At Tankless Experts, we have discussed a lot regarding tankless water heaters from their history to the pros and cons of having a tankless unit. Today, we wanted to cover another aspect of your home water system that can often be neglected, your water supply pipes. Taking the time to insulate water supply pipes can offer a variety of benefits to both your home’s quality of life and your hot water. We hope this article helps you to understand the following:
- Why Should You Insulate Water Supply Pipes
- When Should You Insulate Water Supply Pipes
- Types of Insulation
- Is Insulating Pipes Worth It?
Understanding and knowing these facts can help you make an informed decision about whether taking the time and money to upgrade your home water system is something you should consider.
Why Should You Insulate Water Supply Pipes?
Insulating water pipes offer many benefits to your home. These benefits affect both your hot and cold water pipes, each having different benefits. Taking the time to double-check check your pipes are properly insulated can save you money and the hassle of repairs they can prevent.
Insulating cold water pipes has the most obvious benefit of preventing frozen pipes. Insulating pipes in unheated areas such as crawl spaces, attics, or floor spaces prevent frozen water pipes resulting in damage to your home and costly repair bills. Another benefit aside from preventing freezing is the reduction of condensation. Cold water pipes have a tendency to cause water to build up when the pipe is cooler than the air around it. Insulating reduces pipe sweating which can prevent mould or other water damage to your home.
Hot water pipes do not have to worry about the worst-case scenario of frozen pipes, but they can still benefit your home in other ways. Insulating hot water pipes is more of a quality-of-life bonus. Insulation prevents heat loss from your hot water pipes. This reduction in heat loss works to supply your home with more consistent hot water while reducing your water heating costs. Having insulated hot water supply lines allows you to lower the temperature of your hot water heater compared to uninsulated pipes.
When Should You Insulate Water Supply Pipes
It is most important to insulate pipes in unheated spaces. Areas without climate control leave pipes exposed to harsher conditions which insulation can be used.to protect pipes. Pipes within exterior walls for homes in cold climates can be an excellent idea. A basement space is another great place to insulate pipes. Truthfully, any pipes within your home’s water system can benefit from insulation, but those in the aforementioned areas have the greatest benefit.
Types of Insulation
There are many types of insulation for pipes available. Most of which are easy to install and can make a great easy weekend DIY project. The most 3 common insulations are:
- Foam Pipe Insulation
- Rubber Pipe Insulation
- Spray Foam Insulation
Foam pipe insulation is the most common of these and can be purchased in most hardware stores. They can come in a variety of sizes to match the pipe size in your home. Foam insulation is often sold in two metres sections. These sections can be self-adhesive with built-in adhesive strips disregarding the need for duct tape or other adhesives. The most important things when looking to purchase pipe insulation is to measure the length of the pipes you are looking to cover and the size of the pipes.
Is it Worth the Hassle?
In our opinion, insulating water supply pipes throughout your home is always worth the investment. However, this is entirely subjective. Is taking an afternoon to insulate all the pipes you can access in your home worth protecting your home from frozen pipes and mould while reducing your water heating costs? We would 1000% say yes. If you choose to hire a contractor or handyman to tackle the job, the cost will go up, but even then the benefit highly outweighs the cost.
As always, Tankless Experts is always here for any of your needs and will happily answer any questions and concerns.
When it comes to finding the right tankless water heater solution for your situation, trust the industry leaders. Tankless Experts is dedicated to offering informed advice, an affordable water heater option, and solutions based on your unique needs. We carry and service various types of tankless water heaters capable of covering any size room or home. Contact us today for more information and a free, no-obligation estimate!