How to insulate an exposed pipe for safety but not heat loss?

November 27, 2006 12:56 PM

An exposed pipe runs from floor to ceiling in my bathroom. What can I wrap around this extremely hot pipe so that it remains a source of heat but isn't a threat to bare skin?

I live on the first floor of a rented apartment, so I can't make any structural changes, nor do I have control over when the heat is on or off. The pipe is terrific at putting out heat and warming the bathroom, but it's so hot that the slightest bump into it results in a burn. What can I wrap around the pipe that will protect people from brushing against it while still allowing it to give off some heat?

Bonus points if the solution isn't terribly ugly. Thanks.

posted by hsoltz to home & garden (27 comments total)

How about a towel?
posted by kdar at 1:03 PM on November 27, 2006

Is there enough space to set up a small room divider/folding screen/ Ala.

Otherwise you will run into insulation vs. heating issues.

Could ask your landlord if they would build a wooden enclosure for it based on safety concerns.
posted by edgeways at 1:04 PM on November 27, 2006

Pipe covers. You don't have to buy from them; any competent carpenter or sheet-metal shop should be able to build you something.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:10 PM on November 27, 2006

You could build a radiator cover out of sheet metal. You could use a dryer vent cut length-wise, for example.

Or you could wrap the pipe with canvas.
posted by malp at 1:17 PM on November 27, 2006

They make pipe insulators for this purpose. They look kind of like those foam noodles the kids take into the pool, only in more boring colors, and with a hollow core. You should be able to find it at a hardware store. It's like this, though I doubt you want $125 worth of the stuff from this website.
posted by vytae at 1:22 PM on November 27, 2006

Oh, and I meant to say that you could wrap the pipe in short sections, leaving the alternating sections bare. The bare sections would still give off heat, while the foam would act as a bit of a bumper to keep you from accidentally touching the pipe.
posted by vytae at 1:32 PM on November 27, 2006

I've seen people wrap rope around their exposed pipes. Don't know if it reduces the heat a lot, but I would imagine if there are still a few bare feet of pipe near the ceiling, you'll be ok. More solutions here.
posted by nevers at 1:41 PM on November 27, 2006

Yes, that's what I was thinking - the noodly-looking pipe insulation but somehow wrapped in a spiral so that there would be exposed sections. But in reading these answers, I've realized: I could wrap the bottom half of the pipe in the insulation and leave the top half exposed...so people would be fully protected and the top half could give off heat.

The pipe, btw, is right next to the bathtub, so building something around it is probably not an option. The foam insulation should be just the thing...but I'm also open to more aesthetically-pleasing and/or creative options.

nevers, excellent links, thanks!
posted by hsoltz at 1:49 PM on November 27, 2006

vytae
The insulation you recommended is only rated for 210 deg. F. The insulation could melt if the pipe contained steam. The OP lives in NYC where steam heating is very common.
posted by malp at 2:11 PM on November 27, 2006

In the first issue of Craft, there's a picture of some pipes covered with a knitted 'cozy'... kinda something like this. Not sure how well that would handle the heat, though.
posted by logic vs love at 2:23 PM on November 27, 2006

You want a guard, not insulation. A wooden lattice structure, very open, built around the pipe would be nice. Perhaps you could hang (heat loving) plants from it. I say wood because the wood will not conduct heat from the pipe to the exterior surface of the guard which you might touch. Wood is also attractive. The only part that would need to be wood or another insulator would be that part which touches the pipe, or alternatively that part which you might touch. An open structure will still allow air to pass and become heated and for heat to radiate out from the pipe.
posted by caddis at 2:33 PM on November 27, 2006

I'd use wood.

Imagine four planks around the pipe, forming a tall thin hollow box. The inside dimensions of the box are such that there's an inch of air between the pipe and the box. Sticking out from the inside the box, along the centre lines of the planks and spaced about two feet apart, are screws of the right length to keep the box walls nicely spaced off the pipe.

