Insulating BoilerCopper Pipes

Are there foam insulation tubes that melt onto the copper pipes? I do not want this to happen. I have a boiler with several feet of exposed 3/4" tubing in the basement and am trying to find the best way to do it.

Thanks for any replies!

Use Armoflex.

I've insulated my boiler lines with the grey foam insulating tubes from Home Depot. (1/2", 3'4", and 1" lines.) They've been there, unmelted, for nearly 15 years. The temp of those lines never gets above 180, even those coming right out of the boiler.

juror58 said:

I've insulated my boiler lines with the grey foam insulating tubes from Home Depot. (1/2", 3'4", and 1" lines.) They've been there, unmelted, for nearly 15 years. The temp of those lines never gets above 180, even those coming right out of the boiler.

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The box-store stuff typically only comes in 3/8" wall (~R2) varieties. It's better than nuthin', but 3/4"-1" wall thickness stuff is "worth it" for temps over 130F. Even the cheap stuff can handle temps up to 160-180F, but over 200F a lot of it starts to break down. If you can't find it locally find it online. Grainger sells a pretty good selection, if nobody else in your neigborhood does. Some Ace Hardware stores carry 3/4"-wall stuff.

I'm not saying that insulating is a bad thing and in some locals it is the code. But the truth of the matter is that in an average basement, when you run the numbers, insulating the pipes would take a few hundred years to pay itself back.

If there is ever a fire in the house the foam insulation will produce toxic smoke when burned. Fiberglass insulation will not burn.