i would put fiberglass in the joists then run 2 x 4 cross ways on the joists for thermal break and put 1 1/2 foam board in between them and cover with 5/8 drywall or if you don't mind spending the money, put up the 2 x 4's them spary foam. that will give you alot of r value maybe price it out and see

We also put pipe insulation on our gas pipes. + all our water both cold and hot pipes. And our hot water heater. And by next year going with tank-less heater. Says cuts electric bill by 30%

Both fiberglass and poly pipe insulation can be used all all the types of pipe commonly found in residential construction. The designation that it is for Iron Pipe or Copper Tubing is simply telling you the internal diameter of the insultion. Pipe is defined by its "inside diameter" commonly expressed as ID and the size is officially listed as "IPS" (iron Pipe Standard), while "Tubing" is defined by its "outside diameter" commonly expressed as OD and officially listed as "CTS" for the copper tube standard. By example, if you have a 1/2 galvanized iron pipe the internal diameter of the pipe is 1/2" but the outside diameter is equal to the inside diameter and two times the wall thickness, thus a 1/2" iron pipe actually has an outside diameter which is slightly larger than 3/4" so the internal opening in the insulation for 1/2" iron pipe has to be slightly larger than 3/4" to reach around the pipe. The IPS standard is a standard dimensions for iron pipe that is published by the ASTM ( American Society for Testing & Materials) and it is fundamentally the same for Galvanized Iron Pipe, Brass Pipes, PVC pipe & ABS pipe. CTS is the ASTM standard for Copper Tubing, but it is also used as the standard for CPVC & PEX tubing so if you want to insulate PEX you would select insulation that is sized for copper tubing, although even if you were to use the IPS size, which is larger and would fit rather sloppy, none the less it would insulate just as well. (In fact, a purist could probably make an argument that the larger insulation might insulate slightly better because the additional trapped air space is also insulating.) Pay very close attention to the insulation when you buy it. Some insulation is formed as a continuos tube, while some is a continuous tube but it has be cut lengthwise and a glue and a thin plastic separator has been put in the cut. The continuous length type is often used when the insulation is being installed during initial construction because the pipe can be slipped through the insulation before being fitted into place. If you were to try to use that type during a retrofit you would not be able to get the pipe inside the insulation unless you either disconnect the pipe or cut the insulation. For retrofit The poly type is much more user friendly because it is flexible and easy to use in tight quarters. It is also the best for insulating PEX because often the PEX is bent around a corner in a continuos run rather than using an elbow, however when doing so the PEX has a long radius bend which is very difficult to cover with rigid lengths of fiberglass insulation, whereas the poly will just bend with it. For retrofit such as your project when you get the insulation make sure you get the type that has the opening on one side. You then open the insulation, slip it over the pipe, then pull the protective strip and the glue will seal the opening on contact. When you come to a tee you slip the insulation of from the opposite side of the tee side opening and just continue running the insulation in a straight line. You then go back and slip another length of insulation on the line connecting to the tee and slide it up tight against the insulation covering the tee. You need not worry about gluing it because slight gaps here and there will have nearly a negligible effect on the overall run.

I'm going to be installing solar heater panels for my pool soon. I have been thinking about a few problems i have and can't decide what to do. The best place to put my panels where they won't be shaded half the day, will be about 100' away and about 5' higher from the pump which is an Intelliflo. The pool uses 1 1/2" piping and i am going to use 2" piping to and from the solar panels to reduce friction loss. It goes directly across a driveway but i could close that driveway and reroute around it if need be. If i place the pipe underground would i have much thermal loss and/or how could i insulate it being buried. skeeter