Took me 5 years to figure out I was wrapping my insulation too tight

I used to pull my insulation wrap super tight around every pipe joint thinking that was the right way to do it. Then an old timer on a job in Detroit pointed out that I was actually creating air gaps and reducing the efficiency. He showed me how a little bit of loose wrap lets the material settle and seal better. Have any of you guys been taught a basic thing years into the trade that made you feel dumb?

3 comments

3 Comments

sullivan.quinn3d agoRising Star

Huh. Funny you mention that because I think the real issue is how we're taught to treat insulation like it's armor instead of a blanket. I've seen guys wrap their pipes so tight the foil facing gets micro tears you can't even see until the next season. The old timer who straightened me out on that said he treats loose wrap like letting a sleeping bag fluff up instead of stuffing it in a stuff sack. Same energy. The air gaps you think you're preventing are actually what does the insulating if you give the material room to breathe.

evan_grant703d ago

That old timer knew his stuff. Sleeping bag analogy is spot on. Packed tight insulation loses its dead air space, which is literally the only reason it works. Same with fiberglass batts in a wall cavity. Cram them in and you compress the fibers, killing the R-value. Seen plenty of guys think they're doing a favor by double wrapping a steam line tight as a drum, only to have it sweat like crazy come winter. Bet the old handbooks had it right because they weren't trying to sell you on wrapping every inch with tape and foil. Let the material do its job.

max_schmidt773d ago

Sullivan I read that same idea in a old insulation handbook from the 60s about air gaps being the real workhorses.