At the top and bottom of the box, little archways are cut on all four sides to allow cool air to enter the box at the bottom and hot air to leave at the top, so the pipe can still warm up the air in the room just as much as it could when it was bare.
posted by flabdablet at 2:38 PM on November 27, 2006

caddis beat me to it. Don't wrat it in anything, because that will cool it down. Put some kind of fence around it, so it's not possible to touch it. Easy solutions would be PVC pipe with lots of holes cut into it or a premade wooden lattice, but you could easily get more creative. Plant caddis' heat loving plants at the bottom and give them supports so they climb up around the pipe?
posted by twirlypen at 2:41 PM on November 27, 2006

I would take some foam insulator wrap chunks, say 2" long, and space them every 8". Then I would wrap the whole thing in 1 layer of wooden or bamboo window blinds.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 3:07 PM on November 27, 2006

Here is a better example of the blinds I meant at Lowes for $30 - Ambria 96" x 72" Matchstick Bamboo Fruitwood Blind.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 3:25 PM on November 27, 2006

Crazy suggestion: Get some sheet metal, punch holes in it, and wrap it around the pipe. Think something like an air cooled machine gun barrel.

http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/30cal.htm

This would act as a radiator and guard. It would still be warm but not nearly as hot as the pipe.
posted by chairface at 3:42 PM on November 27, 2006

I wouldn't insulate the bottom and leave the top exposed since heat rises and the pipe would thus only heat the upper part of the room. (And take it from me that taking a shower in an unheated bathroom in the winter is not pleasant.)
posted by jessicak at 3:43 PM on November 27, 2006

Asbestos lagging is the traditional solution. (kidding)

Chairface's solution is pretty close to the mark, I reckon. Places that sell wood stoves and the like will sell a metal shroud with decorative holes punched in it that is designed to do exactly what you want it to do. The diameter would be something in the region of 10 inches, coz it's designed for a flue not a pipe, but it would do the job.
posted by tim_in_oz at 4:18 PM on November 27, 2006

cpu heatsinks
posted by Infernarl at 5:26 PM on November 27, 2006

If I had an unguarded steam pipe in my apartment I'd have a fit. If it became damaged for any reason you could be horribly burnt. In your bathtub!
posted by fshgrl at 6:03 PM on November 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Wait, you have a steam pipe in your living area that is so hot that accidentally touching it will burn you? I could understand pressing flesh against it for 30 sec or so, but you're saying that incidental contact is going to sear your flesh?

Your landlord must take care of this, and if he doesn't, you should do it yourself by wrapping it in insulation. If this is the sole source of heat in the bathroom, your landlord should provide you with a space heater to replace the heat lost because of the insulation.

If the pipe is truly this dangerous, don't get cute and try to both retain the heat and remove the danger. Just remove the danger and heat with something else.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:53 PM on November 27, 2006

OK folks - exposed pipes in bathrooms are de riguer in NYC. I've had one in 5 different apartments in the last 15 years with nary a problem. If the pipe is so hot that incidental touching will burn you, I suspect that the water heater in the building is set too high. I'd speak to the super about that possibility before incurring any expenses here.
posted by AuntLisa at 8:31 PM on November 27, 2006

Use the pipe to support a towel rack
toasty warm towels.
posted by hortense at 8:36 PM on November 27, 2006

Wire mesh from a hardware store would surely do the trick?
posted by tomble at 2:35 AM on November 28, 2006

If I had an unguarded steam pipe in my apartment I'd have a fit. If it became damaged for any reason you could be horribly burnt. In your bathtub!

You mean if the pipe burst spewing super heated steam all over someone? Not going to happen. Most residential steam runs at very low pressure (1-2 psi). If the pipe became damaged, it would probably just drip water. Maybe it would leak a little steam. I've found such leaks by holding my hand over them. I was in no danger of getting burned. If you really wanted to, you could burn yourself. Accidentally? Not very likely.
posted by malp at 6:23 AM on November 28, 2006

I forgot to add that unguarded residential steam pipes are very common. They are about as dangerous as wall outlets. i.e. Not safe for children. Safe for pretty much everyone else.
posted by malp at 6:28 AM on November 28, 2006

Thanks again for all the suggestions. It's true that unguarded residential steam pipes are very common here in NYC. Usually they're well out of the way in a corner, like in my kitchen, but the one in the bathroom is just a little too central in a room where one is often, um, exposed.

I'm going to try wrapping the pipe with rope first (plus, the cats will love it), and if that doesn't work, then the foam noodle insulation. Thanks!
posted by hsoltz at 9:06 AM on November 28, 2006