The city of Bridgeton, Missouri, recently completed construction on a new 53,000-square-foot recreation center featuring an enhanced indoor pool, large fitness center, indoor walking track, on-site child care, gymnasium, and meeting rooms, among other features.

The new facility replaces the Bridgeton Community Center, which opened in 1980 and had been considered in bad shape and outdated. Members of the Bridgeton Recreation Center have access to this newly renovated facility and its various classes and activities that take place throughout the year.

When constructing this new facility, the building planners made it a priority to have the mechanical piping insulation in the facility professionally specified and installed by an experienced mechanical insulation contractor, ISS Insulation Services & Solutions. ISS surveyed the location where insulation would be installed and specified the type of mechanical insulation that was best suited to stand up to any harsh or damaging environmental factors.

ISS took time to do a thorough inspection before installation to avoid inconvenient and costly repair and replacements fees at a later time. Each of the components were specifically selected by ISS for optimal performance under the environmental factors in the facility.

A benefit of using mechanical insulation that is UL GREENGUARD Gold Certified and UL Environmental Validated is that the chemicals don’t affect the indoor air quality during the system’s use. Also, it doesn’t accelerate corrosion of the aluminum, steel, or copper. It is resistant to mold, fungi, and bacteria growth. All these environmental factors played an important role in insulating the facility.

In total, ISS covered 2,800 lineal feet of hot water piping. The benefits of this piping insulation includes its high gloss and white coloring that adds a distinct quality appearance to the system, ease of cleaning with soap and water, low-cost installation, wide temperature range, resistance to fungi and bacteria, and better thermal efficiency.

The timeline of the project, which lasted four months, was met with ease due to professional installation and thorough schedule management techniques. The new Bridgeton Recreation Center now benefits from a professionally-installed insulation system covering all important pipes within the facility. The correct specification and installation of insulation on the mechanical piping systems will lower utility bills, regulate the temperature of the building, and decrease the chances of costly damage to the insulation system over time.

Identifying and preventing mechanical insulation damage can often be difficult due to the many different types of insulation available and varying indoor and outdoor environments. If mechanical insulation is not properly installed and maintained, the facility is at risk of various types of damage that may not be obvious to a facility manager or owner.

It is important for facility managers to make time for a thorough inspection before installation to avoid inconvenient and costly repair and replacement fees at a later time. A knowledgeable mechanical insulation contractor will possess the tools and expertise to clearly identify any negative environmental factors to successfully avoid and prevent future damage to a mechanical insulation system and the large expenses that come with it.                 

This article was originally titled “Keeping hot water hot” in the February 2017 print edition of Plumbing & Mechanical.