I'm running pex water lines within an indoor baseboard chase. I'll be insulating the hot lines with foam tubing to retain heat, but was wondering if I should also put foam tubing on the cold lines to prevent any condensation.
The chase, being open where the lines enter/exit, will allow room air to circulate somewhat through the chase, so I was wondering if any moisture in the air will condense on the cold lines and cause dampness within the chase.
Arky
It definitely would condensate. I would insulate them. Not only will hot stay hot, but cold will also stay cold!
I would insulate them for sure. I ran into this same type of situation on a house. The lady that owned it stated that she had water running out of a ceiling light in her kitchen. It only happened during the winter when her daughter took a hot shower upstairs and the baseboard heat was on. All the cold and hot lines where in 1 chase and they sweat so much that it came down through the light. We had to take the ceiling down and insulate the pipes and put the ceiling back up.... what a mess (mildew) Never had a problem after that. $60 worth of insulating would have saved a couple of thousand dollars worth of repair..
I would as well, it is not all that expensive.
Thanks for the replies; I had pretty much made up my mind to insulate anyway before I even posted, but wanted to see if it had been a problem for anyone else.
Again, thanks,
Arky