foam insulation around heating pipes.
frankb_c
18 years ago
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lazypup
18 years agoRelated Discussions
foam around pipes / sill
Comments (1)Polyurethane foams are okay around the dryer vent, says DOW. I prefer the low-expansion foams so you don't overfill, waste and make a mess. How could this have been left this way! Sometimes you're lucky and get an installer with a diamond hole saw. Other installers will hack away till they get the pipe in. Then the builder just stuffs whatever's lying around in the opening....See MoreFoam insulation is saving us a bundle in heating $$
Comments (24)I'll jump in with my two cents worth. The type of insulation is not the only factor - just as important is the quality of the job. Our builder said the home was built with blown in fiberglass to R38 in the attic. Recently we had an insulation contractor come in to do an estimate to increase the insulation to R50. What he found was appalling. There were places where workers had pulled the insulation away to do electrical work and didn't repair their damage to the insulation. In hard-to-reach areas there was considerably less insulation than the amount needed to reach R38. There were some small places where there was actually no insulation on outside walls. In the 'box' built for the fireplace insert, there was no insulation at all. So our family room was always so cold! I attributed it to the tall ceiling and wall of windows. In the return air ductwork in the attic, while it was insulated, there were so many places for air leaks. Our insulation contractor first hand-patted down the blown-in fiberglass insulation. Then they blew in cellulose to R50. Then also sprayed foam over the return air ductwork and at any junction where air could enter such as at the end of the joists. Our home is 4000 sq feet which includes a finished basement and located in central Indiana. Our builder had a good reputation and we had the home inspected, even though it was new, before we moved in. No one commented on the condition of the attic insulation. I know to accurately compare the savings we'll see with this improved insulation, I need to track degree heating (or cooling) days, etc. That is more than I want to tackle! What I do know is, this winter has been brutal here in the Midwest and our bill last month was $80 less than the same time last year, and the month before was $60. The insulation job included more than I listed here and was $3000. Yes, even with some energy tax credit, payoff will take a while. But the comfort level of our home is SO much better - even the wind noise has decreased! We used to sit in the family room and hear the wind roar down the fireplace box - now we know why.....there was no insulation in there....it was like an open window to the attic. Excellent insulation is like putting money in your pocket every month for the life of your house! How many things in your house pay you back every month?...See MoreInsulating PEX piping in crawl space?
Comments (3)Also insulate crawl space. We glued insulation to concrete walls. Wow its always nice in there. plus put down plastic on dirt floor. At least half way done in way. Unfortunately he threw in some left over gravel on dirt floor. wrong move.Slowly removing it and putting down plastic. Duh.... we were able to buy the foam board cheap from a guy in a local classified ad paper. Also have fiberglass between the studs. Unfortunately Hubby installed the vapor barrier years ago( when we were younger and less knowledgeable) toward dirt floor rather than up under flooring. Duh>>> We have copper so I used those foam tubes on them. Hubby has did some work in crawl space adding (water lines, running dsl lines, redoing some electical etc, adding electrical, running tv lines, etc) over the years and I need to go in there and put back up fiberglass etc Just my humble opinion for a long time home owner DIY er Jean...See MoreFiberglass insulation around copper pipes?
Comments (2)yes, you can... but I would buy the foam sleeves and use them anyway. The foam sleeves are so much easier to use and they are cheap to buy. They will provide a good air seal that you may not get with the fiberglass. I bevel the corners to fit around elbows and it results in a nicely fitted installation. I use zip ties where the insulation ends to close up the gap around the insulation and the pipe. I also use zip ties anywhere the adhesive needs a little extra holding power. Here is a link that might be useful: foam pipe insulation...See Morepyropaul
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