Insulating hot water pipes?

I am insulating hot water pipes in my basement. I already insulated my steam pipes with 3/4 foam insulation with adhesive on the seam. I have 3" hot water pipe that is almost burn your hand hot to the touch. Will foam be OK for this or is there a Temp ceiling for them. Do they melt? Thanks



I would be careful with the foam insulation on your steam pipe, and the adhesive might also be a concern. The adhesive could possibly be flammable and might ignite at high temperatures, and it could be a catalyst to start the foam burning as well. Generally, foam insulation in intended to provide a vapor barrier for cold piping to stop condensation problems. The foam will probably be OK on your hot water, but really the traditional product would be fiberglass pipe covering which you should be able to buy at larger home renovation centers or look in the yellow pages for insulation suppliers and they will have it for sure, it will not cost much, maybe less than the foam.




Check the rating on the foam, it should say what it's rated for. If you want to be safe, there's a similar fiberglass insulation for pipes.




I'd be inclined to put some cladding around it. Foam is very combustible. Not worth losing the house to fire for the cost of an expert to come and prepare the pipe safely




If you have already done your steam pipes and have had no problem then obviously a hot water line should be no problem either as steam is much hotter than hot water!!




Even 130 pipes will burn your hand - and many people set their water heater higher than that. Foam pipe insulation should have no problem handling your pipe's temps.