The Brand Story
K-Flex: An Italian Insulation Maker's Answer to Sweating Copper
Every split system has a pair of copper lines running between the outdoor unit and the air handler, and one of them runs cold. On a humid South Florida afternoon that cold copper pulls water straight out of the air. Left bare, it drips, stains ceilings, rots framing and quietly bleeds capacity out of the system. The fix is a sleeve of closed-cell foam, and one of the companies that has spent decades perfecting it started in Italy in 1989 and has made its American home in a North Carolina factory.
Chapter 1 · 1989
An Italian start
L'Isolante K-Flex, the Milan-based parent of the brand, was founded in 1989 to make flexible elastomeric insulation, a rubber-like closed-cell foam that wraps pipes, ducts and equipment. It grew into a genuinely international manufacturer. By 2011 it operated 12 insulation plants, employed more than 1,500 people and had sales offices in 43 countries, with exports making up more than 90 percent of its sales.
Chapter 2 · 2008
From joint venture to K-Flex USA
K-Flex reached American job sites through a partnership. Nomaco K-Flex, a joint venture with North Carolina's Nomaco Insulation, made elastomeric pipe insulation at a plant in Youngsville, North Carolina. In January 2008 the partners went separate ways, citing different long-term strategies. L'Isolante K-Flex bought out Nomaco's interest and renamed the business K-Flex USA, keeping its headquarters at the Youngsville manufacturing facility and selling under the K-Flex LS and InsulTube names. Giuseppe Guarino, previously the joint venture's chief financial officer, became president.
Today K-Flex USA is the North American division of the IK Insulation Group, making thermal and acoustic insulation and jacketing for HVAC, refrigeration and industrial process systems from its base at 100 Nomaco Drive in Youngsville.
The Science
Why line set insulation matters
Insulation on a suction line does two jobs. It keeps the outside of the pipe above the dew point so it never sweats, and it keeps heat from soaking into refrigerant on its way back to the compressor. Closed-cell elastomeric foam is well suited to both because water vapor has a hard time moving through it. Outdoors, sunlight is the enemy: ultraviolet light breaks down unprotected foam until it cracks and falls away, which is why UV-rated insulation, or a protective jacket, matters on the portion of a line set exposed to the sun.
The Lineup
What K-Flex builds today
K-Flex makes flexible insulation tubes and sheets, duct liners and wraps, acoustic products and jacketing systems for mechanical piping. HVAC365 carries UV-rated K-Flex tubing for copper refrigerant lines in line set covers:
- Sizes: inside diameters for 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8 and 1-1/8 inch copper, covering liquid and suction lines on most residential and light commercial split systems.
- Wall thickness: 1/2-inch insulation wall throughout.
- Length: 72-inch, six-foot sections.
- UV rating: made for outdoor runs between the condenser and the wall penetration.
Related installation parts are gathered under air conditioner accessories.
At a Glance
K-Flex at a glance
- Parent founded
- 1989, Italy
- Parent company
- IK Insulation Group
- U.S. headquarters
- Youngsville, North Carolina
- K-Flex USA formed
- 2008
- Material
- Flexible elastomeric closed-cell foam
- U.S. brands
- K-Flex LS, InsulTube
- Global plants
- 12
Questions
Frequently asked questions about K-Flex
Who makes K-Flex insulation?
K-Flex is made by the IK Insulation Group, whose Italian predecessor L'Isolante K-Flex was founded in 1989. In North America the brand is produced by K-Flex USA.
Where is K-Flex USA located?
K-Flex USA is headquartered at its manufacturing facility in Youngsville, North Carolina.
What is K-Flex insulation made of?
K-Flex makes flexible elastomeric insulation, a rubber-like closed-cell foam used on pipes, ducts and equipment in HVAC and refrigeration systems.
What was Nomaco K-Flex?
Nomaco K-Flex was a joint venture between Nomaco Insulation and L'Isolante K-Flex that made elastomeric insulation in Youngsville, North Carolina. In 2008 L'Isolante K-Flex bought out its partner and renamed the business K-Flex USA.
Why use UV-rated line set insulation?
Sunlight breaks down unprotected foam insulation over time. UV-rated insulation is made to hold up on the outdoor section of a refrigerant line set.
What sizes of K-Flex line set insulation are available?
HVAC365 carries K-Flex UV-rated tubing for 1/4-inch through 1-1/8-inch copper, with a 1/2-inch wall in 6-foot lengths.
