Copper Tubing staple-up

Drippy

Does anyone have any experience using soft copper tubing for an under floor application instead of using PEX?

I remember speaking to a fellow at Dan's Wetstock I in Marlborough, MA about doing a copper staple-up job. I think he was from NJ and I believe that he might have retired to Vermont or New Hampshire.

The reason I am considering it is as an alternative to buying 200 aluminum plates. I can't find any design info. I was wondering if there are any design provisions for copper tubing on John Seigenthaler's software programs.  

kcopp

I imagine...

it would work OK....similar to a staple up w/ pex.... but even still I would not do it w/o the plates. The plates disperse the heat over that 6" wide plate regardless of the tubing.

icesailor

Copper Staple-Up's:

The copper staple ups I have seen were on ceilings where the 1/2" OD copper was stapled to rock lathe and plastered over. The plaster acted as sort of a staple up plate. It isn't hard to bend a length of 1/2" OD copper tube around a flat ceiling from below. I can't imagine doing one through a floor and trying to bend the tube through the end of a floor joist without kinking it. It's hard enough with PEX that has a mind of its own. Even with 100' coils of copper, you will be pretty much limited to 90' circuit loops. That's a lot of copper to save a few plates.

I have an account in a museum like old house with a early 1960's copper staple up job. On a second floor panel in a bedroom/bath, I think that there is a kinked loop because this one loop has never worked no matter how hard it has been purged. I'd worry about that a lot with copper.

But that's me and my opinion of the subject.