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<br />-, <br />" <br /> <br />manufa.cturer. In new construction, unslit insulation can be slid over the pipes before joints are <br />soldered. R-values for 1/2" closed cell foam range from about 2.8 to 5 when installed around a 112" <br />copper pipe. Prices range from about 40~ to 60~ a foot. Flexible foam tape is available for short <br />pipe runs or use in areas where long tubes would be difficult to install. The price for 30 feet of 2" <br />x lIS" tape is about $9. Rigid isocyanurate foam is also used for pipe insulation and is available <br />either with or without an outer protective jacket of PVC. One-inch thick insulation is most <br />commonly available and has an R-value of 7. It costs about $1.75 per linear foot with the <br />protective jacket, and $1.45 without it. In any installation where the isocyanurate foam is exposed <br />to sunlight, such as a solar water heating system, a PVC jacket that can withstand ultraviolet light <br />is required. <br /> <br />Pipes can be insulated using standard fiberglass batts which come 3!" thick and 15" wide. Cut <br />batts in strips 7!" wide and a manageable length, and either: <br /> <br />1. Wrap around pipe and staple backing to itself to form a butt seam. <br />2. Wrap spiral fashion around pipes and then wrap polyethylene spiral fashion from opposite <br />direction. <br /> <br />. Hot Water Leaks <br /> <br />A leaky hot water faucet wastes both water and energy. A hot water leak that fills a cup in 10 <br />minutes will waste 3,280 gallons of hot water in a year. At 3 cents a kilowatt hour, that leak <br />will cost you about $24 per year. Many leaks can be stopped by replacing the faucet washer. A <br />screwdriver and adjustable wrench are all the tools needed, To get at the faucet washer, turn <br />off the water at a shutoff valve, remove the faucet handle, packing nut and faucet stem <br />assembly. The faucet washer is usually a black rubber disk on the base of the stem and is <br />attached with a screw. Worn faucet washers are usually flat and hard. Remove the screw and <br />pry out the old washer. Replace it with a new washer. If you don't have a new washer, you can <br />sometimes flip the old one over and use ita while longer. <br /> <br />Some faucets in older homes will continue to leak even after the faucet washer is replaced. This <br />is because the valve seat that the washer presses against can become worn i,nd pitted. An <br />inexpensive grinding tool can be used to resurface the valve seat so the washer will sit tightly <br />against it. <br /> <br />While these repairs are often all that's needed for many common faucets, there are many faucets <br />which are more complex and require different repair steps. To understand these fully, it's a good <br />idea to refer to a book on household plumbing before making repairs. <br /> <br />Another source of wasted hot water is a leaking pressure relief valve. A pressure relief valve is <br />a safety valve that is located either on top of the hot water tank or connected to the hot water <br />outlet pipe. If the drain pipe which comes from this valve is warm over its entire length, your <br />valve is leaking. Before replacing the valve, try to flush it out by moving the control lever <br />attached to the valve. This will sometimes flush out foreign matter stuck in the valve. If this <br />doesn't work, you probably need a new pressure relief valve. <br /> <br />Hot water leaks in a hidden pipe are another cause of wasted energy. There is a simple test, <br />however, that you can do yourself which will detect any hidden leaks. Aside from the pressure <br />relief valve, there are two pipes which come out of the top of your water heater. One supplies <br />the cold water to the tank and the other is the hot water outlet. When your hot water has not <br />been in use for a few hours, the hot water in the tank will equalize the temperature between the <br />two pipes. Even a small hot water tank will cause the cold water pipe to be cooled by incoming <br />water. Feel both pipes. If you feel a temperature difference between the pipes, you may have a <br />leak. If temperatures are unequal, repeat the test in two hours, making sure not to use hot water <br />in the meantime. If both pipes are equally warm, you don't have a hot water leak. If only the <br />hot water outlet is still warm, you have a leak. The pipe will be warm all the way from the tank <br />to the location of the leak. <br /> <br />'A'.' ". ~ ~".~__. _ <br /> <br />5 <br />