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Insulating outdoor A/C pipes Bob Scheurle 07-31-2005
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Posted by Bob Scheurle on July 31, 2005, 11:18 pm


I want to replace the insulation on my 3/4" copper air-conditioning
pipes. The length is about 12 feet. There are two types of insulation
available, polyethylene and rubber. Which would be best?

The polyethylene has 3/8" thick walls and an R value of 2. The rubber
has either 3/8" or 1/2" thick walls, and I have no idea about the R
value.

I'm primarily concerned about which one will insulate the pipe from the
outdoor heat better, and withstand the sun, rain, insects, etc. Cost is
not an issue.

Thanks...

--
Bob Scheurle | "There's nobody getting
njtbob@X-verizon-X.net | rich writing software."
Remove X's and dashes | -- Bill Gates, March 1980


Posted by Carolina Breeze HVAC on July 31, 2005, 11:00 pm



>I want to replace the insulation on my 3/4" copper air-conditioning
> pipes. The length is about 12 feet. There are two types of insulation
> available, polyethylene and rubber. Which would be best?
>
> The polyethylene has 3/8" thick walls and an R value of 2. The rubber
> has either 3/8" or 1/2" thick walls, and I have no idea about the R
> value.
>
> I'm primarily concerned about which one will insulate the pipe from the
> outdoor heat better, and withstand the sun, rain, insects, etc. Cost is
> not an issue.
>
> Thanks...
>

Rubatex branded insulation, its about $4 a section at Lowes and Home depot,
but about 99 cents a section at any legitimate supply center with a valid
contractors licence, about $2 a section without.
DO NOT use that cheap ass crap, or it will outgas and be gone in a few
months.
You are not insulating it from the outdoor heat, you are insulating it to
keep it from sweating to the unit and creating damage inside the home as
most of the time, the heat pickup will be minimal at best.

> --
> Bob Scheurle | "There's nobody getting
> njtbob@X-verizon-X.net | rich writing software."
> Remove X's and dashes | -- Bill Gates, March 1980




Posted by Bob Scheurle on August 1, 2005, 9:27 am


On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 23:00:26 -0400, "Carolina Breeze HVAC"
>
>> I want to replace the insulation on my 3/4" copper air-conditioning
>> pipes. The length is about 12 feet. There are two types of insulation
>> available, polyethylene and rubber. Which would be best?
>>
>> The polyethylene has 3/8" thick walls and an R value of 2. The rubber
>> has either 3/8" or 1/2" thick walls, and I have no idea about the R
>> value.
>>
>> I'm primarily concerned about which one will insulate the pipe from the
>> outdoor heat better, and withstand the sun, rain, insects, etc. Cost is
>> not an issue.
>
>Rubatex branded insulation, its about $4 a section at Lowes and Home depot,
>but about 99 cents a section at any legitimate supply center with a valid
>contractors licence, about $2 a section without.
>DO NOT use that cheap ass crap, or it will outgas and be gone in a few
>months.

Thank you for your reply. Sorry for being a little thick-skulled here,
but are you saying I should use the Rubatex or the polyethylene?

>You are not insulating it from the outdoor heat, you are insulating it to
>keep it from sweating to the unit and creating damage inside the home as
>most of the time, the heat pickup will be minimal at best.

--
Bob Scheurle | "There's nobody getting
njtbob@X-verizon-X.net | rich writing software."
Remove X's and dashes | -- Bill Gates, March 1980


Posted by Carolina Breeze HVAC on August 1, 2005, 12:42 pm



> On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 23:00:26 -0400, "Carolina Breeze HVAC"
>>
>>> I want to replace the insulation on my 3/4" copper air-conditioning
>>> pipes. The length is about 12 feet. There are two types of insulation
>>> available, polyethylene and rubber. Which would be best?
>>>
>>> The polyethylene has 3/8" thick walls and an R value of 2. The rubber
>>> has either 3/8" or 1/2" thick walls, and I have no idea about the R
>>> value.
>>>
>>> I'm primarily concerned about which one will insulate the pipe from the
>>> outdoor heat better, and withstand the sun, rain, insects, etc. Cost is
>>> not an issue.
>>
>>Rubatex branded insulation, its about $4 a section at Lowes and Home
>>depot,
>>but about 99 cents a section at any legitimate supply center with a valid
>>contractors licence, about $2 a section without.
>>DO NOT use that cheap ass crap, or it will outgas and be gone in a few
>>months.
>
> Thank you for your reply. Sorry for being a little thick-skulled here,
> but are you saying I should use the Rubatex or the polyethylene?
>

You know..I went back and read that, and damn.it looks like I said not to
use the Rubatex..
DO use the Rubatex. NOT that cheaper grey looking crap.
>>You are not insulating it from the outdoor heat, you are insulating it to
>>keep it from sweating to the unit and creating damage inside the home as
>>most of the time, the heat pickup will be minimal at best.
>
> --
> Bob Scheurle | "There's nobody getting
> njtbob@X-verizon-X.net | rich writing software."
> Remove X's and dashes | -- Bill Gates, March 1980




Posted by Bob Scheurle on August 1, 2005, 10:24 pm


On Mon, 1 Aug 2005 12:42:30 -0400, "Carolina Breeze HVAC"
>You know..I went back and read that, and damn.it looks like I said not to
>use the Rubatex..
>DO use the Rubatex. NOT that cheaper grey looking crap.

Yeah, that's why I was confused! I wasn't sure what "that cheap ass
crap" was.

The pipes have a rubber-type insulation on them, but it's 20 years old
and not in great shape. I've got the garden cleared-out, so now's the
time to replace the insulation, before the new plants and mulch go in.

Thanks...
Bob

--
Bob Scheurle | "There's nobody getting
njtbob@X-verizon-X.net | rich writing software."
Remove X's and dashes | -- Bill Gates, March 1980


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