Greetings Chris, I used to do a lot of solar thermal installations and rehabs on older systems. I tried not to use elastomeric type pipe insulation (such as Armacell/Armaflex and Rubatex Insul-Tube 180) outdoors, because of all the unsightly and deterioration issues I observed on air conditioning and refrigeration installations. When I did need to use the elastomeric type pipe insulation outdoors I coated it with the specific manufacturer supplied UV resistant paint product. I pre-painted the lengths to be used before installation and then touched up with more paint as needed once installed.
My preferred outdoor exposed-run pipe insulation is extruded rigid urethane jacketed with either UV rated PVC or aluminum jackets/sheathes. The extruded rigid urethane insulation was available in straight lengths as well as 45° and 90° elbows. All was available split in halves for ease of installation. The PVC jackets/sheathes were also available in 45° and 90° elbows. I would secure the insulation in place with a ripstop tape strip product and then install the jacket/sheathe over it. Thermocouple/sensor wires and tray cable for PV direct powered pumps could be hidden between the insulation and outer jacket/sheath. I have tried a number of methods for securing and closing the PVC jackets/sheathes; glue/cement, stainless steel tacks, aluminum tacks, aluminum rivets. The push in tacks with serrated shank and white flat heads were decent for a while, but I had the best long term success with rivets. They took a little longer to install and need to be cut or drilled out for service access to the pipe, but held well for the long term and helped create the best aesthetic installation. I have also used the PVC and aluminum jackets/sheathes over elastomeric insulation products with the same method for closing and securing the jacket/sheath. The majority of my solar thermal installs were in the Northeast U.S. and the PVC jacket/sheath over extruded rigid urethane pipe insulation installs are expected to last and look decent for 10-20 years before requiring rework. Having rehabbed systems which were 20-30+ years old I know the PVC jacket/sheath and insulation degrade and breakdown with heat and Sunlight over time. I expect the functional and aesthetically acceptable lifetime of the jacket/sheath and insulation is likely much less in regions with exposure to higher prolonged ambient temperatures and greater Sun/UV intensity over time. I believe different jacket/sheath mil thickness is available, with the thicker mil products being more suitable for harsher environments. Best regards, ----MATT Matthew Sirum P.O. Box 1227 Greenfield, MA 01302-1227 USA phone: +1.413.773.0611 email: matthewsi...@gmail.com ---------- Original Message Below ---------- [RE-wrenches] Outdoor rated insulation covering for Solar Water Heating Systems cwarfel cwarfel at entech-engineering.com Fri Nov 3 08:06:58 PDT 2017 I would like to add a covering to the Armorflex insulation we installed on a solar water heating system. Can anyone recommend a manufacturer's product that a reasonably competent person can install? Right now we have wrapped the insulation in UV resistant tape, but it doesn't look all that great. Thank you, Chris -- Christopher Warfel, PE Entech Engineering, Inc. 401-466-8978 _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
