Insulating Water Pipes on 21RBS.
This project is the first step in preparing the CL for overnight freezing temperatures. It is not intended to replace winterization for the long haul, but is intended to combat overnight dips into the twenties with warmups to above freezing the next day. I have described , on another post, an active circulating system that will prevent freezing for as long as propane and 12V are available, but pipe insulation is first.I used closed cell polyethylene pool noodles, but hardware store foam pipe insulation should work as well. Slitting the noodles and liberal use of zip ties makes the installation easy and secure. Where practical I wrapped both hot and cold pipes together in one noodle. This allows the hot pipes to warm the cold pipes. It will particularly valuable when the circulating system is operational. Turns out pool noodles come in various sizes depending on manufacturer. I found inner diameters of 0.75" ,1", and 1-1/4". Outside diameters varied accordingly. The smaller version is good for the single pipe locations; the largest is better for double runs. The 1" version can be used for double runs where space is limited, but it takes more frequent zip ties. The larger versions will insulate better, but the difference is minimal.I had to loosen the tank supports and reroute the water pipes outside the brackets to allow installation of the noodles. To retain the low point drain operation I tried to maintain close to the original elevation profiles. Not a big deal if you winterize with compressed air or antifreeze, but the CL does a pretty good job of draining through the low point drains, including the HW heater. Some areas cannot be fitted with the pool noodles. Exposed fittings and the low point drain valves are still vulnerable, but for short periods they should survive on conducted heat from the insulated portions. Don't forget to insulate the fresh water suction hose.
Nice mod!!
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I love this mod so much...really cool.
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