Pipe Insulation

What is Pipe Insulation?

Pipe Insulation, or pipe lagging as it is often referred to as, is a name for materials intended to isolate a pipe from the surrounding space and limit the transfer of heat to or from the pipe. 

Whether you are limiting heat loss or preventing freezing it is in effect the same need, to alter the rate at which the pipe and its surroundings exchange heat. The greater the difference between the temperature of the pipe and it’s surroundings the greater the thickness or efficiency of the material needs to be, this can mean either a greater thickness of a lower efficiency material or a lesser thickness of a high efficiency material to achieve the same results.

Pipe Insulation from Advanced Insulation Materials Ltd

Our ethos is Right Insulation, Right Price, Right Time.
Trusted since 2009

Need Pipe Insulation Advice? 

Call us on 01942 295926 

E-mail Us on info@insulationandlagging.co.uk 
 

We stock thousands of metres of pipe insulation and lagging material for both domestic & HVAC applications. We also ship all over the UK (excluding Northern Ireland). We offer great #insulationvalue and can offer discounts for volume orders. 

Our stocks include the standard grey foam (polyethylene) pipe insulation such as Tubolit and Climaflex, Euroclass B nitrile rubber (Class 0 as was to BS476 Parts 6 & 7) such as K-Flex or Armaflex, foil faced rock fibre mineral wool, glass wool ductwrap and phenolic foam. We ship goods the same day if your order is placed before 2pm and you will usually receive your goods within 2 days or the Next Day if you select this service before the cut off.

We aim to help you choose the most cost effective product for your needs and can offer a large range from economy options such as domestic grade polyethylene pipe insulation through to products for fire stopping that offer a 2 hour structural fire rating. We can also help you comply with British Standards such as BS5422 and can guide you to achieve a low cost option for your application.

Pipe Insulation Materials (sometimes known as pipe lagging or insulated pipe sleeves) are used for a variety of purposes including frost protection, domestic heating & condensation control to name a few of the basics.

We do a variety of cheap pipe insulation packs that can help you save money on your energy bills or stop your pipes freezing in winter 
 

Frequently Asked Questions 
 

What is the best insulation for pipes? 
 

It’s subjective but any good quality lagging will save energy compared to a bare pipe and the thicker the insulation you use the better although the biggest difference will be to put something on in the first place. If a product has a thermal conductivity of 0.035/w.mK or better (lower) you know it is good quality. 
 

Is it worth insulating hot water or central heating pipes? 
 

Yes, absolutely. If your hot water pipes are not insulated then heat will be escaping from the surface and you are wasting energy, which is wasting money. Even as little as 9mm will dramatically reduce heat loss and likely pay for itself in a matter of months. It’s easy to do it yourself as well! 
 

Will insulating pipes keep them from freezing?

Yes, providing that you use the correct thickness of insulation. Generally speaking the smaller your pipe is the higher the risk of it freezing as a smaller volume of water takes less time to freeze. Therefore, the smaller the pipe the thicker the insulation you require in order to minimize the risk of frost burst. 
 

Water Bylaw 49 Frost Protection 
 

Assuming "Extreme" Conditions of up to 12 hours down to -6°C without use

Outside Diameter of Pipe  Thickness of Insulation

15            -            25

22           -            19

28            -            19

34            -            13

42            -              9

54            -              9

76            -              9

What is the best insulation for winter / cold weather? 
 

As you know what thickness you need it is worth thinking about the best product – Climaflex or Tubolit are great options. These are polyethylene pipe insulations and as such cheap and easy to install – they are either fully split or semi split so easy to install. They are best fixed with tape or glue, NEVER cable ties. 
 

Should copper pipes be insulated? 
 

Yes, you want cold pipes to stay cold and hot pipes to stay hot - by insulating you are limiting heat transfer between the pipe itself and the ambient environment. A cold pipe in a warm room it will gain heat but if you insulate it then this will greatly reduce the rate of transfer. 
 

Should plumbers insulate pipes? 
 

