Pipe Insulation Materials

At insulationandlagging.co.uk we offer a range of materials, each suitable for different applications. Pipe insulation is very much "horses for courses"; what is perfect for one application may be totally unsuitable for another.

A few factors you may want to consider are:

What is your budget? There is little point paying for an expensive material if a cheaper one will do the same job but equally it is a false economy to opt for a cheap product that will not do the job.
Where is the pipe you want to insulate? If you are running pipework in an attic space then usually something like a common polyethylene foam will do nicely but if you are insulating a plant room then a foil faced mineral fibre or phenolic foam would suit better. If the pipework is outdoors you need to consider whether or not the material is UV stable and if not what sort of protection is appropriate?
Does the product need to be pre-split? A lot of products come pre split for ease of application, especially in products geared towards heating applications, but not all. For a lot of air conditioning and refrigeration applications the product is normally supplied in un-split tubes, likewise for solar thermal applications.
How will I seal the product once installed? One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to leave gaps in your insulation - you should always seal any pipe insulation product to insure it works correctly. Very often tape can be used though some products are better joined using adhesive. Never use cable ties - these damage the material over time as it expands and contracts with heat gain and heat loss.
What are you looking to achieve by insulating? Perhaps the most basic and important question of all. If you are looking to eliminate condensation forming for example then a matt black material such as a nitrile rubber is best but if you were looking for something to give you the lowest possible heat loss then a phenolic foam would be better. You might be looking to reduce noise from a pipe - if this is the case you need something with a high density; mineral fibre of better yet a product with a polymeric barrier incorporated into would be best for this application.

There are many things to consider before you buy your material or start installing. It is always best to be sure you know what you want before you click the Checkout button - if you don't know, give us a call on 01942 295926 and we will be happy to talk you through the options. Alternatively feel free to drop us an e-mail at info@insulationandlagging.co.uk

We have a pipe insulation for every budget and application and we are here to help.

The Beginners Guide To Pipe Insulation: Getting to grip with the basics

Our Beginners Guide series of blogs will look at the common areas of pipe insulation lagging that you will want to look at when choosing your product. This guide will be of most interest to the DIY installers, but some of our later guides will cover more complex products and areas of application. One of the things we get asked about a lot is what the dimensions quoted for pipe insulation actually mean. You will always see three measurements quoted when describing pipe insulation; Wall Thickness, Bore Size and Length. In the below diagram, A is the "Bore" and B is the "Wall". Wall thickness is very simply how much insulation you have; so for example if you have 13mm Wall pipe insulation, then that means you have 13mm of insulation on either side of your pipe. This thickness is very often one of the most important part of your decision; too thin and you might not get the results you are looking for but too thick and it might not fit between your pipe and the w

The Beginners Guide to Pipe Insulation: Flexible Foams

Next up in the series we are doing on pipe insulation is "flexible foams"; a category that includes polyethylene and expanded nitrile rubber. Polyethylene Pipe Insulation Climaflex pipe insulation is the UK's leading brand for polyethylene pipe insulation. This is the grey foam that most people are familiar with, the kind you would traditionally find in garden centres for example. Polyethylene is the cheapest, widely available product in the market. People very often wrongly assume cheap means poor quality, this is not the case with a brand such as Climaflex. It has a thermal conductivity of 0.034 W/m.K at 0 °C which is broadly equal to that of any other flexible foam, and it also has a much higher " μ factor" than other foams, making it more resistant to moisture ingress. These facotrs make it ideal for use around the home, being easy to work with and providing good insulation. The material can be purchased in 1m and 2m lengths, and is availabl

Frost protection for domestic pipes

With the cold weather approaching we thought it would be a good idea to touch on how best to protect your pipes from frost this winter. When dealing with frost protection on pipes inside a building your aim with insulating them is to delay the onset of freezing for as long as possible; it is not possible to guarantee a pipe will not freeze by insulation alone. The better the insulation, and the thicker the insulation, the longer you will give yourself. Under normal circumstances you aim to give yourself about 8-10 hours protection against sub zero temperatures. With pipes inside a home this is usually long enough to be sure the pipes will not freeze. Ice formation inside the pipes will lead to an increase in pressure. As the water tries to flow this pressure will increase, and eventually will lead to the pipes bursting. A burst pipe can cause a lot of problems, not least of which is a lot of damage to your property and a lot of expense incurred. Water regulations state that al

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