{"id":6874,"date":"2013-12-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/get-your-mechanical-insulation-ready-for-winter\/"},"modified":"2017-06-09T20:26:02","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T20:26:02","slug":"get-your-mechanical-insulation-ready-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/get-your-mechanical-insulation-ready-for-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Your Mechanical Insulation Ready for Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many individuals, preparing their homes for
\ncolder winter weather is an annual event that often includes a variety of
\nmaintenance and winter–proofing activities. There are 2 basic objectives for
\npreparing a house for winter: make the house more energy efficient, and ensure
\nit is comfortable during the cold winter months. For a multi–story high–rise, a
\ncommercial building, or an institutional building, the objectives are nearly
\nthe same: make the building more energy efficient and more comfortable for the
\noccupants.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the inspection
\nand maintenance of mechanical insulation is often neglected, leading to both
\nenergy waste and discomfort for building occupants. While it is important to
\nmaintain a mechanical insulation inspection plan year–round, it is particularly
\nimportant in the winter, when the temperature drops and there is an increased
\nchance for high wind gusts and other potentially damaging weather occurrences.<\/p>\n

To appreciate the importance of
\npreparing a building’s insulation for winter, it is useful to consider exactly
\nwhat mechanical insulation accomplishes for hot service pipe and equipment. For
\nexample, 2 to 3 inches of conventional pipe insulation on a 380\u00b0F steam pipe
\nreduces heat loss by 93% to 95%. That is the equivalent of reducing heat loss
\nto approximately 15 to 20 times less than an uninsulated pipe. Thus, relatively
\nsmall areas of bare pipe surface, or pipe surface with damaged insulation, can
\nresult in enormous heat losses in a boiler room, mechanical room, or pipe
\nchases in a building. These heat losses result in energy waste that leads to
\nfinancial loss from money spent on extra fuel; excess greenhouse gas emissions;
\nand high air temperatures in boiler rooms, mechanical rooms, and utility
\ntunnels. With such clear benefits—or losses—in the balance, it makes sense to
\ntake steps to prepare for winter.<\/p>\n

First Step: Insulation Survey<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

Consider a
\ndormitory or classroom building at a university and include mechanical
\ninsulation in the list of activities for winterizing the building. Where does
\none start? For the purposes of this discussion, assume that the campus has a
\ncentral steam plant, with tunnels carrying the steam to each building. Each
\nbuilding, in turn, has its own mechanical room and steam distribution system.<\/span> <\/p>\n

In such a case, the steam for
\nheating has been shut down for approximately 6 months over the late spring,
\nsummer, and early fall. After this hiatus, an inspector is likely to find
\nmissing insulation on gate valves, flanges, pressure relief valves, and other
\npipe components. Additionally, one might find that some of the straight pipe
\ninsulation has been damaged if other maintenance workers have used the
\ninsulated pipes as stepping pads to gain access to pipes or wires located
\nhigher in the mechanical room. If removable\/reusable blankets have been used to
\ninsulate the components, some of those may be laying on the floor, draped over
\na pipe, or simply missing. Duct insulation may likewise have been stepped on
\nand crushed.<\/p>\n

Inspectors should first make a
\nlist of the damaged or missing mechanical insulation sections. At each site,
\nthis might include the location of the deficient insulation; size of the pipe
\nor duct; system description (such as hot air supply, hot steam supply, etc.);
\ntype and thickness of insulation on adjacent pipe; extent of missing or damaged
\ninsulation; and any other relevant information. With this information, an
\ninspector may use what he or she learned from the National Insulation Association’s
\n(NIA’s) Insulation Energy Appraisal Program (IEAP), if applicable, to generate
\nan estimate of the energy wasted by ignoring the problems, the cost of that
\nwasted energy, and the excess carbon dioxide generated from emissions (see
\nsidebar on the IEAP on page 8). <\/p>\n

Setting Priorities<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

If insulation
\nneeds to be replaced or repaired, the building owner will have to pay for new
\nmaterials and labor costs. Going back to the university example, if the campus
\nFacilities Manager or Maintenance Manager has been properly educated on the
\nvalue of mechanical insulation, he or she may generate work orders to get all
\nthe deficiencies corrected before the boilers are fired up for the fall. While
\nthis is the ideal scenario, it is often not the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

