You might be one of those people who like to handle things themselves DIY style; and so you may be interested in tube insulation that you can do on your own. The best course of action is to buy especially created foam tubes that are easy to install. In case the pipes are exposed, installing the insulation is very simple, but things get more complicated in case they are embedded in walls.
There are some aspects that you will have to pay attention to. When you are buying the foam, you should choose those sizes that allow you to have to throw away the least amount of foam. It is also very important to match the diameter of the pipes with the diameter of the foam.
The capacity of the insulation foam is measured in R values, and this varies between 2 and 4. The higher the value is, the better the insulation is, but the price also rises according to the R value.
Usually there is a slit made along the length of the foam that is created by the manufacturer. If this is not the case then you will have to use a utility knife to create it.
Those foam tubes that come with a slit also have an adhesive strip. If there is no slit then you will have to seal the foam with the help of duct tape. This has to be done once the foam is installed.
It is very likely that you will have to add insulation to segments that have a 90 degree elbow. In such a case you need to cut two segments, both of them ending in a part of 45 degree, and join the two segments with the help of a miter connection.
When it comes to insulation, there are different kinds of pipe insulation to choose from, and the most basic ones include foam with or without self-adhesive tape, fiberglass shell tubing, fiberglass wrap, and regular fiberglass insulation.
A special kind of tape is the heating tape. This is made of plastic with a wire inside it, and in the majority of the cases it is used in locations where the temperatures drop below zero degrees. The tape will heat the pipes so that they will remain ice-free.
Most probably you won’t need heating tape in case of a regular home. Usually people go for the foam to insulate pipes.
