Thermal insulation for pipes of water: 3 group + active materials Heating

If you use appropriate insulation, the pipes can be laid even on the surface!

Warming water supply, or rather its portions extending outside the home and in unheated rooms - not a fad, but a necessity. When mounting the insulation or active heating system, we protect the pipe with the cold water from freezing in winter and hot tube - by the enormous heat loss.

Let's examine together what you need to effectively address this problem, and how arranged pipe insulation with the use of different materials.

Pipe insulation: the need for and benefits

The need for insulation of water pipes, as well as heating systems, today virtually undisputed. Moreover, experts (and I'm in this fully agree with them), it is advised to lay the initial purchase of a heat-insulating material in the budget. Even with the underground installation it will not be amiss, and if it comes to public communication, it can not do without insulation.

Option laying underground Styrofoam tray also has the right to life

Main advantages:

1. Reduced heat loss. Installing insulation tubes with hot water allows to keep its temperature high by the entire length of the circuit - from the boiler to the points of consumption. This is especially true if the boiler is located in the basement or even placed outside the home. We do not insulate - will warm the air at his own expense.

The presence of the insulating circuit protects against scalding. Of course, this problem is mainly used for heating systems, but touching the tail pipes of the boiler is not too pleasant.

1. frost precautions. For cold water pipes in a private house the main plus - protection against freezing in subzero temperatures. Communications on the surface and deep under the ground in the winter may be frostbitten and ice plug formed due to the increase in volume frequently breaks or pipe wall with the joint pipe fitting. You do not want to dig the frozen ground in the winter, to get to your impulse - do not skimp on insulation.

In the cold ground it is necessary to protect the pipe from freezing

1. Comfortable temperature of cold water. Cold water cold hatred: it is one thing - to wash at +15 ° C, quite another - at +4 ° C. Thermal insulation of water pipes prevents water cooled so that water without additional heating procedures have become a torture.
   First, cold water in the pipe, then the pipe and turned razoravalas fountain
2. Corrosion protection. Another pole insulation running water - to prevent the pipe external factors. The ground will be the main cause of corrosion effects of the soil solution, outdoors - precipitation and oxidation of the wetted metal. Pipe insulation is usually made from a sufficiently resistant material, because a certain level of protection against rust they provide.

On insulated circuits rarely falls condensate - is also worth considering!

Types of pipe insulation

Group 1. mineral materials

Insulate pipes with cold or hot water can be different ways. Most often used for this purpose materials with low thermal conductivity.

When underground laying a layer of insulation it is desirable to protect the waterproofing material - for example, roofing material

The first group of products - mineral materials. They may be dense and fibrous.

Examples of mineral insulants:

Illustration	Brief description of the material
	Glass wool. Spatula fiberglass - the cheapest material, which is mainly used for thermal insulation of industrial pipelines and water mains. It characterized by good thermal insulation but easily crushed with the increase in thermal conductivity. While insulating the pipes they are usually additionally wrapped shell of tar paper, foil or non-woven fabric - it helps protect the glass wool and increase its service life.
	Mineral wool. Another fibrous material, but not on the glass, and mineral fibers. The most efficient products are high in basalt (so-called basalt wool). Produced in the form of mats for wrapping pipe, and in the form of finished "shell" fixed diameter. Good at trapping heat, it protects from freezing even at high temperature drops. An additional plus - slowly getting wet, which allows the use of insulation in the open areas. The main drawback - the high cost.
	Foam glass. It is produced in the form of segmental shells for pipes of different diameters. Due to the low thermal conductivity and heat resistance is normally used for thermal insulation of the heating circuits, but can also be used to protect the piping with hot water. The disadvantages are the high complexity of installation - or rather, the need for additional insulation polymeric materials joints. Well and the price of foam glass rather big, because in private homes usually use other materials.

