Water pipe insulation is often overlooked, but it makes a big difference over time in energy costs and plumbing maintenance. Here’s how to improve yours.
Over 30% of Americans struggle to cover the cost of their energy bills.
Thankfully, increasing the efficiency of your energy systems can reduce the financial burden. You’ll waste less energy and save money in the process!
Improving your household water pipe insulation is a great place to begin. Higher-quality insulation prevents heat from bleeding out unnecessarily, meaning less energy is required to heat your water.
Looking for advice on improving pipe insulation? Read on for 5 top tips on getting the job done.
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Find and Measure Accessible Hot Water Pipes
Head over to your water heater to identify the hot water pipes you need to insulate.
In an ideal world, you’d have easy access to the pipes coming from it. The easier the access, the simpler the task ahead will be!
Of course, your goal is to improve the insulation of all accessible hot water piping. However, the first few feet coming from the heater are arguably the most important. If that’s all you can access, then that’ll have to suffice.
Measure Everything Up
Having located your pipes, set about measuring up how much insulation you need.
Grab a tape measure and work out the total length of piping that needs covering. While you’re at it, measure the diameter of the pipe so you can find insulation that fits it properly.
With the measurements sorted, it’s time to get the insulation itself…
Select Your Insulation
You’ve got two common types of pipe insulation from which to choose: pipe-wrap and foam sleeves. Each one has its particular uses to consider.
Pipe wrap is a type of tape that you wrap around and stick to the piping. It might be made from flexible foam, bubble-film wrap, or something similar. Regardless of material, it’s simple to use and great for short and/or bendy pipe sections.
Foam sleeves are lengths of cylindrical foam that fit snugly over the pipe. They come in long strips that enable you to insulate longer pipes in record time.
You may need a combination of both to properly insulate your water pipes.
Install the Insulation
Now for the fun part: installing it!
Thankfully, this process should be straight-forward.
If you’re using foam pipes, all you do is cut it to length and fit it over the pipe (with the seam on the underside). From there, use duct tape or cable ties to secure it in place.
For pipe wrap, simply tape one end in place and wrap the material around the pipe (overlapping it each time). Tape the other end in place when the pipe is entirely covered.
Hire the Professionals
It might not always be possible to insulate pipes without professional support.
Maybe you lack the necessary access, or can’t figure out why so much heat is leaking from them. Either way, hiring a professional plumbing and heating company will soon solve the problem.
Improve Your Water Pipe Insulation
Improving water pipe insulation will increase their energy efficiency and reduce the cost of your utility bills in the process.
Hopefully, this post has provided sufficient information to help get the job done.
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