ISO: Thoughts on Steam Pipe Wrapped in Manila Rope

I came across a blog/how-to post whereby a steam pipe in a NYC apartment was wrapped in manila rope as a form of baby/child proofing (and ultimately a cat scratching post) and it looked pretty cool. We have an exposed steam pipe in our basement that runs along the ceiling and I'm wondering if anyone has done this before and/or if this would be viewed as a fire hazard...

Thank you!

I did it for a steam pipe in my NYC apt. I thought it looked great and did provide some insulation / protection from discomfort / possible burn when touched - also it kinda matched my floors and wooden blinds - sorry I don't have a photo handy since this was about 10 years ere. The pipe underneath would get very hot but nowhere near enough to cause any sort of fire hazard / combustion (in my opinion only). I say go for it (altho the act of wrapping the pipe was somewhat of a PIA, I must say).

if you want the look in your basement that's one thing. If you want a well insulated pipe get the proper insulation. It would be easier to install, anyway.

An exposed steam pipe running along the ceiling in the basement is going to make your heat very inefficient. The horizontal runs in the basement need to be well insulated to keep the steam from condensing into water and dripping back down into the boiler before it can get into the vertical pipes and up into the radiators. Back in the days of steam boilers being the standard for new home construction (typically about 90 years ago or more, because in the '20s and '30s, electric water pumps became readily available, and forced hot water replaced steam as the common heating method), they used to insulate the pipes with asbestos. Lots of people have the asbestos insulation removed/abated, but never bother to replace it. This is a mistake. Go to a plumbing supply house, there are several in the area, and get some good quality fiberglass pipe insulation. Make sure it is 1" thick, not the 1/2" thick stuff they sell at Home Depot.

The vertical steam pipes like the one you referenced are typically not insulated since the steam will rapidly rise in them to the radiators. Go ahead and wrap these in rope if you want. I can't see the harm.