Do You Need To Insulate Hot Water Pipe In Attic

If you have a traditional tank water heater you re already paying to keep that hot water on standby.

Do you need to insulate hot water pipe in attic.

If they re copper it ll help a bit with keeping the water cold but the main benefit will be eliminating condensation that accumulates on those pipes and drips into your attic potentially causing water damage. The process for insulating attic pipes is no different than insulating other pipes in your home. Insulating your pipes reduces heat loss and keeps cold pipes from sweating in warm weather. The intent of the pipe insulation requirements is to reduce temperature changes while fluids are being transported through piping associated with heating cooling or service hot water shw systems thereby saving energy and reducing operating costs.

Moisture laden air must be kept from contacting the pipe surface. For domestic hot water many newer codes are requiring a hot water return on demand circulation along with 1 2 insulation on 1 2 piping. First the obvious insulating your hot water pipes will help keep your hot water hot. When insulating pipes in the attic there are some steps you need to follow.

Yes it is good to insulate the lines as mentioned before if the cold water runs in unconditioned space or your condition space is kept at a higher humidity level. But there is a lot to be said for insulating cold water pipes as well. With the benefit of pipe insulation the hot water waiting in your pipes will cool down slower. Uninsulated piping systems that transport fluids can create water temperature irregularities which ultimately requires additional heating or cooling and associated energy costs to bring the water to operating temperature.

Tape the end seams of each insulation length with insulating tape. Insulating your pipes is never a bad move to make and with piping that s as versatile as pex piping you ll want to do everything you can to protect it. Some like it hot. If your pipes are pex i wouldn t bother doing anything since pex has a built in r value.

It is important to insulate pex pipe in an attic particularly in cold weather areas. Insulation from the experts. The best way to ensure a long lifespan for your piping is to insulate properly which in some cases means insulating with the professionals. Insulating hot water pipes in a cold climate is a no brainer.

The pipe insulation should be a vapor impermeable foam with all the seams and edges taped tight. Commercial water heater with insulation around pipes two hot spots are gaps if you do insulate a hot water line in a house then the heat of the water in that pipe will simply be retained longer. The catch is that time period is limited.