Plumbers do generally insulate pipework as it is good practice but it is not necessarily compulsory. Whether a plumber or anybody else is required to insulate a pipe is dependent on there being a specification - for example some boiler manufacturers may require the condensate overflow pipe to be properly lagged to prevent freezing in winter.

Knauf Rock Mineral Wool Insulation provides long term reliable solutions. Its components are mainly derived from naturally occurring raw materials. Their excellent mechanical, thermal and fire performances are convincing. Mineral Wool products with ECOSE Technology comply with all relevant product and market standards. Now HVAC ducts and pipe lines as well as applications for sound absorption and climate protection within buildings can be professionally insulated with mineral wool with ECOSE Technology.

Knauf's Technical Mineral Wool Solutions, the Knauf Thermo-tek Range, comprise of a range of high performance insulation solutions developed specifically for the insulation requirements of HVAC systems and industrial plants. The range covers solutions for insulating heating systems, piping and air conditioning ducts, insulating industrial plant and power stations, and for passive fire protection. These include rock insulation pipe sections and glass wool duct wrap insulation.

The fire performance of Knauf Insulation rock fibre gives it the ability to provide passive fire protection. Buildings must be designed and constructed to minimise the risk of fi re and its spread should it occur, as well as to maximise the structure’s stability and the ability of occupants to escape unharmed. As well as acting as a barrier to the fi re, our noncombustible mineral wool insulation solutions will not add to its development stages, minimising its overall effect and consequences.

The acoustic performance of Knauf mineral wool insulation can help create an improved internal environment for building occupants. Protection from noise contributes towards the ‘quality of life’ afforded by dwellings, and a healthy, productive and attractive environment in offices, hospitals, schools and other non-domestic buildings. Our mineral wool insulation solutions provide high levels of sound absorption and noise reduction in new build or within existing buildings through retrofit, to provide improved sound insulation and acoustic comfort.

All the Knauf products sold on www.insulationandlagging.co.uk contain Knauf's ECOSE® Technology which is a unique bio-based binder used in the manufacture of all of Knauf Glass Mineral Wool products, and the majority of their Rock Mineral Wool products.

Products manufactured using ECOSE® Technology have a natural brown colour so you can see, as well as feel the difference.

Knauf's insulation contains no added formaldehyde or phenol. This means our insulation generates very low levels of dust, increasing the comfort of those handling it. ECOSE® Technology makes our insulation soft to touch and easy to handle. It is made from natural raw materials that are rapidly renewable and is 70% less energy intensive to manufacture than traditional binders, so it is kinder to the environment too.

Knauf Insulation Technical Solutions provides the complete range of products for applications in the fields of heating and sanitary facilities, air-conditioning and ventilation as well as for the construction of sound muffling units. Starting 2016 Knauf Insulation products for HVAC applications in Europe will be made with the innovative binder, ECOSE Technology.

Supaphen Phenolic Foam Foil Faced Pipe Insulation is a high performance phenolic foam pipe insulation which meets the requirements of European standard EN14314 and is used primarily for the lagging of chilled, cold, hot and heating pipe work.

Supaphen has been assessed and has a BRE Global verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in accordance with the requirements of EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 and BRE Global Scheme Document SD207. Please visit the BRE Green Guide tab on our page to download the documents.

Supaphen is highly thermally efficient with an independently tested K value (thermal conductivity) of 0.025 W/m·K at 10ºC mean temperature.

Supaphen has zero ozone depletion potential (ODP). Supaphen is closed cell, resisting moisture ingress. Supaphen is fire and smoke safe and has been independently tested at Exova Warrington Fire in the UK as a pipe section to the required standard EN13501-1 achieving a rating of BL s1 d0.

Supaphen is manufactured as a rigid block at a standard density of 40kg/m3. MW Insulation cuts pipe sections from these blocks to very close tolerances ensuring a close fit to the pipe.

