Walked into a Dollar Tree store today, took one look at the swimming pool noodles,

[IrishAyes]

and realized I was looking at pipe insulation. True enough, I have to cut a slit down the length with my very own box cutter, but I think it could be managed w/o too much danger.

[avebury]

1. That is an interesting thought. nt

[hermetic]

2. Oh yeah

that's a real thing. Did it several years ago.

[NMDemDist2]

3. yup, and i saw a great tip in life hacks or somewhere

Last edited Fri Apr 25, 2014, 12:04 AM - Edit history (1)

to use them on my carport metal legs to protect my car against door dings. i bet you could stick them on the wall to do the same in the garage

[Curmudgeoness]

4. That sounds like it would work well.

One question though, since I have never looked at swimming pool noodles.....is it cheaper than pipe insulation that is sold ready to use?

[hermetic]

5. In summer

the noodles are frequently on sale, so are a little cheaper. The real insulation is not that much more though, depending on how much you need. In my case it was more a matter of convenience. I was there, there they were. It was easy enough to cut. I just looked at a hardware store catalog and figure I saved a dollar.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. Well, a dollar is a dollar.

I am cheap, er, I mean frugal, but I am not sure that I would go through the extra trouble for a dollar. But yeah, it does depend on how much you need as to how much you would save. I already have the pipe insulation on my pipes, so I don't have to make this decision.

[salimbag]

7. Noodles are very useful

I use them on shower chairs as padding. They also work on wheelchairs. Just remove the hard plastic that the factory uses, cut to fit and use a little duct tape. Very durable, soft to the touch, and cheap/economical. Aloha

[Eleanors38]

8. The first koozies IIRC were from pipe insulation...

Another fine product what krawled out of Texas, showing up at Willie 4th of Julys where enterprising HVAC techs & Cedar Choppers made a few grand selling sections for a buck. Or so I've been told.

[Skidmore]

9. My husband has used them to insulate the water pipes that go to the outdoor faucets. I have used

them to block drafts at the base of doors. I cut them to fit the width of the door and then cut them lengthwise to create a channel. I then recycle old towels by poking one side of the towel into the channel, rolling the noodle so its surface is covered by the towel and inserting the other side of the towel into the channel. You can poke the ends of the towel into the holes at the end or tie them off. Larger towels may be cut to fit. They work well and can be redone as often as you need.

[Trailrider1951]

10. I just thought of another use for the swim noodles

I have an Intex Easy-Set above ground pool that has an inflatable top ring. Well, over the years, the top ring has developed leaks so that it no longer holds air. I plan to cut two or three vertical slits on the outside of the ring and insert four or five of the jumbo sized noodles to retain the buoyancy needed to retain the water in the pool. I'll post my results here when I buy the needed noodles and finish the job.