Group 2. synthetics

Easy installation of polymeric synthetic insulators - one of their main advantages

In addition to the mineral materials are used extensively and polymeric insulation for water pipes:

Illustration	Brief description of the material
	Foam. The leader among the materials with the mass use. Used for insulation prophylactic internal pipelines of small diameter. Characterized by low weight, elasticity (greatly simplifies the installation) and porosity providing low thermal conductivity. Main advantages - low strength and creasing under loads.
	polystyrene (Foamed and extruded). Compared with foamed polyethylene - stronger and less elastic material. Heaters are made in the form of shells of several segments. The complexity in the use of polystyrene shells is their installation on the turns and bends of pipes, as well as places of contiguity to the shut-off valve.
	Polyurethane foam. Quite expensive, but it is an effective material. It combines high strength, elasticity and good insulation qualities. Available usually in the form of hoods with slits to facilitate installation. It also may include a self-expanding foam polyurethane foam, which is used as an additional thermal insulation in filling cracks and voids.

And mineral, and polymeric insulating materials can be used both separately and as part of insulation shells. Such coatings, usually intended to protect the pipe outside, consist of a metal housing and a layer of a material with low thermal conductivity.

Pipes preloaded insulation used in laying water mains

For products that are used for an industrial installation with hot water pipes, polyurethane thermal insulation is mounted directly in the manufacture of pipes. In addition, the pipe can be installed wires for a remote control system allowing to detect impulses.

Group 3. Paint thin-layer insulation

Sometimes the question arises - how to insulate pipes of large diameter, or vice versa, mount the insulation on thin pipes laid in a narrow space. In this case, you can use the painting insulation.

Thermal insulation paint - a relatively new, but it is a popular insulation

This material group represented paints with a rather complicated structure. Typically, the basis of such paints - acrylic copolymer, and reduction of thermal conductivity correspond microscopic ceramic beads and silicone vacuum filling.

The structure of the insulating paint and its main components

Features of the application of paint insulation for water pipes:

1. Multi-layer deposition. Despite the fact that manufacturers promise outstanding insulation performance at high efficiency can be achieved in practice, placing at least 2-3 paint layer 0.5 mm thick.

For communication with the hot water paint compositions are suitable as well as possible

1. Surface preparation. The effectiveness of insulation depends on the composition of the grip with the pipe. So it is desirable to clean the surface of the metal, and ideally - treat anticorrosive primer.
2. Good performance in certain circumstances. Protected by insulation paint tubes with cold water from freezing is not necessary - to prevent the formation of ice jams is unlikely to succeed. So that this method of insulation is suitable mainly for hot water systems.

Photos colored tube wiring in the basement of the house: and from the cold pipes are protected and do not have to be spent casings

Cable heating pipes

Finally, we must mention the active heating. Of course, this technique can be attributed to the thermal insulation is very conditional, but the basic function - to prevent freezing pipes - it performs very well.

The use of heating cables to protect against cold outer portions Communications

Features active heating:

1. Heating elements. The heat source used herein cable. The heating conductors are of high resistance, and therefore when passing through them of electric current wire temperature rises. From heat conductor and is transmitted braided polymeric shell, which is heated tube and its contents.

Examples of the heating cable

1. Temperature control. The cables come in two types - resistive and self-regulating. The first heated continuously, because they need to be connected via a thermostat, or burned. Second themselves regulate the degree of heating, because they can simply switch on the network.
2. mounting Features. The heating cable can be mounted inside the tube (minimum diameter of 20 mm) and the outside. When the inner conductor assembly is put into the lumen of the gland through a special unit providing sealing. When the outer - the heater is pasted and fixed on top foiled material.

A node through which the cable is put into the tube must be sealed

To improve efficiency and at the outer and at the inner assembly can be used by the Insulating housing and the foamed polyethylene.

How to protect your pipes from frost?

