The importance of insulation

[Hugo]

This is a picture of a valve that I use to draw water from my rainwater harvester tank.
It was insulated but obviously not properly, (shame on me) 

[MR GUS]

If we didn't have mistakes & lessons to learn from life would be very dull indeed.
Never mind not a major (or expensive) component failure, it gives you the chance to cast your eye over the working item & possibly tinker in an improvement or two.

[DonL]

Insulation is not allways the answer. If there is no heat source, the insulated item will eventually reach ambient temperature; so you cannot protect external pipework and fittings against prolonged frost just by insulation. Options to consider include draining the system down or trace heating.

[Jonathan]

That's a really impressive picture, and beats a thousand theoretical arguments. Did you read this recent thread, that suggests such happenings are a myth?

http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,13478.msg151042.html#msg151042


regards Jonathan

[Brandon]

I have one like that too, but as it is only on the rainwater feed to the upper beds, I do not let it worry me, it does not leak when either open or closed, so you just have to dodge the squirt when you are moving it from one to the other.

[Baz]

I imagine that the slug of water in the ball freezes from the two ends inwards. Therefore if you close the valve and drill a hole through the side of the ball, one side only of course, the water in the middle can escape to relieve the pressure. Myabe I should patent the pressure relieved freeze proof valve.