Insulating your water service pipes

Getting hot water from your cold tap in summer? -

Chances are your water service pipes are plastic and you have a dark coloured colorbond roof and in some cases a dark roof tile. Historically all water service pipes were made from copper. As copper has become expensive, most housing today makes use of plastic pipes. A common complaint with the plastic pipes is that the tap water from the cold li...ne comes out hot during hot weather. If you have a dark coloured colorbond roof the water can come out so hot that you could not keep your hand under it. Currently there are laws that regulate the temperature of the hot line but there is no requirement for the cold line. Not only is this a safety concern but a lot of water can be wasted waiting for some cooler water to come through. I recommend having all pipes lagged (insulated) to reduce this occurring. Standard lagging will offer good results but for top results a dense foam pipe insulation will make a dramatic difference. Installing whirlybirds to ventilate the roof space will also help. Ideally this should be part of the design in a new home but it can be easily done after the home has been constructed also.