Installing insulating shell

The easiest way to protect the pipes from cold - assembling the outer insulation from polymeric or fibrous materials. The following table shows the method of installing them with their hands on the example of polyethylene foam covers:

Illustration	Step insulation assembly
	Preparation of insulation. Using a long, sharp knife, carefully cut the assembly seam in the insulation shells. Undercut product along the length of insulated portion.
	Installation on flat areas. Don casing on a flat portion of the pipe opening on the previously cut seam.
	edge binding. The edges of the casing at the junction connect plastic brackets. Optimum compound step is not more than 15 cm - so to guarantee edge will not diverge.
	Installing tracks on thickening. The joints of pipes and fittings, as well as other thickening on the circuit close wider enclosures. If the compounds should be non-releasable, the gap can blow the polyurethane foam.
	Preparation of parts for a corner joint. Using a miter box, make three rectangular bars for knee. Cutting the material is best knife for insulation - a long, sharp, with Serration (nail file).
	Gluing parts. Fragments of pipes, of which we will be doing the knee, are bonded using a composition of polyethylene. The composition is applied to the ends of the pipes and hold for a few minutes for polymerization.
	Installing insulation on the knee. Insulation made cut in the longitudinal plane. The halves of the housing and put on the pipe or glue, or fastening straps.
	Docking with flat garden. Insulation on the flat portion of the pipe being moved close to the knee. It is desirable that the joint was located opposite the pipe connection socket and fitting.
	Sealing joint. The joints between separate elements of the heat-insulating casing sizing reinforced tape.

Products of polyurethane and mineral wool are mounted as well. The difference is in the unit of angular connections and some other nuances - but with them just to understand the progress of work.

The application of heat-insulating paint

Hot pipes can be used for painting materials with low thermal conductivity.

Instructions for applying heat-saving paints:

Illustration	painting stage
	Preparation of the pipe. To improve the adhesion of the insulating surface of the paint tube thoroughly clean by using sandpaper, a metal mesh or a brush with steel bristles. After purification treatment surface anticorrosive primer. The hot water in the pipe should not be in the painting and drying - this will reduce the strength of the protective layer.
	paint stirring. Container with insulating paint opened and mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the granules in the binder. It is desirable to stir manually, since the use of the drill would destroy parts of granules.
	Depositing a first layer. The first paint layer is applied to the tube after the primer drying. The optimum layer thickness depends on the brand of paint used, but is typically about 0.5 mm. Paint the chimney brush, roller or spray, being careful not to leave any gaps or streaks.
	Refinishing. When the first layer is dried (average it takes 24 hours) is repeatedly executed in color. Depending on the tasks and the operating conditions of the tube may need from 2 to 5 layers.

Installation of the heating cable

The heating cable as an element active protection from freezing tube, can be placed both inside and outside. Outdoor installation is much easier to perform, especially for a beginner, because, as an example I will give it him

Illustration	cable installation step
	Wire stripper. On one end of the heating cable (it is best to take a self-regulating) remove the insulation, exposing the conductive core.
	Connection to the power cable. To attach the bare strands of wire power cord. For greater reliability, you can use the limit switches. docking place protect shrink sleeve, which reliably protects the conductors from moisture. Using PVC insulating tape undesirable.
	Preparation of the pipe. With the insulated portion aqueduct remove insulation after which wipe dry. Metal pipes worth the extra clean up, and plastic - degrease.
	Pasting tube foil. To improve the heat transfer to the surface of the plastic pipe at the point where the cable, pasted foil tape will be laid.
	Bonding wires. The heating cable putting a water supply throughout. Every 50 cm of the cable we catch foil adhesive tape rings.
	Sealing cable foil. Seal the top conductor folgoskotchem which provide reflection of infrared radiation. We press the tape to the surface so that underneath there was little air pockets.
	Heat-insulating housing. To minimize heat loss from the cable pipe wrap, polyethylene foam or polyurethane cover. The edges of the shroud glue or fix the plastic brackets (procedure shown above).
	Fixing the insulation. After every 50-60 cm fix the insulating cover rings of reinforced tape. When fixing the insulation tried not condense to these areas not increased thermal conductivity.

The installation of such systems will protect the site water supply system from freezing in the winter. So that the risk of a rush due to the formation of ice jams will be completely eliminated.

Output

Using the above scheme, you will be able to mount a passive water pipe insulation with hot / cold-water and heating system active. The video in this article described technology shows more clearly. In addition, answers to any questions concerning the water supply of thermal insulation, you can get in the comments.