Should My Exhaust Wrap or New Turbo Blanket Smoke on First Start-Up

The short answer is yes. Most fibreglass and basalt insulation products will emit some smoke during their first heat cycle.

During the production process for glass fibre fabrics, binders or specially formulated starches are used to lubricate the fibres and hold them in their woven pattern.

Kool Wrap exhaust wrap with smoke

When subject to high temperatures these starches or binders can evaporate or burn off causing smoke to be emitted by the fibreglass tapes or fabrics. This causes no damage and is quite normal although it can be a little scary if you are not expecting it.

The smoking will not last long as is simply a normal occurence.

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Is your hot oven damaging your kitchen cabinetry?

We have had some phone calls recently from customers that have experienced heat damage to their kitchen cabinets caused by a hot oven.

One customer said “My under bench 90cm Whirlpool oven (2 yrs old) is burning the cabinet which is to the left of it. The vinyl wrap has warped and there is a permanent yellow stain”.

Oven heat damaged kitchen cupboards

There are a combination of factors that can cause an oven’s excess heat to damage to your kitchen cupboards and cabinets.

Insufficient air gap between the oven and the cabinets:

  • Insufficient air gap between the oven and the cabinets
  • Insufficient air ventilation between the oven and the cabinets
  • Insufficient heat insulation within the ovens casing or body
  • Heat sensitive cabinet coatings such as vinyl wrapped cabinetry

Kool Wrap is a specialist heat protection products company and we have developed a heat insulation kit that can help protect your valuable kitchen.

The Kool Wrap Oven Cavity Heat Protection Kit consists of 2 sheets of heat insulating fibreglass with a self adhesive layer on the back. Simply peel off the back paper and stick to the left and right sides of the oven cavity.

Kool Wrap Oven Cavity Insulation Kit

The sheets also have an outer layer of heat reflective aluminium foil to reflect damaging heat radiation back away from your cabinetry. This foil can withstand temperatures up to 660°C, far higher than a typical oven.

The sheet material can be cut with scissors and should take no more than 5-10 minutes to install.

Click HERE to view the kit.

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What Is Basalt or Lava Rock Exhaust Wrap

Wrapping super hot engine exhaust pipes in a high temperature resistant insulating tape has become more popular recently for a number of reasons.

  1. Hot exhaust pipes can be a safety hazard to workers and mechanics working on or using the equipment.
  2. The hot exhaust can be a fire risk. In mines or in agriculture dust or chaff can gather on the hot exhausts or mufflers causing fires. We were told that up to 10% of all combine harvesters catch fire every year!
  3. Keeping the heat inside an exhaust pipe helps to keep the exhaust traveling quickly through the exhaust pipe making the engine run more efficiently.
  4. Exhaust wrap can reduce working temperatures in the vicinity.

Kool Wrap Titanium Exhaust Wrap

Kool Wrap manufacturers a range of wraps with the Basalt Titanium Wrap being the highest quality wrap in the range.

Remarkably, Basalt (often known as Lava Rock) is produced by melting down carefully chosen rock formations that are the result of volcanic activity. The molten rock is then forced through an extruding machine to produce very fine strands of glass fibre that are then woven into various products.  These strands have a filament diameter of 10-20um which is far enough above the respiratory limit of 5um to make it suitable replacement for asbestos.

Basalt fibers are known to be 25% stronger than regular glass fibers and are often used in producing composites that are very similar to carbon fibre.

Wikipedia also quotes, Basalt Fibres “……….also have a high elastic modulus, resulting in excellent specific strength—three times that of steel. Thin fiber is usually used for textile applications mainly for production of woven fabric. Thicker fiber is used in filament winding, for example, for production of CNG cylinders or pipes. The thickest fiber is used for pultrusion, geogrid, UD, multiaxial fabric production and in form of chopped strand for concrete reinforcement. One of the most prospective applications for continuous basalt fiber and the most modern trend at the moment is production of basalt rebar that more and more substitutes traditional steel rebar on construction market.

 

 

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How To Install Our Latest Kool Wrap Exhaust Wrap Insulation

First, you need to work out how much of our Kool Wrap exhaust wrap do you need.

If you are wrapping smaller diameter pipes up to 37mm (1.5”), use a 25mm wide wrap. If your pipes are larger than 377mm in diameter then choose the 50mm (2”) wide wraps.

A Harley Davidson has larger primary pipes and will typically use 15m of wrap. A 4-cylinder engine will also use 15m while a V8 will require 2 15m rolls.Kool Wrap Titanium Exhaust Wrap on headers

Koolwrap offers its standard range fibreglass insulation wraps in white, natural (cream or tan) and black. If you are racing, then your pipes can easily get red hot and we would then recommend our high temp range of either a Vermiculte coated fibreglass wrap or our Titanium wraps. Our Titanium wraps will withstand up continuous exposure up to 1,800°F or 980°C. The melting point is a sky high 2,500°F or 980°C.

You do not have to dampen your Kool Wrap exhaust wrap before applying as our latest high-tech wraps are more flexible than older style wraps and confirm well to corners.

However, there is no harm dampening the wraps if you choose to. It may help to get a tighter finish and can help reduce the small fibres that come off the wraps and can cause skin irritation. Always use gloves and long sleeves when applying. If you decide to dampen your Kool Wrap exhaust wrap, do not soak the wrap in a bucket. Simply dampen the wrap under a tap or use a spray bottle.

It is easier if you work out approximately how much wrap you will need for each pipe before you start and cut a separate length of wrap for each pipe. This avoids trying to pass a large roll of wrap around the pipes.

Fold over the first 15cm of wrap to avoid a fraying end and to provide a tidy start. Then overlap the first 1-2 wraps to lock it on place. You can also add a stainless steel tie at this point to firmly hold your starting point. Then wrap slowly around the pipes using 5-8mm overlap (1/4”). The overlap will naturally increase on the inside of the bends. Keep tension on the wrap to give a nice tight finish.

You can finish your wrap with a spray paint aerosol can. You could choose a clear or a colour of your choice. This will help to lock down any loose fibres and help prevent liquids and dirt from staining your wrap.

You will initially notice the wrap will smoke when you first start your engine. This will disappear after 15-30 mins.

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Industrial Heat Protection

Most workers feel comfortable and therefore work efficiently when the air temperature is between 20°C (68°F) and 27°C ( 80°F) and relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60% (sourced from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health).

The CCOH article continues saying “The healthy human body maintains its internal temperature around 37°C. Variations, usually of less than 1°C, occur with the time of the day, level of physical activity or emotional state. A change of body temperature of more than 1°C occurs only during illness or when environmental conditions are more than the body’s ability to cope with extreme heat”.

As the work environment warms-up, the body tends to warm-up as well. The body’s internal “thermostat” maintains a constant inner body temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and by increasing sweat production. In this way, the body increases the rate of heat loss to balance the heat burden. In a very hot environment, the rate of “heat gain” is more than the rate of “heat loss” and the body temperature begins to rise. A rise in the body temperature results in heat illnesses.

Heat stress can occur in many workplaces including engine rooms, vehicles, shipping, bakeries, furnaces, foundries, glass production, outdoor construction, laundries, kitchens etc.

These hot environments reduce worker efficiency and:

  • Cause loss of concentration and the ability to do mental tasks
  • Loss of ability to do skilled physical tasks and heavy work
  • Increased irritability

Kool Wrap products can assist workers by insulating or deflecting heat away from the work area.

We have recently completed projects on diesel generators exhaust pipes and turbochargers and even exhaust pipes on fishing vessels.

Call Kool Wrap today and discuss your work place heat protection problems.

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