Snow melt

Paul S_3

What is the best insulation for this application? What kind have you guys used in the past with good results? Thanks Paul S

Steve Minnich

1" extruded polystyrene at least. 2" XPS ideally -> Foamular 250

EzzyT

Barrier X5 insulation and vapor barrier all in one

jonny88

Dont forget to insulate the perimeter also....2 inch styrofoam but confirm with Ezzy or Stephen.Good luck with it.

Zman

I just took a quick look at the X5 product.
If you are looking for a product that is easy to install and you only need an R value of 5.3, it looks like it would do the trick.
With a low R value and 12-15 psi rating, it does not look like a good fit for snowmelt systems that see vehicle traffic.


www.2hsc.com/data/uploads/nofp/nofpbarrierflyerx532508-productsheet.pdf

Solid_Fuel_Man

What is up with a dislike for all the comments?

Taylor

Paul S_3

I guess i have fat fingers....i fixed it

delta T

I think "Thank" turned into "Dislike"

@Erin Holohan Haskell

Paul S_3

yes it did....

Solid_Fuel_Man

Ah, that's better, I was worried...

Erin Holohan Haskell

delta T said:

I think "Thank" turned into "Dislike"

@Erin Holohan Haskell

Thanks for letting me know. Our developers at Vanilla re-purposed the Dislike button to create a Thanks button for us. A recent update may have messed with the settings. I've disabled it for now and will look into it.

Paul S_3

Another question guys or @Mark Eatherton ..... im using a couple condensing boilers here .... question is should i be mixing to the slab preferably or straight pipe it like in the pic above since im using condensing boilers (Instead of 1 boiler there will be 2...and a buffer in place of the closely spaced tees)

SWEI

No need for mixing if these are supplying only the snowmelt.

Mark Eatherton

Paul S said:

Another question guys or @Mark Eatherton ..... im using a couple condensing boilers here .... question is should i be mixing to the slab preferably or straight pipe it like in the pic above since im using condensing boilers (Instead of 1 boiler there will be 2...and a buffer in place of the closely spaced tees)

I agree with Kurt. Straight in and out. No mix needed and your boiler will be as efficient as it can be. I also agree with Zman that 15 psi density is borderline for vehicular traffic.

Also, skip the buffer. Not needed, really won't do any good unless you are micro zoning or something like that..

ME

Paul S_3

@Mark Eatherton , @Zman or @SWEI what would be the most ideal under slab insulation?

Zman

For most applications you would be looking for a closed cell insulation board with a 25 PSI rating. Dow blue board and Owens Corning foamular 250 are common ones.
On jobs with pavers and vehicles, consider going with higher rated product. Concrete does not flex very much so the weight is distributed over a wide area. With pavers, they can move independently, this will focus the weigh on a small area of foam.

I agree that no mixing is needed with condensing boilers. Buffer tanks are also not needed with such a large load.

I would do primary secondary even if you flow rates are similar. When the system comes up from a cold start, the glycol in the tubes will move very slowly. The boiler will be happier if it has steady flow.

Mark Eatherton

The difference is XPS versus EPS. EPS is the white styrofoam that your coffee cups are made of. XPS is extruded and much more robust. It comes in green, pink, and blue and as previously noted also comes in different densities per square inch.

ME