Insulation for water pipes: selection and methods of laying thermal insulation for water pipes

The issue of insulating water pipes is especially relevant among owners of suburban real estate.Often in holiday villages and villages, the owners themselves are forced to worry about many components of a comfortable stay.

Especially when it comes to houses/cottages with year-round living, you can’t do without insulation of communications. And first of all, you have to select and install insulation for the water supply pipes - without the water that habitually flows from the tap, it is difficult to enjoy the delights of country life.

In our material we will tell you why it is worth insulating your water supply and what to look for when choosing a material for thermal insulation.

Is it necessary to insulate the water supply?

Often the question of whether it is necessary to insulate the water supply arises on a frosty morning, when it is already late - the water does not flow from the tap. It is in such a situation that the homeowner has no doubt about the need for this event.

Indeed, pipe insulation is not always necessary. It all depends on the location of the house, climatic conditions, length of stay of residents and the specifics of laying water supply lines.

When it is decided to deepen the water supply pipes to the freezing level, there is no need to skimp on an additional depth of 0.5 meters. Otherwise, you should take care of thermal insulation

If family members come on vacation only in the warm season, then there is no need for insulation. To prevent accidental rupture of pipes due to frozen water in cold weather, when no one is at the dacha, you just need to properly preserve the system, properly preparing it for winter.

No insulation is required for the water supply system, which is laid at a sufficient depth. According to the standards, water pipes should be correctly laid to the following depth: 0.5 meters + soil freezing depth in a particular region. This is an important condition that must be observed so that you do not have to redo everything again after the first winter.

If the water supply is not insulated and is not deep enough, then there is a danger of the entire soil layer freezing and ice forming inside the pipe

For residents of the northern regions, the freezing level is 2.5 m or more. This significantly complicates the process of deepening the pipeline to the required level. And such an event will not be cheap. You can't do without insulation here.

It happens that it is not possible to make a trench of the required depth for laying water pipes. In such cases, insulation is a necessity. Another point is the entrance of the water pipe into the house. This area often receives increased attention from many homeowners in cold weather. Therefore, you need to take care of insulation in a timely manner by choosing the right material.

If the water in the pipe is frozen, then in the best case, users will be left without water, and in the worst case, the pipe will burst and expensive repair work will be required to locate this area and fix the problem

Another place in the pipeline that needs to be remembered is the entrance of the pipe into the well/well. It all depends on the characteristics of a particular water supply and the method of arranging this area. If this is a well and the pipe is immersed in it, then we must not forget about its insulation by choosing a material that is resistant to ultraviolet rays and precipitation.

Methods for insulating water pipes

To prevent frost from damaging water pipes in a private house/dacha/cottage, you need to worry about their thermal insulation in advance.

It is important, even at the stage of laying communications, to consider options for insulating pipes, and not only water pipes. If this is done in a timely manner, the costs will be minimal.

There are quite a lot of options for insulation for pipes - it is important to choose high-quality material among the mass of proposals, without focusing too much on price. The cheapest option is money thrown away

Among the methods of insulating a pipeline for supplying water to a house, the most popular among homeowners are:

• extend the pipeline 0.5 m below the freezing level;
• use a heating cable;
• insulate with heat-insulating material;
• provide an air gap;
• buy a ready-made factory pipe;
• apply several methods at once.

Most often, more than one method is used. So, if the water pipes are deep, then the area responsible for the entrance to the house still needs insulation. Therefore, the most optimal option is selected for it in order to protect the local water supply system.

The depth of the pipeline depends on the region. To find out, you can use special lookup tables by finding your region or check it empirically

The heating cable has become widespread due to its ease of installation and high-quality performance of its functions.

Depending on the type of installation, there are 2 types of cable:

• outer;
• interior.

The first is mounted on top of the water pipe, and the second - inside. It is reliably insulated and made of safe materials. It is connected via a heat-shrinkable sleeve to a regular cable with a plug or to a machine. Read more about heating cable for water supply Further.

The heating cable comes in different capacities. Most often found from 10 to 20 W

There are a great variety of thermal insulation materials on the market. They all differ in their properties, quality, price, installation difficulties and service life.

Which one to choose depends on the specific situation.

Among insulation materials, polyethylene and polyurethane foam half-cylinders - shells - are particularly easy to install.

The method of providing an air gap is also often used. It consists of a water pipe placed inside a cheap, smooth plastic or larger diameter corrugated pipe.

Inside there is free space for the circulation of warm air coming from an insulated basement or heated in another way.

Warm air perfectly protects the water pipe from freezing. Although it is often additionally insulated with polypropylene or other material

Another option is to purchase ready-made insulated pipes of factory origin. They are sold completely ready for installation.

They consist of 2 pipes of different diameters placed inside each other. Between them there is a layer of insulation. This insulation method is often called pre-insulation.

The option with ready-made pipes does not always satisfy the needs of a particular user - diameter, type of material and cost can become a real problem for purchasing them

The use of several methods of thermal insulation of pipes is due to the fact that all methods are imperfect and it will not be possible to apply them in all cases. Conditions of use in various households located in all regions of the country are radically different from each other. Therefore, you have to choose the option that suits your specific requirements.

Alternative thermal insulation options

There are alternative methods of thermal insulation that prevent adverse consequences. They do not apply in all cases. First, you can remove all the water from the system - no water, no problem. This method is applicable for houses not used in winter. It will help protect the system from damage if water pipes freeze.

Secondly, you can ensure constant movement of water in the pipeline by opening the tap a little. This is not difficult to do if you live permanently. But the option is dangerous - suddenly you will have to leave home for a couple of days, and upon return you will be surprised in the form of a damaged water supply.

