Handyman Guide > Insulation

The Heating System. No heating system will give best results unless it is well insulated. Tests have shown that the loss of heat from uninsulated pipes and boilers may run as high as 25 per cent of the boiler capacity. There is no insulating material that will not conduct some heat, but a good grade of insulation will reduce this loss to a fraction. The insulating material used must not only be a poor conductor of heat, but it should also be fireproof.


When ordering insulating material, get the highest quality. The initial expense will be high, but the cost will be payed back several times over, during the course of years, in reduced fuel bills.

There are many excellent insulating materials, made in block form and in various shapes, to be used on boilers. Magnesia makes an excellent block for boiler insulation. These blocks are cemented to the boiler and covered with an asbestos cement. While this type of insulation is some2 what more expensive than others, it is also more efficient.

Asbestos Cement. One kind of boiler insulation which the home mechanic can apply with relative ease, and at a reasonably low cost, is asbestos cement. Asbestos cement is not the best kind of insulation, but will provide a good measure of protection.

Asbestos cement is obtainable in 100 pound bags and in smaller quantities. You can figure that 100 pounds will cover from 20 to 25 square feet of surface, at a thickness of one inch. Mix the cement with water until it becomes a workable paste. The only other requirement is some one-inch mesh wire, commonly known as chicken wire, which is used as a reinforcement for the cement.

Before applying the insulation, remove any dirt or rust scales from the outside of the boiler. Check all gauges and pipe connections at the boiler for signs of leaks. The boiler should be warm when the cement is applied; a cold boiler will expand, when heated, and crack the cement.

Mix the asbestos cement with the water and apply it to the boiler with a trowel. The first coat should be about one inch thick and should be worked into all joints and cracks so that the surface is even. Allow enough room around the ash pit and fire doors, and other openings, so that they may be opened without chipping the edges of the insulation.

Scratch this first coat until it presents a rough surface to which the second coat can cling. Allow enough time for the first coat to become moderately dry, then carefully stretch the chicken wire over the boiler surface. Flatten the wire along the entire surface and cut the necessary holes in the wire for gauges and other fittings. Cover as much of the surface as possible with the wire and do not be concerned if some of the first coat cracks during this process. After the wire has been secured, apply the second coat of asbestos cement.

The second and final coat should be about one-half inch thick, and the surface smoothed off with a trowel.


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