Pipes are the life-veins of many buildings, transporting a wide array of fluids from water to natural gas. Highly underrated, insulation for this equipment can keep processes running smoothly and efficiently. Here are some reasons your pipes should be protected in both industrial and commercial applications.
Condensation Control
For cold fluid applications, condensation will form on the outside of pipes due to the difference in ambient temperature on the outside and inside surfaces. Left unchecked, this condensation leads to corrosion and water damage. In these cases, pipe insulation is required to create a barrier that will keep the air vapour from settling onto the surface of the pipe.
Freeze Protection
Pipes in below-freezing environments are at risk of their contents becoming frozen or the pipe itself becoming brittle. Anyone who has lived or worked in Calgary for even one year knows how dangerous this can be. Fluids can be damaged or even expand and subsequently wreck the pipes that carry them. Insulation should be used in tandem with a heat trace system to ensure that nothing freezes even in the coldest climate.
Mitigation of Inefficiencies
Heat will always try to move from warmer areas to cooler areas. Uninsulated pipes that contain fluids with different temperatures than the space around them can inadvertently diffuse heat. This means a hot pipe will heat up a room and a cool pipe will cool it down. Once this happens, it takes a considerable amount of energy to re-establish the proper temperatures in both the pipe and the building. Simply using adequate insulation will reduce this problem, and the needed energy output, significantly.
Personnel Safety
Extreme temperatures and even incessantly loud noise levels can be transferred down a pipe for its entire length. Personnel can be hurt if they are subject to either of these conditions. In this way, insulation can protect more than the pipe itself, but also your people! Depending on the application, it can regulate an acoustical transfer and create a safe-to-touch barrier between a scalding-hot pipe and workers performing their duties alongside it.
Different pipes will require insulation with specific qualities to be the most effective. Each member of our team at Westcal Insulation is an expert in providing tailored solutions to mechanical needs. Request a quote for your building today!
