Fiberglass can definitely get dicey if moisture sneaks in. Had a similar issue at my old place—thought I'd nailed it with fiberglass wrap, but ended up peeling it back months later to find some nasty rust spots. Foam sleeves have been way easier for me personally, but if you're careful with sealing and vapor barriers, fiberglass can still work out fine. Either way, congrats on tackling the noisy pipes—feels good to finally cross that off the list, doesn't it?
"Fiberglass can definitely get dicey if moisture sneaks in. Had a similar issue at my old place—thought I'd nailed it with fiberglass wrap, but ended up peeling it back months later to find some nasty rust spots."
Yeah, fiberglass wrap can be a bit of a gamble if you're not super meticulous with sealing. Had a similar headache myself a couple winters ago. Wrapped my basement pipes in fiberglass thinking I'd finally silence the midnight pipe-banging orchestra. Worked great at first... until spring rolled around and I noticed a weird musty smell down there. Pulled back the insulation and found moisture had crept in, leaving me with rust patches and moldy spots—definitely not what I signed up for.
Ended up ripping it all out, sanding down the pipes, repainting them with rust-resistant paint, and switching to foam sleeves instead. Honestly, foam sleeves have been way less hassle—just snap 'em on and tape the seams. No itchy fibers or vapor barrier drama to deal with. Plus, they're easy to remove if you ever need to check things out later.
But hey, props for getting those noisy pipes sorted. It's one of those annoying home issues that feels disproportionately satisfying once it's finally fixed. Nothing like sleeping through the night without being jolted awake by random clanks and bangs from the plumbing...
"Nothing like sleeping through the night without being jolted awake by random clanks and bangs from the plumbing..."
Haha, isn't that the truth? There's something uniquely satisfying about finally silencing those mystery midnight noises. I went the foam sleeve route from the get-go (mostly because fiberglass makes me itch just looking at it). Glad to hear you got it sorted—bet you're sleeping like a baby now, huh?
Foam sleeves are decent, but honestly they're not always the magic fix people think. Sometimes those bangs come from pipes not being secured properly or pressure issues... insulation alone won't solve that. Glad it worked for you though—hope it stays quiet.
"Sometimes those bangs come from pipes not being secured properly or pressure issues..."
Exactly this. Foam sleeves help reduce noise, but they're often just masking the real issue. I'd recommend checking pipe brackets and maybe installing water hammer arrestors if the banging returns.
