ASJ-faced pipe insulation has been the trusted mechanical insulation solution for engineers and insulators for more than 40 years. While ASJ certainly provides aesthetic attributes, it also provides pipe insulation with several necessary features for performance, such as a vapor-barrier, thermal barrier, and insulation protection. This white surface makes ASJ jacketing a great choice for a clean, crisp appearance for occupants. The white appearance is often preferred for aesthetic purposes, as the ASJ jacketing is typically used on exposed piping systems within a building. This traditional white look has been an industry standard for pipe insulation jacketing for decades. (*Despite mold resistance, mold can grow on any surface under the right conditions, and as such the insulation is resistant to mold, but not mold-proof.) Essentially, ASJ is, at heart, FSK facing turned inside-out, exposing white, bleached kraft paper. However, the main difference between the two is the bleached white kraft paper that faces away from the insulated pipe, giving the pipe a clean, aesthetically pleasing, white facing. ASJ and FSK are not all that different in terms of their basic, elemental makeup. ASJ jacketing is shipped into our manufacturing facility in giant master rolls, which are then adhered to fiberglass pipe coverings with adhesive. Just as with the FSK facing, these layers are all laminated together using a flame-retardant adhesive.ĪSJ facing is mold and mildew resistant* for added product protection and is typically used as a jacketing for rigid fiber glass pipe insulation. It is manufactured very similarly to the FSK facing, using lightweight aluminum foil layered with a tri-directional fiber glass reinforcing scrim, and then coupled with a bleached white kraft paper. The ASJ is also a flame-retardant vapor-barrier facing. There also are several specialized tape manufacturers that produce FSK tape that matches the FSK facing, providing a uniform appearance on FSK-faced products used in traditional insulated ductwork applications.Īnother common facing found in the insulation industry is the ASJ, or the All Service Jacket. The aluminum foil gives FSK its distinctive silver color and can typically be easily recognized on any HVAC system. The FSK facing not only serves as a vapor-barrier to facilitate condensation control, but it is also a protective barrier for the fiberglass insulation itself. Johns Manville is the only fiber glass insulation manufacturer in North America that produces its own FSK facing (and ASJ jacket), enabling us to carefully control the quality and properties of the facing we use on our insulation.įSK facing is most commonly utilized with duct wrap, duct board, and mechanical spin-glas boards on the outward-facing, exposed surfaces of HVAC ductwork. Once the facing has been applied, we manufacture the product into the duct wrap or duct board that you are familiar with using on jobsites today. This is where the manufactured fiber glass insulation is adhered to the kraft paper side of the facing. Once this process is complete, the facing is rolled into a giant master roll that is delivered to our fiberglass manufacturing facilities. This is all laminated together using a flame-retardant adhesive. During the manufacturing process of an FSK facing, a layer of lightweight aluminum foil is layered against a tri-directional, reinforcing fiberglass scrim (yarn) and then paired with a final layer of natural brown kraft paper. Foil-scrim-kraft is a flame retardant, vapor-barrier, and it is one of the most commonly used facings in the insulation industry today. We hope that this blog will be able to help you better understand the differences between the facings and jacketings used within the insulation industry today.įirst off, let’s take a look at FSK facing, or foil-scrim-kraft. Facings and jacketings serve several purposes in air handling and piping applications, including helping your system meet building codes, achieve better energy efficiency, and control condensation – just to name a few. At the most basic level, these terms relate to the external, protective surface-facing or jacketing on insulations used for pipes or HVAC ductwork. FSK, PSK, ASJ, poly-top and vinyl are all common insulation facing terms you may have heard referenced within the insulation industry.
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