Steam heat pipes near wood
There are some wood beams from an old wall frame in our basement that run right along the top of the 2″ steam heat pipe that is dropped down from the ceiling to serve the upper floors. I’d like to use the frame to run down some shelves, but is it safe to have bare…
There are some wood beams from an old wall frame in our basement that run right along the top of the 2″ steam heat pipe that is dropped down from the ceiling to serve the upper floors. I’d like to use the frame to run down some shelves, but is it safe to have bare wood so close to the pipes? They do not touch, but are a fraction of an inch apart-
What are the guidelines for wood around heating pipes and radiators? There’s no room to wrap insulation around the pipe in this spot – is there another treatment I can use (on either the pipe or the wood) to make this safer? Is it particularly dangerous to being with?
Thanks-
People who wrap their pipes in rope or jute usually do so to avoid burning themselves (we tend to be a bit more sensitive to steam pipes than wood is).
Thanks for the input and the Ray Bradbury reference. I read elsewhere on this forum of people who wrapped their pipes in rope or jute for decorative purposes, I guess kind of a nautical theme, and I half wondered if it was such a good idea – but this makes sense. I’ll try and get something in there to insulate a little and prevent warping, but I won’t worry anymore about spontaneous combustion.
Thanks-
Denton is right. Remember the movie Fahrenheit 451?
Steam only gets to about 215 degrees when it is under pressure in a steam-heating system; not even close to what it would take to ignite wood (or a book).
I’m not sure I understand you completely but the heat from the pipe can certainly warp the wood. OTOH it will not start a fire or anything… I’d try and stuff some insulating mat’l btw the pipe and the floor… cork, neo, anything.