Help with understanding the possibility of non-traditional use of PEX

Kanefire

I have a floatation tank (sensory deprivation) and am looking for an alternate method of heating it to avoid any electromagnetic interference caused by AC or DC heating.



I was considering using PEX, but this is obviously not a traditional use of PEX and I would like a better understanding of what some of the drawbacks, pitfalls, or just outright misconceptions that I have may be.



The idea would be to use a closed system and recirculate the same water. I am considering 1/2" tubing at approximately 50' to be coiled 4 times in a 3' x 5' elipse. Conceivably I'd like to have an inline heater and hot water pump.



At first thought, is this project doable?

Would it create any noise? The environment of a floatation tank needs to be silent.



Thanks for any help.

Gordy

What is

Normally done to heat a floatation tank is use waterbed type resistance heaters in the liner.



I think the use of pex, a circulator, and in line heater would give the same amount of interference . Be a bit noisier also.

SWEI

actually rather traditional

other than the contact with salt water on the external side of the PEX.  Might have problems with EVOH, so perhaps a non-barrier PEX and nonferrous pump/boiler would be called for.



What is the heat requirement for the tank?  This will determine the required length of pipe.



Silent -- hmmm.  The acoustic coupling of water to PEX is quite good, so you'd need isolation between the pump and the tubing as a start.  Probably worth conducting a little experiment to see what velocity is audible.

Gordy

In reading up on the fad

93.5 *' or skin temperature. Lots of Epsom salt add water. Silence being conducive to a meditative state.



Sound more readily in salt water due to its higher density. So I gotta feeling the cir, and heater would carry pretty well.



What will the tank be made of?

pipeking

noise?

 im confused, r u looking for somthing that is ellectrically silent (no rf), or somthing that is acoustically quiet?

Gordy

I think

It's both from reading about these tubs.



Basically its a shallow tub that is filled with a rich mix of Epsom salt, and water so you are effortlessly buoyant think Dead Sea. The idea is to be relaxed into a meditative state so noise vibration etc. is not favorable.

Zman

Hula Hoops!

If money were no object, I would do a tank in a tank design like they use for brewing beer. The outer tank would be the boiler water.

My non traditional pex use is making hula hoops with my daughter. a few feet of pex, a coupler and some colorful tape and voila!  If you put the right amount of water in they work great.

SWEI

Hoops

http://www.bodyhoops.com/ was started by a friend - they use HDPE tubing.

Zman

PEX

We tried HDPE. The PEX seems to hold shape better.

Carl

pipeking

brand matters

  if i were going to choose a single brand that i think would be most resistent to decomp (except uv light) i would choose WIRSBO. i've used tons of differant brands and wirsbo seems to be the best quality pex on the market.

 wet rotor pumps r very quiet. i would use a slow speed, and keep the pump as far away as posible. also use a very flexable rubber tubing as a vibration insulator, at or near the pump and near the tub.

   also noise can be very beneficial if u can find the resonance of your body, u can adjust the hertz to the rite friquency then from there dial in the amplatude to your amount of harmonic balance u need in your body.