Gaps in Insulation...does it matter?

johneym

hi Folks,

plumber re-doing whole house and where he has had to chase under walls he has only bored holes wide enough for the half inch pipe so no insulation will fit. Also in places where he has made the holes they are too low resulting in him compensating by leaving the underside of the copper pipes for maybe a few feet un-insulated. From above it looks normal and insulated but when u check the underside is sitting on the concrete.

Does this make a difference really in heating?

Thanks a lot

heinbloed

If the so heated walls/ceilings/floors are within the to-be-heated zones you will have no loss of thermal energy. But if these uninsulated pipes are heating an area which should not be heated you'll experience a thermal energy loss.

heinbloed

The thermal losses via the pipes can be calcuted and -after that- expressed in monetarian terms. For the thermal loss calculation look here:

http://www.bartec.de/homepage/eng/20_produkte/13_waermeindustrie/s_20_13_40_30.shtml

Carlow52

johneym wrote: »

hi Folks,

plumber re-doing whole house and where he has had to chase under walls he has only bored holes wide enough for the half inch pipe so no insulation will fit. Also in places where he has made the holes they are too low resulting in him compensating by leaving the underside of the copper pipes for maybe a few feet un-insulated. From above it looks normal and insulated but when u check the underside is sitting on the concrete.

Does this make a difference really in heating?

Thanks a lot

2 concerns: were pipes scored/damaged in being pulled through such small holes.

If copper pies are scraping against concrete floor risk of eventual wear due to expansion/contraction.

If it were my job I would make him re do it with new pipe in the relevant sections

Buford T Justice

I agree with Carlow. Any chance you can post some pics of what he's done?