Marianne
Super Self-Sufficient
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2011
- Messages
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- Location
- rural Abilene, KS, 67410 USA
Hi all,
I have been lurking for some time now and had to join just to add my $0.02 to this thread.
The Pex tubing is one long continous loop per heating zone, so no chance of leaking unless you drive a nail through it. (if you do that, you'll know pretty fast as the heating system will stop working). We have two loops in our system, each 240 feet long. We also used an on demand heater, small pump, etc, but no distributing tank. We are not plumbers, put this together ourselves, and the system works very well... except we still don't have the darn thermostat on the wall wired up exactly correct...it's either on or off!
Mold is not an issue with these systems if properly done. We put down 3/4" stringers on the floor, blue board insulation, aluminum foil and then the 1/2 pex. Topped it off with the new subflooring, etc. Holy momma, that's nice heat!
There is no condensation as the water warms up the channels and there is not the big temperature difference between the Pex and surrounding space.
These systems have come a long way since the '70's. Pex is amazing stuff. We plumbed our entire house with it. It can even take some freezing without busting as it expands slightly. Very durable stuff.
Our plumbing supply place said that there is no difference between the red Pex and the white, just the color. The red is traditionally used for hot water, so it's easier for the plumbers to tell which line is hot or cold on the other end of the tubing.
I have been lurking for some time now and had to join just to add my $0.02 to this thread.
The Pex tubing is one long continous loop per heating zone, so no chance of leaking unless you drive a nail through it. (if you do that, you'll know pretty fast as the heating system will stop working). We have two loops in our system, each 240 feet long. We also used an on demand heater, small pump, etc, but no distributing tank. We are not plumbers, put this together ourselves, and the system works very well... except we still don't have the darn thermostat on the wall wired up exactly correct...it's either on or off!
Mold is not an issue with these systems if properly done. We put down 3/4" stringers on the floor, blue board insulation, aluminum foil and then the 1/2 pex. Topped it off with the new subflooring, etc. Holy momma, that's nice heat!
There is no condensation as the water warms up the channels and there is not the big temperature difference between the Pex and surrounding space.
These systems have come a long way since the '70's. Pex is amazing stuff. We plumbed our entire house with it. It can even take some freezing without busting as it expands slightly. Very durable stuff.
Our plumbing supply place said that there is no difference between the red Pex and the white, just the color. The red is traditionally used for hot water, so it's easier for the plumbers to tell which line is hot or cold on the other end of the tubing.
