Deficient insulation pipe leads to freezing of the system and a complete cessation of its performance. This increases the heat loss in the system and decreases efficiency. Ready insulated pipes for water supply will not only save the time required for assembly, but also improve the quality of the entire system and reducing other labor costs.
The main varieties of thermal insulation
Manufacturers of prefabricated piping is used for its production materials different from each other at the cost, quality and durability. Before proceeding to the laying of insulated pipes, it is necessary to consider the description of the pros and cons of each heater.
Heaters based fibrous structure
Most often it is mineral wool or glass wool - materials, with an ideal ratio of productivity, long service life and price. Main advantages of the mineral wool as compared with other materials:
- High tensile strength;
- Low thermal conductivity;
- Light weight, which greatly simplifies the transportation.
But, in addition to its positive qualities, there are also disadvantages:
- Mineral wool is highly flammable, it could cause a fire. Especially, if there are overlapping or wooden structures made of plasterboard;
- Susceptibility to moisture. Mineral wool layer must additionally obkladyvat durable foil or she gathers moisture and rapidly loses its positive features.
Due to the above disadvantages, insulation of water pipes with mineral wool in the ground, you should not do.
Polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam and crosslinked polyethylene
Heaters of this class are used very often because of their positive qualities. For example, polystyrene - a heat-insulating material having a low cost, but environmentally friendly and resistant to sudden temperature changes. It can be used for burying in the ground or under the ground. Unfortunately, polystyrene foam is susceptible to various kinds of mechanical damage and surrounded by a trumpet to be very careful.
Polyurethane foam - a modern high-quality insulator. To produce insulation of water pipes in the private or the high-rise building, it is used in various forms:
- Sputtering a thin layer;
- Mounting of the cylinder the finished pipe;
- Production of polyurethane pipelines.
Polyurethane foam qualitatively retains heat, it is an environmentally friendly material, impervious to moisture. But the heat insulator has a significant drawback - the high cost.
A more expensive but quality material is crosslinked polyethylene. Crosslinked polyethylene - is one of the most modern thermal insulators, which differs from other mechanical stability and durability. Even the high price is not able to overshadow the technical characteristics of cross-linked polyethylene.
Thermal insulation paint
Insulating ink for thermal insulation of pipes have been used recently. Its price is average, but this material has several advantages.
- Rests evenly on the surface of the pipeline. Receive quality insulation for insulating layer that is suitable, for example, for water in the country;
- It may be applied through a spray;
- The service life (depending on the manufacturer) varies from 15 to 40 years;
- It is maintained under conditions from -70 ° C to + 260 ° C;
- Universal. It can be used as in the insulation of the pipeline, and in the protection of buildings against heat loss.
Thermal insulation paint impervious to the effects of direct sunlight and harmful microorganisms, it is waterproof and has a high resistance to mechanical damage. By using insulating ink disappears immediately issue than warm water pipes in the shed or basement.
Pipe heating cable
Electric heating cable provides a high quality inner heating water pipe and the inside pipe is a topical solution, provided piping below the frost line. In some soil conditions, such as excessive levels of moisture, the use of a simple insulation is not possible, because of its high susceptibility to such an environment. And to use an expensive material is irrelevant - it will entail unnecessary costs.
How to make the installation of electric cable:
- 2 is used method of installation of the heating cable: laying it along the tube or wrapping around it. Both methods provide a quality display tubes, provided the integrity of the cable.
- When laying down the tube, the cable is attached with adhesive aluminum tape to the bottom part of it.
- When the cable being wrapped around the conduit are also used adhesive tape which is applied to the rings evenly spaced across the tube. laying step will be the shorter, smaller cable capacity.
- After laying the cable and its fixing must apply additional insulating layer which serves more to protect the heating cable from mechanical damage, and exposure to soil. The cost of thermal insulation at the same time, you can choose inexpensive.
Such a heating element is used not only by frost, but also when it is necessary to defrost frozen pipes. power cable is selected in the range of 10-15 watts, that is enough for high-quality heating even at half a meter depth.
Sequence correct stacking insulating tubes
Pipes in the finished insulating sheath, require accurate action, not only in laying under the floor or on the ground surface, but also during transport. Mishandling leads to mechanical damage, which significantly reduces the efficiency of the operation of the pipeline.
Step 1: Preparation of material
Before you lay some pipe and cook from their general construction, each of them should be carefully prepared. The first thing you need to do - is to clean up the edges of the insulation on each pipe. The rough edge will cause poor connection quality in the future.
After a bit of insulation should be cleaned and the edges of the pipe itself, for better weld. In addition to stripping also need to carefully wipe the junction, and dry it. Debris or extraneous liquid that will not weld quality, which is required when installing the water pipes.
Step 2: Pipe laying on a pre-prepared brackets
After processing the material, all the pipes on the surface will be moved in a common conduit and fit flush joints. After laying, the system should check once more, especially in the horizontal plane.
Prepared for welding pipe should be covered with asbestos cloth, or a heater could ignite. After welding asbestos bands can be removed, but some teams are left out as an additional protective material.
Step 3: Weld joints
Serviceable and proven welder - pipeline durability warranty. When laying water systems work normally reach the huge volumes, so the welding apparatus can function without interruption.
Qualitative welding external water supply pipe is only achieved after complete fusion joints. This requirement spelled out in the respective guest. With careful performed, the weld can not process or further cleaned. After welding, all joints should be checked using the flaw. If the parameters do not meet state standards, the seam should be Dowar.
Step 4: Isolation pipe joints
After welding all the seams must be covered with a heat-insulating layer. What materials are used for this purpose:
- Special seal on adhesive tape. Very convenient to use, provided that the surface is clean, free of debris or plaque. Suitable, if you need to warm a water pipe from the outside, on the street;
- Galvanized steel casing. It has the form of a simple clamp which is tightened by means of a bolted joint;
- The adapter of polystyrene. A versatile and very easy to use, but has a high price, as a heat insulator for pipe of a given material.
The above variations of insulating materials are ideal for protecting insulated pipes joints. Cover joints should be carefully and precisely, leaving no open spaces.
Step 5: Processing of sealant
The final stage of mounting insulated pipes is handling special sealant or assembly foam of open seats remaining after isolation joints. While the sealant or foam hardens, seals, casings or adapter can be corrected by adding more structure integrity.
If the conduit is provided team insulation consisting of half cylinders of expanded polystyrene, it is necessary for its fixation use metal clamps or steel tape, common wire, and foil tape - as the last protective layer. The joints between the shell can also be repaired using a sealant or foam. For greater reliability some masters is put on such joint and treated with additional semicylinder its edge sealant.
