hi, thinking about putting drywall on the basement ceiling, should i worry about insulating the water supply lines specially the cold water lines. Problem is that the lines are anchored to the bottom of the floor beams , making insulation difficult if I use the slit kind……any suggestions
Dan
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Condensation. It depends. If the pipes get cool enough and the air is moist enough condensation could be a problem. A local plumber told me about a quick rule of thumb. If your toilet tank does not sweat enough to drip you are unlikely to have a problem. Your water temperatures are high or air dry enough to prevent the problem.
You might want to insulate the pipes anyway. It might keep the cold water cold not tepid. For those of us who still drink tap water it can make the water a bit more aesthetically pleasing. The other reason would be to limit the noise of water usage or slight water hammer.
The slit type insulation would be easiest to apply. Where the pipes are fastened to joists I would take off the existing hanger and substitute one a few sizes larger that will fit around the pipe with insulation on it. This would separate the pipe from both the joist and strap. I'm not a plumber but this is what I did for my house.