The insulation helps get rid of condensation, which has a positive effect on extending the service life of metal pipes

In addition to holding the tap slightly open, there are other ways to ensure constant pressure in the pipeline. For example, use a special pressure booster pump water in the system or add another element - a receiver. It should be cut into the pipe immediately near the pump. The operation of the receiver will maintain constant pressure, which will protect the system from freezing.

How to choose pipe insulation?

If it is not possible to hide water pipes in the ground to the required depth, or individual components come to the surface of the earth, then you will have to select insulation that is ideal for thermal insulation of water pipes. To do this, you have to choose the most optimal option that suits your specific requirements.

Classification of types of thermal insulation

The market for thermal insulation materials is replete with offers.Among them are time-tested options and the latest offers, which are distinguished by a higher price.

Thermal insulation paint is one of the newest means that allows you to efficiently insulate pipes without significantly affecting their overall weight and thickness

Pipe insulation can be divided according to the type of material into the following groups:

• fibrous, including mineral wool, fiberglass. This is not the best option for water pipes, because it will require additional waterproofing;
• polyurethane foam, available in solid and liquid states. This is the most popular option for insulating water pipes - both shell and liquid spraying;
• heat-insulating paint that has recently appeared on the market. In addition to its main function, it perfectly protects metal pipes from corrosion, but is an expensive material;
• polystyrene foam, used less frequently as insulation, is very brittle;
• foamed polyethylene, which has proven itself due to its excellent performance and ease of installation.

Paint is a new word in the world of liquid insulation. It contains special inclusions that provide excellent thermal insulation.

Thermal insulation paint is a ceramic heat insulator; under a microscope, inclusions are visible that provide its unique properties

Material selection rules

When choosing a suitable material for thermal insulation of a local water supply system, you should focus primarily on the quality of the insulation. After all, among the offers you can see many inexpensive options that are attractive in price. Here you need to carefully study the accompanying documentation and consider the appearance of the offered product.

More often than not, it turns out that the cheapest option will not save water pipes from freezing. Therefore, no matter how limited the budget is, the quality of the insulation is not something worth saving on.

It is better to save on installation by refusing the services of specialists. Having chosen the right insulation, you can do all the installation work yourself

In addition to quality, the thermal insulation material must meet the requirements for it:

• withstand the conditions in which he will perform his functions;
• be simple and easy to install if you have to install it yourself;
• have a long service life and protection from rodents and other pests;
• the price must be suitable, because the prohibitively high cost is not always justified for a certain material.

Sometimes it is necessary to additionally select an option for waterproofing an insulated pipe in order to protect the material from getting wet, thus ensuring a long service life.

Most often, foamed polyethylene and polyurethane foam are chosen for home use. These materials are not the most expensive and easy to install. They allow you to do all the work yourself, spending a minimum of effort - the fastenings are simple, and suitable material for fastening the parts together is offered by the manufacturer.

How to properly install thermal insulation?

You need to think about the thermal insulation of a local water supply system at the stage of its construction. This is the right time to calculate, buy and arrange everything. Moreover, if a team is working on the site, then it will take care of all implementation issues. It is important for the owner to express his wishes regarding the type of material, its price and be sure to check that everything is done according to the wishes.

It is important to control the work of hired craftsmen so that they do not use cheap material, passing it off as an expensive analogue

If you have to do the insulation yourself, then, compared to planning and calculating the water supply system, this will turn out to be a simple task.

Depending on how and where the pipeline runs and which areas are to be insulated, the actual steps for laying the insulation will depend. The most common option is when the pipes go below the freezing depth or slightly above. In the first case, there is no need to insulate them, but in the second, the most convenient option is selected. The length of the pipeline also plays an important role here.

Most often, a heating cable is laid on a water pipe. This is especially true in areas leading into the house.When installing the cable, use the recommendations of the manufacturer of this product, placing the turns at the required distance.

The heating cable allows you to regulate the temperature on the pipe surface thanks to a sensor. It can be turned on and off at your discretion

Then a layer of insulation is placed on top of the attached cable, securing it properly. These can be polyurethane foam shells or Penoplex segments. Having fastened the insulation parts together, you need to carefully glue the joints with special tape.

There is also an article on our website about how to properly produce insulation of water pipes in the ground. We recommend reading it too.

Pipeline sections located in the basement are also insulated. To do this, take liquid polyurethane foam. And applied to the surface of the pipes. This should be done carefully, using personal protective equipment - you need to protect your hands, eyes, and avoid contact with mucous membranes and respiratory organs.

Polyurethane foam 1.5 cm thick perfectly performs the functions of 5 cm of insulation, and paint - a couple of mm

After drying, all that remains is to apply protective paint to the surface of the polyurethane foam coating. This will protect against the influence of environmental factors and extend the service life of the insulation.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

It is quite possible to install a heating cable for heating a water supply system with your own hands. The video explains in detail how to do this correctly:

Is it worth giving preference to cheap material for thermal insulation of pipes: in the video clip, a comparison of two options:

In addition to ready-made blanks for thermal insulation, you can buy sheet material. Working with it is not difficult - all the nuances are indicated in the video:

Video about how you can insulate your water supply for the winter:

A wonderful option for pipe insulation is the use of a heating cable. The video explains the main features:

Having studied the issue of choosing insulation and comparing the real needs of your water supply, you can choose the most optimal option. Moreover, many types of insulation materials allow you to do the installation yourself.

Even a beginner can understand the intricacies of the process and follow the basic recommendations. Do-it-yourself insulation will allow you not only to save on hiring specialists, but also to be confident in the quality of the work performed.

Do you have any questions about the topic of this article? Please enter them in the block below. Or maybe you have had to deal with water pipe insulation? Then share your experience with our readers. Tell us which insulation material was chosen and why.