Birds damaging Armaflex

[Makeit go Right]

Is there a sensible handling for birds damaging armaflex, other than just repairing it annually? I guess it makes good nesting material, or maybe they just like the taste? :-)

ie, does the Armaflex paint, applied on top of the insulation have any reducing affect on the habit?

{Aluminium hammarclad finish would be too far over the top, of course.}

[NoNickName]

http://www.kflex.com
Armaflex with alu-clad glued on the outside

[malik55]

Here we are covering external refrigerant piping with special canvas cloth and then paint it over a vapor barrier (FOSTER) paint on it , which becomes hard after dry out process.
malik55

[US Iceman]

I suspect the metal jacketing will work longer than the canvas cloth and mastic coating. While the mastic coating does dry hard, the birds may still be able to peck into the dried mastic. Then they could also use the canvas cloth to line their nests.

I also think the metal jacket would be more cost effective than replacing the Armaflex repeatedly, but that's just me...

[chillin out]

Glue is your answer.


Smear your insulated pipes with glue and then leave it a few days.
Then return to site and simple pick the offending birds off the pipework and your insulation should stay as good as new.

Chillin

[old gas bottle]

cant do that they will get that awfull "bird glue" and die.

jokes apart, guess its similar to vandal damage, we sometimes get lenths of galvanised "top hat" section steel, only thin suff,easy to work with,you can get it in plasersol coating too differant colours,cheap as chips,looks good.

[Makeit go Right]

Thanks for all of these suggestions. All very practical.

Someone else suggested a reasonably cheap and easy solution, to fix bird wire mesh/netting over the pipework. It would have to be an inch or more away from the pipework to act as a preventative structure. It looks awful, but apparently does work.

Not quite as good looking as the sticky alu-clad solution, for sure.

I'll get some prices together and go over the alternatives with the customer and see what they prefer.

Thanks for these ideas.

[mr cool]

buy an air rifle and a bag of bird seed and enjoy!

[Brian_UK]

I suppose one option, as long as there isn't too much pipework to cover, is to use rain water guttering.

Turn it upside down and place it over the pipework/insulation.

[racs]

Hello Brian, have you tried Armacell Tuffcoat?

[Rotax100uk]

How about box 3 inch box section?

[MRC Guts]

you could try putting the pipe work in side some poly pipe...have done it a few times more to stop the suns uv rays frying the armaflex...should stop the birds...

[momo]

A similar problem is arising with the white insulation used for A/C instalations: the sun, sea, wind, rain, sand (!) etc is degrading it within 2 years to powder. Tried taping over it but not satisfactory, nor sufficient and time-consuming...
Black insulation dies because of UV attacking rubber...
Any practical ideas out there?

(Why do people flock to the harsh climate of southern Europe only to get red, frazzled and fizzled?)

[stevelaird]

Get a air gun and shoot the F*****S only way to stop them all other things dont work Ps mice and rats love the stuff also makes good beds lol i have spent a few night shifts on top of it when i was a apprentice.

[Makeit go Right]

Black insulation dies because of UV attacking rubber...
Any practical ideas out there?

Hi, Momo. Well, on this point alone, Armaflex do an expensive paint that you can paint on the outside, which protects against UV damage. Presumably it is affective, (if you can keep the birds away).

[momo]

Thanks MakeItGoRight we try to keep things white in keeping with colour of houses, currently trying outdoor plastic paint over insulation... next report in a years time!