[Jim Ignatowski]

Hi Everyone,

I tried posting this on the plumbing forum but didn't get any response so I figured I'd try here. I have a oil heat with a monoflo system that circulates water around the basement of my home and feeds convectors on the 1st and 2nd floor. I would like to insulate the pipe and was curious whether there is a particular insulation that I should use for this, or would any pipe insulation work? The pipe is 1" in diameter and obviously gets pretty hot. It looks like the original owner had used the aircell asbestos insulation around this pipe in parts of the house, but that's now gone. Any thoughts??

Thanks

 

[beenthere]

Fiberglass pipe insulation.

1" black pipe takes a 1-1/4" ID insulation. 1" thick is fine for hot water pipes.

http://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/servlet/the-457/Fiberglass-Pipe-Insulation-Pipe/Detail


Remember, your basement will become colder. So your first floor floors will be colder, and if you walk barefoot, you will think the floor is freezing cold.

 

[Jim Ignatowski]

Thanks for the response. Can you explain why insulating the monoflo will noticeably decrease the temp in the basement? There is a separate zone that services the basement using baseboard. I don't think the monoflo pipe itself generates a lot of heat.

Is this not a recommended practice? My concern is protecting against the pipe freezing when we have a power loss. Thanks

 

[beenthere]

If the basement is heated it won't make a temp difference. If the basement wasn't heated, you would lose the heat in the basement from the pipe. it does put off a lot of heat.

Insulating the pipe will slow down its freezing during a power outage. But won't prevent it on prolonged power outages.