The walls of the pipelines through which the coolant flows are always heated to a certain temperature. Its value depends on the material of the pipes, steel ones warm up more strongly, plastic ones - weaker. But in any case, due to this phenomenon, some heat losses occur on the way from the boiler plant to the heating appliances. Thermal insulation of heating pipes using various materials with low thermal conductivity can prevent them. This material will tell you which sections of the heating mains are subject to mandatory insulation and what materials are used.

Where is insulation needed?

It would seem that the answer is obvious even for people who are far from heat engineering: in order to prevent heat loss and cooling of water, it is necessary to insulate pipes running along the street. That's right, this is the most understandable situation, but there are many other nuances when laying highways within a building.

Often, even thermal insulation of heating pipes in an apartment is required. So, it is necessary to isolate house networks with a coolant under such conditions:

• the passage of the supply or return pipeline through cold or poorly heated rooms - attics, basements, built-in garages, and so on;
• when embedding highways and connections to radiators in a wall or in a floor screed;
• laying pipes behind various screens, inside drywall partitions and other similar hidden installation methods;
• connections from the heating circuits of underfloor heating at the point of their connection to the distribution manifold.

Note. It is also practiced to cover pipelines passing through rooms with excessive release of thermal energy from various equipment and household appliances. For example, pipes with thermal insulation will be useful in the boiler room, where emissions from various units inevitably occur and the temperature is unreasonably high.

If the conditions described in the first paragraph are quite clear, then the rest need explanation. The fact is that radiators provide heating for rooms, and the task of highways and connections is to deliver heat to them. If they are embedded in walls or floors, then thermal insulation for pipes is needed, otherwise in this case part of the heat will go to heat building structures, which is not necessary at all. This is especially important when the wall borders on the environment.

For reference. The insulation layer also plays the role of a damper when embedding polypropylene pipes, famous for their ability to significantly elongate when heated.

Lines located inside drywall partitions and behind screens will increase the temperature in a confined space, which is not practical. In order to avoid the useless waste of thermal energy and deliver it to the batteries without loss, thermal insulation for heating pipes is necessary. At the same time, pipelines laid openly in heated rooms do not need to be insulated, since they still heat the space of these rooms.

As for water-heated floors, a situation often arises here when a lot of connections from heating circuits converge to the distribution manifold from all rooms. As a result, the distance between them decreases, the concentration of pipes in a small area increases and the floor area in front of the collector begins to overheat. That is why in this place the supply pipes should be insulated.

Thermal insulation materials

The choice of material for thermal insulation of pipes should be in accordance with the conditions of their laying. At the moment, the choice of materials and products from them is quite wide.

The following heaters and products from them are most often used:

• polystyrene in the form of semi-cylinders;
• mineral wool in rolls, mats or in the form of shells with a protective coating of galvanized steel;
• semi-cylinders made of rigid polyurethane foam;
• foamed polyethylene in the form of sleeves;
• glass wool roll.

For reference. There are various liquid heaters, such as polyurethane foam or foam glass. They are applied to surfaces using a special technology and have the best thermal insulation and strength properties. One problem is that the materials, together with the application work, will cost the customer a tidy sum, and it is impossible to do them yourself without the appropriate equipment.

The leader in covering heating pipelines inside buildings are polyethylene foam sleeves, an example is the well-known Energoflex thermal insulation. It is easy to install, has excellent properties and is durable.

Craftsmen often use polyethylene to insulate pipes that are to be walled up in a screed or wall. Mineral wool in rolls or mats is also suitable for covering highways inside the house, for example, in underground channels. The rest of the materials from the list are used, as a rule, on the street.

Important. The use of rolled glass wool inside residential buildings is strictly not allowed!

When choosing the type of insulation, not only the material is important, but also the thickness of the insulation layer. It depends on whether the pipes will be insulated on the street or in the house. In the first case, the temperature difference between the coolant and the environment is too large, which means that a large thickness is required. Usually it lies in the range of 40-80 mm, depending on climatic conditions in winter. In a building, the temperature difference is less and usually a layer of polyethylene foam from 9 to 20 mm is enough.

Energoflex self-adhesive sleeves are mounted very simply and quickly. The product is simply put on the pipe, then the protective film is removed from the longitudinal section and the edges are glued end-to-end by hand pressing. Thermal insulation sleeves from other manufacturers must first be cut, put on the pipeline and connected with a special adhesive sold separately. It is not recommended to use ordinary stationery tape or wire.

The outdoor insulation device is somewhat more complicated. Thermal insulation made of galvanized casings (shells) or half-cylinders made of foam plastic and polyurethane is conveniently mounted. The segments are applied to the pipe from both sides, and then covered with bandages or clamps. The next pair is inserted into the previous one according to the “groove-thorn” principle, the joints are additionally sealed. Another thing is a thermal insulation device made of pierced mats or rolled materials, here you have to put a whole pie on the pipe, shown in the diagram:

In the same way, thermal insulation of pipes in the ground is carried out, only it is advisable to prepare a pillow of sand 50-100 mm thick before laying, so as not to damage the upper waterproofing layer. If PPU shells are being installed, then you can safely do without a pillow.

Conclusion

It is unlikely that anyone will dispute the importance of thermal insulation of pipes with hot water. This is one of the energy saving measures to save you money. At the same time, the insulation technology is simple, the work can be done without problems with your own hands.