Rubber insulation methods and common insulation quality problems on air conditioning ducts, as well as prevention and control measures

Rubber insulation material is a type of insulation material with good insulation effect. It has thin insulation thickness and low usage for the same pipeline; It is a whole formed insulation material with a relatively simple process and fast progress; Belonging to green, environmentally friendly, and clean materials, there is less waste generated during construction, which is harmless to health. It is increasingly widely used in the insulation of refrigerant pipelines and condensate pipelines in air conditioning refrigeration systems.

Material properties:

Rubber and plastic insulation materials belong to natural inorganic integral molding insulation materials, which are made of nitrile rubber (NBR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other raw materials, and foamed through processes. Suitable for medium temperatures ranging from minus 50 ℃ to 110 ℃, its closed cell structure has excellent insulation performance and low moisture and water absorption rate. Rubber insulation materials have the following advantages: good insulation effect, significant anti condensation effect, and are suitable as the outermost layer of insulation pipelines; Flame retardant, smoke proof, safe and reliable; Uniform and aesthetically pleasing appearance; Easy installation and fast construction.

Scope of application:

Rubber insulation materials are mainly used for insulation of refrigerant and refrigerant pipelines in central air conditioning and household air conditioning refrigeration systems in civil buildings; Insulation of condensate water pipelines; Insulation of automotive air conditioning ducts; Insulation for various industrial large-diameter pipelines, as well as insulation systems for ships, aviation, and other industries.

Construction process:

Before insulation, the pipeline needs to undergo a water pipe pressure test. After the water pressure test is qualified, the process of pressure testing and insulation work should be handed over to prevent insulation of water pipes that have not undergone pressure testing and avoid conflicts in work.

Material selection:

The larger the temperature difference between the medium inside the system and the ambient temperature, the thicker the selected thickness will be; The higher the relative humidity of the environment where the cooling system is located, the thicker the selected thickness will be; When the diameter of the refrigerant medium is less than 150mm, the larger the diameter, the thicker the selected thickness; The less air circulation in engineering systems, the thicker the selection.

Prevention and control of common quality problems:

The common problems with insulation quality are uneven application of glue, poor adhesion of insulation materials, incorrect selection of insulation material thickness, and inconsistent and unattractive appearance. There are several main quality issues during construction:

(1) The insulation layer is not tightly bonded to the wooden support. During construction, due to inaccurate measurement of the insulation layer length by workers, they often elongate and bond the insulation material. Due to the elasticity of the material itself, it will shrink after stretching. Over time, the phenomenon of adhesive cracking at the bonding point between the insulation material and the wooden support may occur, which is one of the most common quality problems in insulation.

Preventive measures: During the cutting and bonding process, it is not allowed to stretch the material. At the same time, it is required to apply glue evenly and fully on both sides of the wooden support and the insulation material section; Wooden pallets should be selected according to rules. If the pallet breaks into several pieces, it should be replaced to prevent condensation caused by cold bridges.

(2) The bonding between insulation materials is not tight. The bonding between insulation materials is quite common, especially above horizontal pipes and on the side of vertical pipes where the bonding seam of insulation materials is long, which can easily lead to weak bonding. This is mainly caused by uneven cross-section and uneven adhesive coating of the material during the cutting process, which is also one of the most common quality problems in insulation.

Preventive measures: Construction personnel are required to use a ruler during the cutting process, and cannot cut by hand. The glue should be evenly applied, and the bonding should be gradually squeezed from one side to the other to ensure that the cutting surface of the material can be firmly bonded under force.

(3) Open the glue at the bend. When insulating pipelines, it is generally required to place the insulation layer joints above the pipeline. However, cracking of the insulation layer often occurs above the bends of the pipeline, resulting in local insulation layer being too thin and causing condensation of water.

Preventive measures: Construction personnel are required to not only cut materials based on estimated dimensions when making elbow insulation, but also accurately measure the dimensions with a soft tape measure; The cross-section of the material to be cut should be flat; Apply more glue to the areas of the pipeline bend where there is high local stress.

When insulating elbows, try to use direct bending insulation, that is, the insulation layer should be bonded along the direction of the pipeline, rather than using the method of cutting horseshoe shaped joints and bonding multiple times to repair the curvature. This can save a lot of manpower, time and materials, ensure insulation quality, and also have a more beautiful appearance than the latter.

(4) The wall sleeve is skewed. In actual construction, it is easy for the casing at the point where the pipeline passes through the wall to be placed eccentrically or deviate from the wall, resulting in the insulation layer not being able to pass through the wall and failing to provide insulation.

Preventive measures: The casing is generally cut and made directly from the pipeline during construction. The length of the casing is determined according to the thickness of the wall and the plaster thickness. Before the wall construction, multiple wedge-shaped wooden strips are used to support and fix the casing on the pipeline. When inserting the wooden strips, it is necessary to ensure that the casing is concentric with the pipeline. Remove the wooden strips during insulation construction, and then thread the insulation layer through the sleeve.

(5) The finished product has been damaged. After the rubber insulation construction is completed, the insulation pipes near pedestrian walkways are easily bumped and scraped by heavy and sharp objects.

Preventive measures: Use cardboard boxes or thick plastic cloth to wrap tightly in exposed areas, and tie them firmly with iron wire. During construction, rubber materials or packaging boxes for fan coil units can be used. The protective layer should exceed the height that ordinary human hands can reach. The insulation in the exposed fresh air conditioning room and exposed pipeline well should be postponed as much as possible until the completion of other trades, striving to be done in one go.

The rubber insulation materials produced by Huizhou Bellsup Technology Co., Ltd. have excellent performance, strong factory production capacity, and sufficient supply. The product range includes rubber pipes, rolls, sheets, tapes, adhesives, and pipe pallets. We look forward to long-term cooperation with you!