How to Insulate Pipes in Basement
Insulation of pipes in the basement is essential for many reasons. The most important is to conserve energy as pipes without insulation require greater amount of energy to maintain a certain level of heat. Insulation can work as greater supporting cushion for them. Also, if you leave pipes without insulation and pipes are not heated to the required temperature, they can be frozen. This can cause severe damage to your pipes, and you might find your house in ruins if the pipe bursts because you could not protect it timely. Such incidents are possible if you are away from your house for a longer period.
Insulting your pipes is not a difficult task. You can do it by either buying pre-formed pipe sleeves or can insulate them with fiberglass insulation at a later stage. Whatever method you adopt, make sure you have your pipes insulated. A harsh winter weather can quickly cause damage to them if you show some leniency towards the task.
Instructions
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1
Buying Pre-Formed Pipe Sleeves
One way is to measure diameter of your pipes and buy pre-formed pipe sleeves. At the time you buy the sleeves make sure they tightly fit the pipes, and that will depend on your measurement. Loose sleeves will not work effectively, so make sure you have the right measurement and sleeves fit the pipes. Also look for quality of sleeves and look for a better rated product, because it will provide all the needed and required care to water pipes. -
2
Clean Pipes Before Putting Sleeves
It is possible that pipes have caught dust or even rust while they were left without insulation sleeves. So it is better to clean them with a soft cloth or brush before insulating them with the pre-formed sleeves. This will help in better fitting of the sleeves. -
3
Follow Instructions Closely
It is most likely that the manufacturer's instructions are available along with the sleeves. So carefully read all those instructions and follow them by insulating the pipes. This can make your task a bit easier and you can get better results without much hassle. Also you can get some help about better measurement of your pipes etc. -
4
Use Duct Tape
Do not forget to run a duct tape to a length of the slit in the pre-formed sleeves insulation, as otherwise your insulation will become ineffective in a shorter period. -
5
Fiberglass Insulation
If you are going to insulate your pipes with a fiberglass insulation use R-7 quality. This quality rating is recommended for an area with average weather conditions, but if your home is faced with severe weather conditions i.e. harsher cold, you can use an even better quality.
Again, you will need to duct tape the insulation to get better results. You can use duct tape also around joints or areas where insulation is less effective. Be careful and do not press hard the insulation, it will lose its effectiveness.
