I have baseboard heaters in my main living space. I can't see for sure without taking the covers off (which I haven't done yet) but it appears 2 copper pips come up from the basement (through the hard wood floor) to power them and the holes cut seem to be WAY too big around the pipes (fingers could absolutely fit in the spaces). To prevent rodents from coming up from the basement and to just have a tighter living area altogether, I'd like to close these gaps safely. I know there is foam out there and steel wool is also an option, but are those really safe for use around what I assume would be hot pipes? I also read about something called an escutcheon ring but for some reason, I'm seeing those as being $10+ piece and I'd likely have to 10-15 of them (maybe I was looking at the wrong thing). Any suggestions would be great! Thanks.
Plumbing – Safe way to close gaps around copper pipes
baseboardbasementheatingplumbing
Related Solutions
We had an almost identical situation in a former garage that we refinished to be an office. Our contractor suggested this and we liked the result: he installed a piece of wood about an inch out from the concrete, putting insulation between them and keeping the wood a consistent and level height - a little higher than the concrete. I can't remember if it was pink fluffy insulation or spray stuff. Then a shelf about 6 inches out from the wall - nice and level by being a bit up from the concrete and supported by the vertical wood, and there's insulation under the shelf too. The whole thing is a good looking clear pine and is well varnished.
Looking from the side gives an idea of the distance from the wall:
The shelf runs around the entire room and is remarkably useful for something so low. It hides all the lumpy bumpy aspects of the concrete and while it's not something you see everywhere, no-one has ever mentioned it so it can't be that unusual.
No.
Insulation does not, by itself, cause condensation.
Insulation (in conjunction with other factors) prevents condensation.
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Best Answer
A metal escutcheon ring might be sufficient for your purpose. I would fill the hole with steel wool to stop the mice, then cover with silicone to prevent a draft. The steel wool might be unnecessary, as I don't think mice will gnaw though silicone. However, if the hole is large, the steel wool would make it easier to fill it with silicone without having it fall into the basement.
Don't use spray foam such as Great Stuff around heat sources: it will melt and produce toxic fumes.
BTW, the reason the holes are so big is probably because there used to be three-inch pipes there. Such pipes were used for steam systems and for pump-less hot-water systems where the water was circulated by gravity (convection).