Insulating Pex Pipe Freezing

So keeping these tubes wrapped in some kind of insulation just makes sense.

Insulating pex pipe freezing.

Pex is flexible and made of cross linked polyethylene requiring no primer or cement to hold the joints in place. Animals of all kinds like to chew the insulation. Select localities colder climate zones recommend r value of 4 0 and above 5 8 walls. While pex does not ordinarily burst in the cold the water in the pipes can still freeze.

Tips for insulating pex pipes. Keep the tubing shielded from both hazards to increase its life. During spells of acutely cold weather allow indoor faucets to dribble to relieve damaging. Pex tubing is susceptible to cracking when it s exposed to freezing temperatures or ultraviolet light.

But insulating pex pipes makes sense because although they are less likely to crack than other types of pipes they are still susceptible to ultraviolet light and freezing. One more tip and it s a big one. It is important to choose the right insulation material. Use pex pipe for your water line.

Doe recommends pipe insulation with a minimum of 3 0 r value 3 8 thick insulation walls. These joints are either plastic or brass and are fitted to the pipes using crimp rings. Foam insulation tubing helps stop water pipes from freezing. Pex pipe freezing is a question frequently asked in the case of pex the start of the conversation is much like other materials.

Insulate pex pipe exposed to freezing temperatures. Because pex piping is flexible it is often used in angles loops or other non linear shapes which makes it imperative to have equally flexible insulation material. How to insulate pex. Foam is used most commonly and generally works well.

Pex is available in a variety of lengths from short 10 foot pieces for small repairs to rolls over 500 feet long which are used to install a home s entire water supply system. Click here for a video tour of one of the freeze proof systems i installed.