Hi
I live in a 2 family home. I need to know what is the best practice for insulating a hot water pipe that is going up to the second floor on an exterior wall. The house has baseboard heating

When i took down the drywall of this exterior wall, there was fiberglass insulation on top of the pipe. The pipe itself had nothing insulating it and was bare to the temperature of the outside wall.

So, is it correct to put the insulation behind the pipe so that the pipe is next to the drywall but not touching it? Im just concerned that the heat from the pipe will damage the sheetrock. I There are two pipes in the wall, one is the feed and the other is the return. I plan on using either 1/2 or 5/8th thickness.

Thanks a lot for any help.

The entire pipe if its in an exterior wall needs to be insulated if you do not want it not to freeze. Insulation all the way around.
The thicker the better. Also the heat will not damage the sheetrock nor will insulation touching it.

thanks. Forgot to ask, would it be ok to use the foam insulation for the pipe or is there something better?

Foam insulation is fine. Just be sure that the seams are sealed closed. The stuff that you purcase at the big box stores has a sticky surface covered by a tape that once removed allows the seam to be sealed. If the stuff does not have a seam cut into it with a glue tape you need to purchase a better quality material. Often found at plumbing supply centers or AC suppliers. Few dollars more, but much better quality.

thanks a lot for your help. I can get the self sealing ones at the home depot.