PEX 101: Do You Need Insulation on PEX pipe?

PEX 101: Do You Need Insulation on PEX pipe?

FROZEN LINE. HEAT LOSS. WASTED MONEY. If you want these things to happen, you better not insulate your PEX pipe. But if you are a wise independent American Patriot—which we know you are—then you probably know that it is imperative to insulate your PEX pipe. Not only does doing such promote energy efficiency, but insulation can also reduce potential problems with moisture, condensation, etc.

Nearly every location in the United States has seen snowfall. It is not a secret that we are visited by winter yearly. Although winter can bring us an array of fun activities—like creating a snowman—it also has a downside, it can bring extremely cold weather, especially for some states, cold enough to freeze the PEX pipe buried underground outside, or inside uninsulated spaces like a basement, attic, or crawl space.

Although PEX is more flexible than rigid pipes like copper, PVC, or CPVC and more resistant against fluctuations in temperatures, it is not freeze-proof. If left uninsulated and the temperature drops to 20 degrees, your pipe has a very good chance of freezing. However, the good thing about PEX is that it is flexible, it has a small margin of expansion under the damaging pressure caused by ice formation. It has the tendency to stretch rather than break when water freezes inside. Meaning, PEX is less likely to rupture as a result of freezing.

If you are currently in the point of choosing what type of insulation you should be using to protect your pipe, then lucky for you because we exactly know what's the best for you. Of course, it is not the expensive Foamy-Filled Insulation; rather, we recommend Radiant Barrier Insulation.

Why Radiant Barrier Insulation is better than  Foam-Filled Insulation?

Radiant Barrier Insulation simply beats Foam-filled insulation in all the aspects needed to consider in insulating your PEX pipe. Below are the reasons why:

  • Foam-filled PEX pipe’s cost is doubled what you should spend (it is shipped from Europe)
  • The foamy-filled stuff suffers 25% more heat loss into the ground
  • The inflexibility of the foamy-filled stuff makes it brutal to work with, which increases the time and cost of installation
  • The foamy-filled stuff may suffer a catastrophic loss because of its design.

Watch the video below to know more about this topic or simply reach out to us with any questions you may have! Just call our office, and we will take care of anything for you over the phone at (231) 861-8200, Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 8 PM ET.