Insulated pipes
During the construction of a large building, one thing you might want to think about is an efficient and safe cooling system. Chilled water systems are very convenient due to the relative safety as pumping a refrigerant all over a huge building poses some risks. Such systems usually require insulated pipes.
Pre insulated pipes
When installing a chilled water system you have the option of pre-insulated pipes or buying pipes then having them insulated. Pre insulation is preferable for the following reasons;
Watertight
Pre-insulated pipes are well sealed and hence watertight. Insulating pipes after purchase leaves too many opportunities for leakages as a lot of measuring and adjusting is done causing a large room for error.
Energy efficiency
Another weakness of insulating pipes after purchase is that the process of measuring and adjusting insulation to fit the pipes will not seal the pipes as well as those that are pre-insulated. Several weak points are left which means there will be more significant energy loss.
Protection of pipes
When there are a few spaces left during insulation, the pipe is still exposed to external factors. Since the pipes are subjected to unusual temperatures, every single exposed part is a huge risk of corrosion and tear.
Strength
Pre-insulated pipes are very strong compared to pipes insulated using the traditional methods. This means they can last much longer and you do not have to replace the pipes sooner than you want to.
Cost
While pre-insulated pipes seem costly on paper, buying pipes, then insulation and finally paying professionals to do the insulation is more costly. This is especially true if you consider the superiority of pre-insulated pipes over the pipes you buy then insulate.
Why insulate?
Considering all the obvious costs of buying pre-insulated pipes or insulating pipes, why would you want to insulate the piping for your chilled water system? Here are the main reasons why;
Preserve pipes
If the pipes are not insulated they will last for a very short time. The expansion, contraction, and corrosion the pipes are exposed to daily will have its toll on the pipes in a very short time.
Efficiency
The chilled water cooling system will be very ineffective if the pipes are not insulated. Not only will the cooling capacity be greatly reduced, but also there will be large energy bills. In other words, a chilled water pipe that is not insulated is almost no good.
Maintenance
If the pipes are not insulated or they era poorly insulated you will be fixing leaks in your piping on a regular basis. This means very high maintenance costs
