Limit Heat Loss With Thermal Insulation

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This rather barbaric name may mean nothing to you; however, thermal insulation will quickly prove to be important if you decide to do insulation work in your home. Indeed, thermal insulation designates the fact of insulating water circulation or heating installations: the objective is, therefore, to limit heat losses as much as possible. Follow these tips from belimo valves to find out everything you need to know about thermal insulation!

The Advantages Of Thermal Insulation

It should be noted that heat losses from the pipes can be considerable. There are several reasons for this phenomenon: the temperature of the heating water is often high, and these losses are often observed over a large part of the year (generally more than half).

Using thermal insulation materials is, therefore, the guarantee of saving between 5 and 10% on your electricity bill by considerably reducing heat loss. Also, it is a technique that is not expensive, and it will cost you a few tens of dollars maximum.

Other significant advantages of thermal insulation: your plumbing and heating installations will be protected from external aggressions (frost, snow, condensation, etc.) and will last longer. No need to change them regularly. The water supply will also be easier throughout your home.

How Do I Know If Thermal Insulation Is Necessary?

If your pipes pass through cold rooms (garage, cellar, workshop, etc.) to reach the heating points, then thermal insulation is strongly recommended; you can be sure that you will experience heat loss. Conversely, do not insulate if the heat of the pipes only heats the room where your pipes are located, and you do not want it to cool down.

This is also the case if the pipes and the heating points are too far apart. Note that it is preferable also to insulate your water heater if it is in an unheated room.

Heat Insulation: Recommendations

As a general rule, the equipment to be insulated are pipes, piping, tanks, reservoirs, etc. The most widely used materials for thermal insulation are mineral fibre shells, polyurethane foam, mineral fibre strips and plastic foam sleeves.

It may be necessary to install additional protective coating of aluminium, PVC or plasterboard.

The effectiveness of thermal insulation depends on the outside diameter of the tube, the thickness of the insulation and its thermal conductivity: the lower the thermal conductivity, the more insulating the material.

Finally, where possible, install your pipes in heated rooms to further limit heat loss. But thermal insulation is also suitable for outdoor pipes thanks to steel shells that are resistant to cold.

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