaged water supply.

The insulation helps get rid of condensation, which has a positive effect on extending the service life of metal pipes

In addition to holding the tap slightly open, there are other ways to ensure constant pressure in the pipeline. For example, use a special pump to increase the water pressure in the system or add another element - a receiver. It should be cut into the pipe immediately near the pump. The operation of the receiver will maintain constant pressure, which will protect the system from freezing.

How to insulate a boiler room from the outside yourself?

A variety of insulation materials are suitable for this type of work. This can be basalt or mineral wool, polystyrene foam or penoplex. Siding or another cladding option is laid on top of the thermal insulation. Due to it, it is also possible to increase the thermal insulation capabilities of the surface.

Thermal insulation of the boiler room allows you to get not only decent insulation, but also good savings. However, we must not forget about the need to insulate other rooms. Otherwise, heating costs will still be high.