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3 Benefits of Insulating Your Home's Plumbing Pipes

12 April 2023 by Bill Turner

An inexpensive way you can boost your home's energy efficiency is to have your plumbing insulated. Wrapping all of the pipes with foam reduces the amount of heat that the hot water inside will lose to the air around the pipe. Your hot water will stay warmer longer when it's in the pipe, which helps reduce the amount of water your water heater will need to warm up. In addition to boosting energy efficiency, insulating your home's plumbing has a few other benefits as well. To learn the three benefits of having your home's plumbing insulated, read on.

1. Reduces Lost Heat and Wasted Energy from Hot Water Sitting in Your Pipes

The biggest benefit of insulating your home's plumbing is that you can reduce heat loss in your hot water pipes. When you turn on the hot water in your sink, it's carried from the water heater to the faucet. When you're done using it, the pipe running between the two will remain full of hot water. That hot water will slowly cool down over time, wasting the energy that your water heater used to warm it.

Insulating your home's plumbing means that the water in your hot water pipes won't cool down as quickly. You'll get hot water sooner when you need to use it again since the water in the pipe will remain warm. Overall, you can save money on your energy bills by reducing the volume of water that your water heater needs to warm up.

2. Prevents Your Pipes from Making Pinging Noises

Insulating your home's plumbing also prevents your pipes from making an annoying pinging noise. The pinging noises are caused when the metal pipe expands and contracts due to temperature changes. It expands when hot water runs through it, then contracts as the water cools down. This causes a pinging noise as the connections between pipes slightly shift.

When you insulate your pipes, the temperature of the pipes won't change as quickly. A slow temperature change will reduce the amount of movement at the pipe connections and eliminate pinging noises.

3. Eliminates Condensation on Your Cold Water Pipes

Insulating your pipes also reduces the likelihood of condensation forming on them and causing water damage to your home. Condensation occurs when warm air in your home comes into contact with a pipe that's full of cold water. The pipe will cool down the air surrounding it, which pulls water vapor out of the air and causes it to form condensation on the side of the pipe.

If condensation drips onto a wood or drywall surface, it will allow mold to grow in your home, and condensation that drips onto wood can cause it to rot. Keeping warm air away from your pipes by insulating them will eliminate condensation, stopping your home from being damaged by water.

Insulating your home's plumbing is an inexpensive way to boost your home's energy efficiency, get rid of annoying pinging noises coming from your pipes, and reduce the risk of water damage due to condensation. If the pipes in your home aren't insulated, call a plumbing contractor and have them wrap insulation around all of your exposed pipes. It's a service that's quick to perform and will help reduce your energy bills.

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