Insulating pipes - aircon?

[puntloos]

Many sources say that NOT insulating "heating pipes" inside your home is a good idea, it increases the radiation surface and therefore drops the needed flow rate and/or temp. The one below for example.

 

But what about air con? I don't think air vs water makes a difference, and not sure but expect same from (mostly) cooling vs heating. It certainly would make it easier to run thin uninsulated pipes (we're struggling for space), but I can imagine with my air con air pipes cooling "unwanted places", it might take somewhat longer to cool the places I actually need some cooling urgently.

 

1/ I have  fan coil units in the loft cooling 1st floor bedrooms. Loft might well be hotter than the rest of the house, so I would be trying to cool the room below with hot pipes supplying the air. I suspect I should insulate.

 

2/ I'm running the air pipes through my livingroom to cool both livingroom and kitchen. Probably a good idea not to insulate two adjoining rooms that need cooling

 

3/ As for UFH pipes, super short run downstairs, but the run to upstairs might be worth explicitly not insulating.

 

4/ DHW always insulate

 

Thoughts? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by puntloos

[TonyT]

Air con pipe need insulating or they will sweat constantly.

[TonyT]

Insulate heating pipes as it’s part of good design, building regs, keeps systems temps. St design temp, keeps losses low.

DHW I wouldn’t bother unless it was outside the heated envelope.

[markocosic]

IMO it's about unwanted heat loss and dew point.

 

Aircon - always insulate else you'll get condensation / drips

 

Domestic cold water - suggest insulating if it's in a bathroom for the same reason

 

Heating primaries (before they ranch for space heat / hot water) - insulate to avoid summer heat gain

 

Domestic hot water primaries (from branch to cylinder coil) - insulate to avoid summer heat gain

 

Space heating primaries / pipework - I would say NO unless they will cause excess heat gain (tap dancing on UFH in a hallway for example) or you're using bits of insulation and then clamping around those to allow pipes to expand/contract without rubbing/squeaking

 

Domestic cold water elsewhere - meh

 

Domestic hot water - definitely the bits that are always hot such as a manifold above a cylinder that heats by thermosyphon; probably good practice to insulate the rest

 

Cooling with a heat pump - now you do need to insulate your heating primaries as they become your cooling primaries

 

@Nickfromwales?

[puntloos]

Thanks all, I was wondering why people were insulating the air ducts, that explains it - the rest is more or less obvious