I have been helping my aunt excavate her back yard, in order to expose
hot water pipes, that run about 30 feet from the house to the garage.
Both the hot water heater and the natural gas boiler are in the garage.
The pipes are not insulated and are just about 18 inches below grade,
in Cambridge, Maryland (8 feet above sea level). Last year's heating
bills were astronomical, and my Aunt thinks that a lot of heat was
radiated into the frozen ground, before it ever reached her house.

My question is, once I expose the pipes completely, what is a good
method of insulating pipes in sandy and wet soil. Cutting the pipes are
not an option, thus we need something to retrofit. The insulation must
withstand backfilling, and vast temperature changes. What can be used
on this job?

Might want to ask on alt.building.construction and alt.home.repair


"Elliott Plack, USAR" wrote in message
I have been helping my aunt excavate her back yard, in order to expose
hot water pipes, that run about 30 feet from the house to the garage.
Both the hot water heater and the natural gas boiler are in the garage.
The pipes are not insulated and are just about 18 inches below grade,
in Cambridge, Maryland (8 feet above sea level). Last year's heating
bills were astronomical, and my Aunt thinks that a lot of heat was
radiated into the frozen ground, before it ever reached her house.

My question is, once I expose the pipes completely, what is a good
method of insulating pipes in sandy and wet soil. Cutting the pipes are
not an option, thus we need something to retrofit. The insulation must
withstand backfilling, and vast temperature changes. What can be used
on this job?

You might want to do a combo of pipe insulation (those foam tubes), and
put 6-12" of straw mulch or bark mulch on top of the ground. That might
act like snow, keeping the ground at 32 or slightly above. (It better
be above of any water in the pipes will freeze.)

In article . com,
pegleg wrote:
You might want to do a combo of pipe insulation (those foam tubes), and
put 6-12" of straw mulch or bark mulch on top of the ground. That might
act like snow, keeping the ground at 32 or slightly above. (It better
be above of any water in the pipes will freeze.)

In addition to insulation, you might consider electrical heating tape.
Put it under the insulation. The type I am thinking of has a built in
thermostat that clicks on a bit above freezing.

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Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
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On 21 Oct 2005 11:44:36 -0700, someone wrote:

You might want to do a combo of pipe insulation (those foam tubes), and
put 6-12" of straw mulch....

You guys are all wrong. Underground heating pipes are common in
institutional installations (campus w/central boiler house). There
are various brands of insulating fill that you pour into the trench
and backfill, I just can't remember the name offhand (been many years
since I workd for the Physical Facilities Dept. at a college.).

No, per inch its not high in insulating value - BUT you don't need to
skimp on inches, you put it in by the foot.



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