One way to encourage building
\nowners to maintain mechanical insulation is to perform a mechanical insulation
\nsurvey to estimate both the energy saved and the cost of correcting the
\nmechanical insulation problems. Typically, the pay–back period will be less
\nthan 4 years and, in the case of 380\u00b0F (or hotter) steam systems, it will
\nprobably be closer to 6 months. Making building owners aware of the uniquely short payback period of insulation may help place
\nrepair and replacement of damaged or missing insulation on a high–priority
\nlist. Short of shutting the building windows and doors, almost no other measure
\nhas a shorter energy payback. In regard to the value of energy savings in most
\ninstitutional buildings, fixing missing or damaged mechanical insulation on hot
\nservice pipes and ducts is the easiest measure, with the most significant
\nrewards.<\/span><\/p>\n

In arguing the case for winterizing a building by repairing or replacing
\ndamaged or missing mechanical insulation, it may also be useful to talk about
\nthe thermal comfort of the building occupants. Cold buildings may lead to
\ncomplaints, which can cause difficulties for management as well as the
\nfacilities and maintenance staff. After all, the main purpose of heating many
\ncommercial buildings is to keep the occupants comfortable. In other applications,
\nheating can be a health and safety issue—consider, for example, a mechanical
\nroom with a 120\u00b0F air temperature, along with hot steel surfaces. This is an
\nunsafe work environment for all maintenance craft laborers due to heat stress
\nand the danger of burn injuries. Building owners also must consider whether
\nthey are up to date with current energy codes. If insulation is missing or
\ndamaged, or the codes have changed, the building may no longer be compliant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Executing the Work<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

It is important to remember that one of the reasons
\nfor missing mechanical insulation is that mechanical maintenance personnel may
\nhave removed it to do their work (such as replacing seals in pumps and valves,
\nreplacing gaskets in flange pairs, draining strainers, etc.). To prevent damage
\nto newly installed insulation, all mechanical maintenance work scheduled for
\nthe fall should be completed first, and the heating system should be tested for
\nleaks. All mechanical insulation work should be coordinated with the mechanical
\nmaintenance crew to eliminate the possibility of one project interfering with
\nanother. It is advisable to write a checklist for the insulation work and
\nestablish an insulation maintenance schedule. Finally, to keep matters in
\nperspective, it is recommended to have an estimate of energy savings, insulator
\nlabor cost, and insulation material cost for the proposed work.<\/p>\n

After Finishing the Winterizing Work<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

After the insulators have finished the work of
\nrepairing or replacing damaged or missing insulation, a staff person from the
\nfacilities department should conduct a visual inspection using a checklist. It
\nis also advisable to turn on the boiler and measure the room’s air temperature
\nafter several hours to verify that it is within reasonable limits. If it is
\nnot, there may still be hot, bare surfaces on the heating system pipes. Lastly,
\na member of the maintenance staff should write a final report to document and
\njustify the work that has been done, as well as to lay the groundwork for doing
\nthe same evaluation a year later. While, ideally, no mechanical insulation will
\nneed to be repaired or replaced the following year, that may be the case for
\nsome facilities.<\/p>\n

Preparing for the Summer Cooling Season in Early
\nSpring<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

Hopefully, after the Facilities\/Maintenance Manager
\nhas successfully prepared a building’s insulation system for winter, the
\nbuilding owner will be on board with following the same preparation in the
\nspring for the cooling system. The process starts with evaluating the chiller
\ninsulation and the chilled water pipe insulation. The incentive to do this is
\nnot only to prevent energy waste and ensure thermal comfort, but also to
\nprevent water vapor condensation. <\/p>\n

Before long, it will be time to
\nrepeat the cycle once again for winter.<\/p>\n

SIDEBAR<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

Energy Audits Can Save Money<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

One
\nof the best ways to fully understand the benefits of fixing missing or damaged
\ninsulation is to do an insulation energy appraisal. NIA offers an Insulation
\nEnergy Appraisal Program (IEAP), which can help insulators learn the skills
\nthey need to complete these appraisals. The IEAP program consists of a 2–day
\ncourse that teaches students how to determine the optimal insulation thickness
\nand corresponding energy and dollar savings for a project. The program was
\ndesigned to teach students the necessary information to give facility\/energy
\nmanagers a better understanding of the true dollar and performance value of
\ntheir insulated systems. To give facility managers the most accurate
\ninformation, students will gain skills in the following areas: <\/span><\/p>\n