Re:Heineken WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick
by rini17 on Monday March 30, 2020 @07:39AM
(#22727155)
Even if it was insulated, you don't want warm water standing in pipes for a long time. This is usually solved by adding a pipe from the farthest point back to the boiler and circulation pump.
Re:Heineken WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick
by jfengel on Monday March 30, 2020 @09:56AM
(#22728032)
Which also has the nice property that the water in the pipes is always warm. You get a hot shower almost instantly.
Re:Heineken WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick
by vanderZwan on Monday March 30, 2020 @08:08AM
(#22727336)
Huh, hadn't considered that, but yeah, that would definitely be a health risk. Thank you!
Re:Heineken WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick
by markvdb on Monday March 30, 2020 @09:29AM
(#22727833)
You mention doubts about moisture or air permeability. It's a uniquely breathable material.
Re:Heineken WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick
by vanderZwan on Monday March 30, 2020 @10:47AM
(#22728428)
Oh, my apologies! I got the impression that the process of making them has the end-result of lots of closed off bubbles. But you're right, reading the wiki page again shows otherwise:
> Sound-absorbing Foamglas® insulation is more than 50% open cell bubbles, and heat-insulating Foamglas® is more than 75% closed-cell air bubbles, which can be adjusted according to the requirements of use through changes in production technical parameters.
It also has some extreme insulation properties: it doesn't look like it really absorbs or lets through any moisture or air. There might be cases where that isn't ideal.
But living on the fourth floor of an old building with central heating in the basement does make me wish all the pipes were insulated with that material instead - it's absurd to have to wait many minutes for warm water to come out of the tap or shower because so much heat is lost along the way.