Welcome to the latest issue of Kingspan news!

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This month we are focusing on insulated pipe support inserts and best practice with regards to specifying and installing them on your project.

The primary function of an insulated pipe support insert is to isolate the pipework from the pipe support to limit heat transfer to and from the pipework system and limit thermal bridging, and to allow for a continuous vapour barrier to be carried through the support system.

Regarding the support of pipework in insulated systems, BS 5970: 2012 (Thermal insulation of pipework, ductwork, associated equipment and other industrial installations in the temperature range of -100°C to +870°C. Code of practice), recommends that Insulated Pipe Support Inserts should be used, and the Pipe Support Bracket be fixed over load bearing insulation of the same material (or compatible with) the insulation on the pipe.

Previous advice that permitted the use of wooden pipe support inserts has been removed and replaced with a warning that "wooden pipe supports should not be used". The reasons for this include the increased risk of condensation forming on wooden blocks and the difficulty of maintaining effective vapour barriers. Wooden pipe supports also have poorer thermal properties that increase the risk of thermal bridging..

Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts can provide a continuous vapour barrier on below ambient systems and thermal analysis of a +75°C LTHW system to BS EN ISO 10211:2017 (Thermal bridges in building construction. Heat flows and surface temperatures. Detailed calculations), has shown that Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts can limit heat loss by up to 4x more than rubber lined pipe clips, 5x more than metal pipe clips and 10x more than hardwood pipe support inserts.

So....which pipe supports are you using?

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