Insulation Thickness

Hi, Soheb.

In case of doubt ... use something else! There's this coating that's a great thermal insulator: Nansulate (www.nansulate.com).

The stuff's much better than fibreglass-foam or whatever you're thinking o fusing; all you have to do is paint the stuff on and let it cure (age) for a while. The more coats you put on, the more it insulates.

Advantages: it' easy to apply and use; it doesn't stop working when it gets wet (say when there's a pipe leak); and you can see when pipes leak since they're not hidden under insulation.

That last advantage is a big deal: several (26?) water-pumping stations in Canada have been converted from fibreglass-foam insulation to Nansulate because the f-f prevented maintenance workers from seeing leaks when they were only starting, which damaged the insulation and forced the workers to replace it. Also, condensation formed between the pipes and the insulation, which disabled and damaged the insulation.

With Nansulate, nothing's hidden under insulation, leaks are immediately visible, and condensation has no effect (it's like condensation on paint instead of in insulation).

Good luck! DZ .. And no, I don't work for Nansulate .. :P

OH, no - not again a homework type question!

Go to wikipedia, check for heat and heat transfer, get the formulas, calculate the heat loss (without insulation!) and decide which of the conditions is worse.

But, please do NOT ask that we do the calculation for you.

nudnik