Supaphen is manufactured with a silicate solution which is introduced at foam manufacturing stage. This unique feature ensures the bore coating is present not only at the pipe/insulation interface but throughout the product making it effective after the product is cut for elbows, fittings and welded joints. Additionally, and in line with the NES Y50 specification, the inner bore of Supaphen pipe sections are also treated with a factory applied dust suppressing passivating bore coating solution.

MW Insulation factory applies a plain Class 0 aluminium foil vapour barrier to the Supaphen pipe sections. Other facings available on request. Supaphen is also available in higher densities for the manufacture of load bearing thermally insulating pipe supports.

Climaflex Pipe Insulation
Piping systems which are not insulated cool off quickly, raising the risk of costly energy being lost from heating and hot water pipes. NMC’s polyethylene or elastomer foam insulation products protect systems against this type of energy loss. Our versatile, long-lasting insulation solutions offer a high level of mechanical protection. Whether in a new build, a renovation or a refit, the potential savings are high, while the installation outlay is low.

Climaflex helps to reduce waste as well as it contains recycled plastic.

Climaflex pipe insulation is commonly used throughout the UK, and Europe, to insulate central heating pipework and as a pipe insulation in loft spaces to prevent freezing. In most domestic applications Climaflex pipe insulation is an excellent combination of good performance and low cost.

Because of its low thermal conductivity, CLIMAFLEX® reduces the loss of heat from distributors in plumbing and heating installations by up to 80%. This maximizes not only the cost efficiency, but also the ecological efficiency of the entire unit.

CLIMAFLEX® provides solutions that follow all necessary guidelines for any type of installation.

CLIMAFLEX® is a foam product with sound absorbing properties, reducing pop and flow noises in pipes. Polyethylene foam is a cost-efficient material with outstanding insulating properties. Products made of PE foam yield an excellent cost/performance ratio.

Tubolit pipe insulation from Armacell is the complete range of thermal, acoustic and protective insulation products for heating, domestic hot and cold water and drainage pipe installations. Tubolit is the preferred solution for individual residential buildings as it is able to effectively minimise energy losses, protect pipes situated in cavity walls and floor screeds and improve acoustic comfort.

Tubolit saves energy, improves acoustic comfort in building sand protects pipes installed within the building shell. Tubolit is the most complete range of thermal, acoustical and protective insulation products for installations of heating, domestic hot and cold water and sewage pipes in both residential as well as public and commercial buildings.

Tubolit DG Insulation / protection of pipes (heating system pipes, domestic hot and cold water pipes) and other parts of heating and plumbing installations (incl. elbows, fittings, flanges, etc).

K Flex Self Seal Pipe Insulation
K-Flex ST/SK is a Euroclass B S1 d0 closed cell nitrile rubber pipe insulation that is flexible, pre split and easy to install.

It can be used to improve the energy efficiency of Heating and Hot Water Pipework and when used at the correct thickness (please see guide at the bottom of this page) it can be used to meet the requirements of BS5422: 2023 and Part L of the Building Regulations.

Nitrile rubber materials such as L'Isolante K Flex have a high emissivity surface which makes them ideal for condensation control on low temperature pipework. K Flex is also resistant to mould, fungi and bacteria due to it's formulation making it a great choice for applications requiring a hygienic option.

The material is light, easy to handle and incredibly flexible and can go around shallow bends without the need for mitring.  

Areas of application include refrigeration, air-conditioning, heating and plumbing, tanks, pipe fittings and water ducts.

Armaflex Boxed Coils for AC

AF/ArmaFlex Class O is the professional flexible insulation for reliable and continuous condensation control. Its unique microcell structure makes the product easy to install with no additional vapour barrier required. The combination of a very low thermal conductivity and extremely high resistance to water vapour transmission prevents long-term energy losses and moisture ingress and reduces the risk of corrosion under insulation. The built-in Microban® antimicrobial protection and the excellent fire performance make the product especially suitable for use in public buildings and process industries. The complete AF/ArmaFlex Class O family including pipe supports, ArmaFlex Protect fire sleeves and adhesives offers a complete solution for all areas of application.