Steam Pipes for a shower | Ask Mason Knowles - SPF Consultant | Spray Foam Technical Questions and Answers | SprayFoam Magazine Q&A Forums

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Posted: Apr 02, 2010 06:30 PM	Steam Pipes for a shower Hi Mason What is the typical protocol for copper tubing going to a shower that steam travels through. GC is telling me that 225-240 Degrees Fahrenheit will be the temps. I am spraying open cell on his walls in the morning and soundproofing the bedroom walls and am just planning on staying away from the copper tubing all together. Should I keep with my plan of staying away, or can I foam around? Steve
mason Posted: Apr 03, 2010 09:10 AM	SPF (open and closed cell) will thermally degrade at temperatures around 200 degrees and above. It will start to form a char next at the pipe, foam interface. This will lead to adhesion problems and loss of physical properties. So, you need to wrap those pipes with some other form of insulation that can take those temperatures and lower the temperature of the surface that the foam will be adhered.
Posted: Apr 03, 2010 10:55 AM	and be careful here steve,,, those copper steam pipes will be condensating like gorgeous georges armpits,,, they need to be thermaly insulated and isolated..else the propensity for your open cell foam in close proximity getting wet is possible..
John Shockney Posted: Apr 03, 2010 11:35 AM	I think what Foamdude is trying to say is that the steam shower will be a hot humid zone backing up to a cool bedroom wall and water could condensate inside the wall if you don’t have a good vapor barrier on the warm side of the system. Hope this is helpful Airpro
Posted: Apr 03, 2010 07:52 PM	Thanks everyone! George Spanos sent me a quick email late last night just in case I didn't hear back from anyone in time before I started at 7:00 a.m. this morning. I ultimately decided to stay away from that area and only addressed the exterior walls which wasn't part of the steam shower room.

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Posted: Apr 02, 2010 06:30 PM

Steam Pipes for a shower

Hi Mason

What is the typical protocol for copper tubing going to a shower that steam travels through. GC is telling me that 225-240 Degrees Fahrenheit will be the temps.

I am spraying open cell on his walls in the morning and soundproofing the bedroom walls and am just planning on staying away from the copper tubing all together.

Should I keep with my plan of staying away, or can I foam around?

Steve

mason

Posted: Apr 03, 2010 09:10 AM

SPF (open and closed cell) will thermally degrade at temperatures around 200 degrees and above. It will start to form a char next at the pipe, foam interface. This will lead to adhesion problems and loss of physical properties.

So, you need to wrap those pipes with some other form of insulation that can take those temperatures and lower the temperature of the surface that the foam will be adhered.

Posted: Apr 03, 2010 10:55 AM

and be careful here steve,,,
those copper steam pipes will be
condensating like gorgeous georges armpits,,,
they need to be thermaly insulated and isolated..else the propensity for your open cell foam in close proximity getting wet is possible..

John Shockney

Posted: Apr 03, 2010 11:35 AM

I think what Foamdude is trying to say is that the steam shower will be a hot humid zone backing up to a cool bedroom wall and water could condensate inside the wall if you don’t have a good vapor barrier on the warm side of the system.

Hope this is helpful

Airpro

Posted: Apr 03, 2010 07:52 PM

Thanks everyone! George Spanos sent me a quick email late last night just in case I didn't hear back from anyone in time before I started at 7:00 a.m. this morning.

I ultimately decided to stay away from that area and only addressed the exterior walls which wasn't part of the steam shower room.

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