Exhaust Pipe Wrap

[rigspelt]

MMI's exhaust wrap kit was easy to use, with nice instructions although I did learn a couple of tricks. I presume I got it right. It just covered our new hot section (see photo).

[roadnsky]

Rigs-
It looks perfect. (Maybe MMI should post it as a model for the catalog?)

First couple of hours of running it's gonna give off a light smoking and smell.
I kept mine lightly wetted down a few times while running and it seemed to help it "shrink to fit" as well as help with the smoking.
I still vote that it's the best stuff for the hot section wrapping...

[dvd]

I've never heard anyone having to put exhaust wrap on. I assume you dont need to if you are raw water cooled? Am I missing something because my A-4 doesn't have any.

DVD

[roadnsky]

I've never heard anyone having to put exhaust wrap on. I assume you dont need to if you are raw water cooled? Am I missing something because my A-4 doesn't have any

Hmmm, really? This is the first I've heard of someone NOT putting it on...

The wrap goes around the pipe on the HOT SECTION of your exhaust where it leaves the manifold up to the hose going into your water lift muffler (see photo)
You can certainly not put it on the pipe, but man that pipe's gonna be HOT!

-Jerry

[MikeB.330]

Now that's Purdy...

[Concord]

Heat Wrap - JC Whitney

JC Whitney has exhaust wrap at a reasonable price. The first link has a lot of options (width and length).

http://www.jcwhitney.com/DEI-EXHAUST-WRAPS/GP_2011145_N_111+10201+600012817_10101.jcw

http://www.jcwhitney.com/INSULATING-WRAP-FOR-HEADERS-AND-EXHAUSTS/GP_2006309_N_111+10201+600012817_10101.jcw

[nreeves]

I was out for my first good run to test everything for the season and I noticed that the the wrap material was smoking slightly. I dropped the load and monitored for a while, but it continued to smoke. Is it possible for this to happen when the material to do this with age? The wrap does not look that old. At first, I thought it could be some moisture on the wrap, but after two 30 minute trips, you would think it would dry out. All temp and oil pressure all look good.

Note: I added a electric fuel puml and a oil temp and pressure switch. Everything seems to be running smooth, but I do like smoking things in my engine compartment. Any ideas?

- do you think it is just the wrap?
- is there any other part of the cooling system that may not be cooling properly to cause this to hest unto this degree?

Thanks!

[roadnsky]

IF the wrap is new it will smoke.
Do you know WHEN it was installed? Condition of your hot section?

Keep the engine compartment well ventilated and the wrap will stop cooking/smoking in about 2-3 engine hours.

[Baltimore Sailor]

Chances are VERY high.
My slip neighbor just replaced his original wrap (circa 1971) and it was old asbestos.
Maybe someone else can give you suggestions of how to handle and clean up the mess...
-Jerry

My old wrap was probably asbestos. I took it off, threw it in the trash and washed my hands real well.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. If one worked around it a lot to the point where one could inhale the mineral fibers over a long period of time, you might want to wear a dust mask. But the amount you'll pull off your hot section and the length of time you'll be around it are inconsequential to any health issues. It's not poisonous and it's not radioactive.

[joe_db]

I did delivery work for a law firm suing Baltimore area shipyards for asbestos related illness once as a summer job back in the 80s. It is NASTY stuff, especially if you smoke. Working with asbestos + smoking =

My old wrap was probably asbestos. I took it off, threw it in the trash and washed my hands real well.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. If one worked around it a lot to the point where one could inhale the mineral fibers over a long period of time, you might want to wear a dust mask. But the amount you'll pull off your hot section and the length of time you'll be around it are inconsequential to any health issues. It's not poisonous and it's not radioactive.

[ndutton]

The dear wife of a cruising friend was lost to the cancer caused by asbestos a couple of years ago. The belief is she came in contact with it as a result of handling/laundering her husband's contaminated work clothes, a 'secondary smoke' exposure for sure.

[Baltimore Sailor]

I did delivery work for a law firm suing Baltimore area shipyards for asbestos related illness once as a summer job back in the 80s. It is NASTY stuff, especially if you smoke. Working with asbestos + smoking =

Yes, but "working with asbestos" does not equal "taking 10 feet of asbestos wrap off your hot section once in your life."

You don't need special clean-up procedures if you're working on your boat. Just bag it and trash it.

[Baltimore Sailor]

The dear wife of a cruising friend was lost to the cancer caused by asbestos a couple of years ago. The belief is she came in contact with it as a result of handling/laundering her husband's contaminated work clothes, a 'secondary smoke' exposure for sure.

But that's not the same as a one-time removal of a few feet of asbestos wrap out of your boat. Let's not confuse a one-time exposure to something with a career of working around it.

[ndutton]

I didn't mean to equate the two. What will minimize any exposure though is to wet the wrap before handling it. The moisture keeps the fibers from becoming airborne. A decent respirator would be prudent too. A particle mask is better than nothing.

It's true that repeated exposure greatly increases the risk as does a lifetime of smoking. Further, I understand that asbestos comes in a wide range of microscopic fiber lengths and only one particular length is known to cause the problem. And different people have different susceptibilities. (Whew, six syllables!) There's also about a 20 year latency period before health problems emerge.

Why would I be interested in such things? My tenure in the boatbuilding industry included working with open sacks of powdered asbestos. Every physical exam includes a chest X-ray for this reason. My last exposure was 39 years ago so it looks like I beat the grim reaper. I have lost work friends from those days to it though. Last one I knew of was in 1992, fitting the 20 year model.

[ILikeRust]

But that's not the same as a one-time removal of a few feet of asbestos wrap out of your boat. Let's not confuse a one-time exposure to something with a career of working around it.

Quite likely not a "one-time" exposure. By pulling off that wrap, unless you used wet methods (e.g., a glove bag and surfactant), you quite likely caused a fiber release. The pipe wrap is gone, but asbestos fibers quite likely remain behind.

Although the well-known studies regarding asbestos exposure and rates of asbestosis and mesothelioma were based on shipyard workers and boilermakers exposed to the stuff for decades, there is a theory that all it takes is a single fiber.

I agree that a one-time removal of 10 feet of pipe wrap is very different from working with raw asbestos for 30 years, but I also would not downplay its hazards. Nor would I simply rip the pipe wrap off and toss it in a trash bag. If the insulation is in good condition, tearing it off in that manner almost certainly will make the situation much worse and actually create an asbestos exposure where there wasn't one before.

Make a solution of dish liquid and water, spray it down well to keep it wet, wear a HEPA filter respirator, and put it directly into heavy plastic bags (6 mil preferred).

Yeah, it's not kryptonite - but it's also not totally harmless and I would not fool around with it lightly.