DIY home improvement plumbing projects can be a lot of fun, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, they also end up being quite costly. There are some projects that are complicated enough to require hiring a plumber. But if you want to do some DIY plumbing work around your house, insulating the pipes is an easy project that has a huge impact on your monthly energy bills.
The trickiest part of insulating your pipes is choosing the appropriate type of insulation. Options include fiberglass insulation, polyethylene and neoprene foam. Each house is built differently, and as such, has different needs when it comes to insulation. Foam tubing insulation is the easiest to install and comes designed for specific types of plumbing. If you choose to insulate with fiberglass, you will need to wrap the insulation with plastic to avoid condensation dripping from the pipes.
Unfortunately, for this project you’ll begin your adventures as a plumber by thoroughly cleaning the pipes with a mild cleaning solution. You may need an abrasive to get more stubborn material off. There should be no dirt or grease on the pipes when you begin installing the insulation.
If you decide to use foam tubing insulation, all you’ll need to do is fit the foam tube around the pipes. The tubes can be easily cut to size to fit in smaller sections of piping. This is especially useful for corners in the plumbing-you can make diagonal cuts to get full coverage of the pipes. When making diagonal cuts, be sure to use a measuring tape to get the exact measurements of the section of pipe. When insulating long plumbing stretches, place multiple pieces of foam tubing end-to-end. Once the section is covered, be sure to duct tape the seams between different pieces of tubing.
Other types of insulation will require you to wind material around the plumbing. If you experience difficulty getting full coverage around pipe bends, use duct tape to cover up any remaining gaps.
While the majority of your plumbing should be insulated, avoid getting insulation material too close to the water heater. This can be a major fire hazard. Always cut off the insulation at least one foot away from the pipe’s connection to the water heater.