My AC unit is located outside, on the north side of the house. The ground and surrounding area stays wet (wet, not damp) most of the time due to lack of direct sun to dry it out. Lots of mold and icky white stuff growing on the ground, with green stuff crawling up the bricks. Disgusting.
I have devised a way to redirect the condensation (dripping) away from the area. However, my biggest issue is the insulation around the hose/pipe that connects from the AC unit to the house. (Please forgive my inability to properly describe the AC parts. I have NO knowledge of air conditioning units. I will do the best I can.)

I assume this is the piping that connects to the furnace. It runs from the AC unit, @ 40 feet through a crawl space under the house.

There is @ a 2 foot stretch of this pipe exposed outside of the house. When installed, this pipe was covered with a sleeve of insulation. It is this sleeve of insulation that concerns me. It is always wet. Sopping wet and dripping. It is cracked in many places and seems to work more as a sponge now. (This is the major the area/ground is constantly wet around the AC unit).

I know it needs to be replaced. My question is... is there a certain type of insulating sleeve I can use that will hold up better? One that won't mold or decay.
Or is this something that simply has to be replaced regularly?

Also, is this 'condition' something I need to be concerned about since the connection runs under the crawl space of my home?

A pic of the insulation. Very wet. Like a sponge. Smells strongly of mold.

http://gs170.photobucket.com/groups/u274/KP626YICIA/stuff3019.jpg


A pic of the area. Ground wet all around. Mold growing on the bricks. Though it make look like it in the picture, condensation from the white drip pipe does not land on the insulation. The insulation sweats and drips all on it's own.


http://gs170.photobucket.com/groups/u274/KP626YICIA/stuff3014.jpg

I live in Florida and quite accustomed to heat and humidity, but this seems to be extreme.

Is there a better product to use for insulating this sort of thing?

Thanks ahead of time!

A mixture of bleach and water will kill off all the nastys on that line. Now if you want to replace it you will need to go to a local HVAC supply house and buy some Armaflex (trade name) insulation. You will need to know the outside diameter of the copper line since the product comes in different sizes for different lines.

Now it is possible Home Depot or Lowe's might have some tubular line insulation material available but the only thing I have seen there has been kind of a dark grey and it is not closed cell style like the Armaflex.

I use the term Armaflex which is a brand name but many other companys make the stuff.

Examples

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.apidistribution.com/images/misc_pics/armaflex_pipe_insulation.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.apidistribution.com/products/pipe_insulation/closed_cell.php&usg=__z_LmcCATlYsEeVeD4eCApruoGO0=&h=162&w=170&sz=6&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=naHJmfH4sKcUZM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darmaflex%2Bpipe%2Binsulation%26hl%3De n%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.apidistribution.com/images/misc_pics/armaflex_pipe_insulation.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.apidistribution.com/products/pipe_insulation/closed_cell.php&usg=__z_LmcCATlYsEeVeD4eCApruoGO0=&h=162&w=170&sz=6&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=naHJmfH4sKcUZM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darmaflex%2Bpipe%2Binsulation%26hl%3De n%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1)


There is also a company called Rubatex that makes the same item

https://shop.solardirect.com/pdf/water-heaters/solar-hot-water/active-solar/plumbing/parts-rubatex-insultube.pdf

Lowe's

Rubatex at Lowe's: 3/4" x 6' x 1/2" Self Sealing Rubber Pipe Insulation (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=21374-2249-444-144-06U&lpage=none)

Remember you will need to know the copper pipe size for fitment

Thanks! I think I'll give the Rubatex a try. Hopefully it's better product than what we're using right now.
The insulation in the picture has been there only two years.

The Rubatex site says that "Additional vapor barrier protection may
be necessary for INSUL-TUBE® 180
when installed on low temperature
surfaces that are exposed to continuous
high humidity."

We definitely have continuous high humidity. What is "addition vapor barrier"?
Thanks again!