How To Add Insulation To Your Water Heater Pipes
The efficiency of your water heater depends on several factors. Of course, having a new, state-of-the-art, heater that is regularly maintained is the most important thing. However, it won't matter how energy efficient your water heater is if your plumbing pipes are not properly insulated.
The energy used to heat water makes up a large percentage of daily usage in a commercial building. So, if you are a commercial building owner, you want to do everything you can to eat sugar water heater as is as efficient as possible. This article explains one small, very effective, way to increase the efficiency of commercial water heater. The great thing about this work is that it can usually be done by the property owner or handyman. You usually don't need to hire a professional plumber to add insulation to these pipes.
Insulating the Exposed Pipes Coming Out of Your Water Heater
In commercial buildings, the water heater is usually in a large spare room or utility closet, which is often located on the outside of the structure. This means that the pipes coming out of it are particularly susceptible to heat loss. That is, they are exposed to cold temperatures, and this can be a problem. Unlike residential buildings, there is also usually quite a few feet of piping that is exposed. The more exposed piping you have, the more susceptible your system will be.
Foam or Fiberglass Insulation
All you need for the job is fiberglass or rubber insulation, duct tape, and scissors. Foam insulation is easy to install because it already comes in tube form. The round tube is open on one side, with adhesive that you expose by peeling away some tape. You basically just pop it on to the pipe, squeeze the ends together so the adhesive sticks to the other end, and then tape it down for a permanent hold. The tubes coming out of the water heater might various sizes, so you will need to have the right size insulation for each section.
Fiberglass molding is also easy to install, no matter what how wide your pipes are. It comes in large rolls, so you just wrap it around the pipes and then tape it down. Both products come with varying degrees of insulation. Of course, the more insulation, the better when it comes to heat loss. Sometimes, you can't use the thicker products because the space around the pipes is limited. Find a product that you can practical fit around your pipes.
If adding the insulation becomes too difficult, contact a commercial plumbing contractor for more help.