Pipe Insulation

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This bench, specially designed to turn polystyrene sheets into pipe insulation, serves two purposes: It holds the soldering gun in place (with a wedge to allow for easy removal), and its channel guides the polystyrene past the gun's hot tip. Note the rubber band around the gun's trigger.
This bench, specially designed to turn polystyrene sheets into pipe insulation, serves two purposes: It holds the soldering gun in place (with a wedge to allow for easy removal), and its channel guides the polystyrene past the gun's hot tip. Note the rubber band around the gun's trigger.
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To obtain a tee molding, make a straight cut, then hand-form the leg.
To obtain a tee molding, make a straight cut, then hand-form the leg.
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The the gun's heating element sticks up through this hole to form the working part of the groover.
The the gun's heating element sticks up through this hole to form the working part of the groover.
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We shaped this piece of insulation for a 90° elbow completely by hand.
We shaped this piece of insulation for a 90° elbow completely by hand.

Not too many years ago there was only one reason why anyone would go to the trouble–and expense–of insulating his or her home’s water pipes: to keep them from freezing. But, as the cost of thermal energy has ballooned, there’s been a real increase in public interest in conservation measures. One of the “newly discovered” ways to save a little energy and money is to install pipe insulation.

On first thought, the benefit of insulating hot water lines (aside from the fact that doing so can prevent an unfortunate chill-induced rupture) would seem to be simply in keeping the BTU–which have been produced at considerable expense by your water heater–inside the pipes. There are, however, a couple of other pluses that should be considered. First, if the water in the pipes stays hot, there will be less lag time between turning on the tap and the arrival of hot liquid; both heat and water are saved in the process. And there’s another advantage to keeping the warmth inside the lines: :During the torrid summer months, hot pipes can add to the misery by pouring additional warmth into an already uncomfortable home.

Thank the Sun

Pipe insulation (not to be confused with the electric conduit heaters often used to prevent freeze-up) has actually gotten its biggest boost from the pioneers of the solar hot water movement. No device that depends upon the sun for its heat can afford to give up warmth through its delivery lines. (After all, when you’re relying on a collector, you can’t compensate for poor insulation by merely turning up the thermostat.)

Unhappily, though, effective insulation that will fit snugly around a pipe hasn’t been easy to make or inexpensive: Prefabricated tubing protectors now run between 30¢ and $2.60 per foot. And, with costs that high, insulating the waterlines might not be the first item on an energy saver’s checklist.

  • Published on May 1, 1981
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