I am planning on insulating my new gas water heater and hot water pipes but have a few questions. I would like to get the best bang for my buck and do not mind if the time needed to finish the job takes a little longer than other options.
Products I'm looking at:
Pipes:
Armacell Tubolit 3/4 in. x 6 ft. Polyethylene Pipe Wrap Insulation - R2.3 ($1.18) the 1 in is R2.4 (1.28)
Reflectix Double-Sided Reflective Insulation: R-value that range from R-3.7 to R-17 and according to
Reflectix PDF the R-value should be R-4. I assume that if I create an air gap around the pipe that it will increase the R-value to at-least 4.5.
Water Heater:
Reflectix Double-Sided Reflective Insulation: R-value should be R-4.5 for the water heater.
Thermwell Products Fiberglass R19 Equivalent Water Heater Blanket - Reviews state its actually R-3.5 ($25.30)
Thermwell Products Fiberglass Water Heater Insulation Blanket - Looks like the same item as above but has a plastic liner and claims an R-10 I'm not sure if this is the same as the above rating. ($21.50)
UltraTouch Denim Insulation Hot Water Heater Blanket - R-6.7 I like this since it is recycled and has itch free instillation, I'm just not sure if fire safety could be an issue. ($28)
The hot water line only runs 12-15ft to the bathroom and 20-25ft to the kitchen. After the first few feet of copper pipe it transitions to galvanized pipe that I might not be able to get pipe insulation large enough locally.
What are everyone's thoughts on the above items and the intended uses?