Poor insulation installation is perhaps the most preventable form of insulation failure.  Rather than failing to protect the pipe due to cheaper materials, inappropriate material selection,  or inadequate thickness, the failure to protect the pipe occurs at the last stage of the project – installation.  Poor insulation installation is generally obvious to even the untrained eye, and for that reason should be caught and corrected rather than left to exist.  Yet the problem is not uncommon.

The worst examples of poor workmanship can always be found at chill water and dual temperature systems installed behind walls and ceilings.  There, missing insulation, thin insulation, open seams, and even loose fiberglass tied around the pipe with twine have been documented.