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Polybutylene in space heating (radiant) applications, failures?

Mark Eatherton
Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,858
in THE MAIN WALL
Wallies, I have a good friend who is undergoing scrutiny regarding a radiant floor heating system. Is anyone here aware of complete tubing failures on a true closed loop hydronic heating system? He's aware of the issues of oxygen impingement. Just wanting to know if anyone has ever documented tubing failure in this type of application.

Thanks in advance for responding.

ME

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Comments

  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,472
    Oddly enough... never seen a tubing failure. Lots of pix of mudded up components, failed radiators and black ooze.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 23,405
    No issues that I recall. The acetyl fittings and also the early aluminum crimp rings. They didn't keep tension so well

    It was a nice flexible tube and very freeze tolerant
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,555
    Only when the bend radius is too small. Then I've seen it crack over time.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    edited December 2016
    Mark,

    I have looked long and hard on this one as it is common on home inspection reports.

    There where obviously mass failures of over crimped PB fittings that where widely reported. There where also some reports of failed tubing that was heavily chlorinated or exposed to UV. Hardly the tubing's fault.

    I have yet to find a single case of tubing failure with PB where the tubing was at fault.In the one case I have personally seen the tubing fail, the failure was caused by a dry fired boiler that flashed to steam. The conditions of the failure where certainly well beyond the design temp and pressure of any tubing.

    Dan makes a great summary of the down fall of PB in "Radiant Heating for the Non Engineer installer". Unfortunately my copy of the book has disappeared. Maybe someone can post it as it was awesome.

    Ironically the inspection report that I was asked to refute made no mention of the O2 barrier issue which had completely destroyed the boiler. There was just a vague condemnation of the tubing because it was PB...

    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    dlwren
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,279
    My home has 2300 Sq feet of concrete with PBX (O2 barrier)buried, also a fair amount in wall and under floor on plates. Run CI boiler and blk pipe without HEX for 22 years.

    Only problem was some Infloor Manifolds with push in quick connects that started to leak.
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,466
    There are only a few PB systems around here, and the only problem I have ever had with them is at the manifold as the tubes were connected with compression joints. If the nuts got loose they would leak, but they also had a habit of having the buts crack.
    Haven't seen a tubing failure so far.
    Rick
  • Tinman
    Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
    Never with the tubing itself, only the "iron stuff" that failed because it wasn't used properly.
    Steve Minnich

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