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Insulating pipes and radiators

Cold water pipes need to be insulated for the winter months when the risk of freezing is high. And you can forget the old sackcloth, these days the DIY stores offer purpose made foam tubes. These are split along their length to allow them to be wrapped round the pipe, and then held in place with a strong pvc or cloth tape at regular intervals. Pipes are more vulnerable at bends so a double helping of foam should be applied.

The most important pipes to lag are those in the loft, and those that are laid under floors. It’s also worth mentioning the pipes that run from your boiler to the hot-water cylinder, especially if you boiler is sited in a utility room or garage.

According to experts, insulating hot-water pipes will reduce the time you have to wait for hot water to flow from a tap. If your home already has a recently fitted cylinder then you don’t need to worry because new ones come already insulated, but if you still have an older, un-lagged one then insulating jackets are available from all the larger DIY stores. You should certainly fit one – it will reduce the boiler work load and save you money.

Don’t forget the radiators - a significant amount of heat is lost through the wall behind it. This can be prevented by using radiator reflector foil, simply cut the foil to a size slightly smaller than the radiator and fix it with adhesive pads.