HOT WATER

PIPING
INSULATION

9.1.1 Material

 Thermal insulation material for Pipe insulation shall be Closed Cell Elastomeric
Nitrile Rubber foam.
 Density of material shall not be less than 0.09 gm/cm3.

 The insulation shall have fire performance such that it passes minimum CLASS
O as per BS476 part 7 for surface spread of flame.

 Thickness of the insulation shall be as specified for the individual application.

Each lot of insulation material delivered at site shall be accompanied with
manufacturer test certificate for thermal conductivity values as per the standards
and specifications. Samples of insulation material from each lot delivered at site
may be selected by Engineer and got tested for thermal conductivity and density
at Contractor’s cost in a reputed laboratory, if required. All joints shall be sealed
properly with adhesive, which shall provide similar vapour barrier as the original
insulating material.

 All hot water piping shall be insulated in the manner specified herein. Before
applying insulation, all pipe shall be brushed and cleaned. Thermal insulation
shall be applied as follows or as specified in drawings or schedule of
quantity’s

Pipe size (mm) Thickness of EPDM rubber insulation

15 mm to 25 mm 9 mm

32 mm to 50 mm 13 mm

65 mm and above 19 mm

9.1.2 Insulation for pipes in wall chase and for pipes in shaft / plant room.

 Insulating material in tube form shall be sleeved on the pipes. On existing piping,
slit opened tube from insulating material shall be placed over the pipe and
adhesive (as recommended by the manufacturer) shall be applied as suggested by
the manufacturer. Adhesive must be allowed to tack dry and then press surface
firmly together starting from butt end and working towards centre.

 Wherever flat sheets shall be used it shall be cut out in correct dimension. All
longitudinal and transverse joints shall be sealed as per manufacturer
recommendations. The insulation shall be continuous over the entire run of
piping, fittings and valves. All valves, fittings, joints, strainers etc. in hot water
 piping shall be insulated to the same thickness as specified for the main run of
piping and application shall be same as above. Valves bonnet, yokes and
spindles shall be insulated in such a manner as not to cause damage to
insulation when the valve is used or serviced.

 All insulation work shall be carried out by skilled workmen specially trained in
this kind of work. All insulated pipes shall be labeled (HWS / HWR / HWRR)
and provided with 300 mm wide band of paint along circumference at every
1200 mm for colour coding. Direction of fluid shall also be marked. All painting
shall be as per relevant BIS codes.

9.1.2 Protective Coating Over Insulation

 To provide mechanical strength and protection from damage & UV rays all
exposed pipe insulated with EPDM Material as indicated in BOQ shall be
covered with fibreglass fabric. The fibreglass fabric shall be applied with one
coat of fire proof epoxy or acrylic compound. The coat shall be allowed to cure
to non-stick state. Subsequently second coat of compound shall be applied to
give a tough and smooth finish to the insulated surface.

9.1.3 Measurement of Insulation

 Unless otherwise specified measurement for pipe insulation for the project shall
be on the basis of centre line measurements described herewith

 Pipe Insulation shall be measured in units of length along the centre line of the
installed pipe, strictly on the same basis as the piping measurements. The linear
measurements shall be taken before the application of the insulation.

 It may be noted that for piping measurement, all valves, orifice plates and
strainers shall not be separately measurable by their number and size. It is to be
clearly understood that for the insulation measurements, all these accessories
including valves, orifice plates and strainers etc. shall be considered strictly by
linear measurements along the centre line of pipes and no special rate shall be
applicable for insulation of any accessories, fixtures or fittings whatsoever.