Glykosol for in floor heat???

paulownia

I acquired (8) 7 gallon jugs of what appeared to be new Glykosol product. One was straight Glykosol N and the other 7 were marked 40%.
The Straight N is clear yellow in color which the company website says it is. The 7 labelled 40% are clear pinkish color?
MY QUESTION...can I use any of this for my new in floor system? I used oxy barrier tubing and electric boiler. The company website says it is for heating and cooling systems. Any advice is appreciated.

Gordy

Do you need antifreeze protection? It increases pumping requirements, and reduces heat transfer.

paulownia

Yes in the event of boiler failure...Minnesota winters are harsh

GroundUp

Slabs have a lot of thermal mass and it would take days to freeze even in our lovely MN climate, but if you are deadset on using glycol I would get a refractometer and knock it down to 30% concentration. Keep in mind that ethylene glycol is toxic and illegal in many municipalities across MN as well. I'd be suspicious of the pink though, as you don't know what's in it. How big/ how many loops is this slab? 7 gallons of 100% will go pretty far in a slab

paulownia

7 runs of 1/2" 300' comes out to 21 gallons. I have 7 gallons of the straight N product. My main post was asking if either of the products I have will be safe for the system as the manufacturer has been unresponsive to my emails.

GroundUp

19.32 gallons plus the boiler and piping. To answer your question, yes the straight N will be safe for the system if you don't have an aluminum heat exchanger. We use it a lot in commercial applications.

paulownia

Ok thanks...so how much can I dilute the straight n? I have 7 gallons of it so can I add 14 gallons of water to fill the system? Or can I use the 40% pink as is (I have 50 gallons of that)

hot_rod

Looks like an ethylene glycol based product. Do you have an indirect water heater? EG is considered higher "acute oral toxicity" compared to PG, It is generally not used in residential applications or anywhere it could come in contact with humans.

A small spilled amount will kill a dog, and humans also.

Glycol poisoning is seen in hospitals from time to time around here, usually revolves around high life insurance policies.

Does it have a MSD sheet attached?

GroundUp

Yes you can dilute the 100% down to whatever you desire using water, 33% is easy. The 40% you have, again I'd be suspicious of what else is in it that turned it pink when it's supposed to be yellow. And again, ethylene is toxic. If it's only the floor and boiler as I suspect, go ahead ad run it. But if there is any chance of it coming into contact with your domestic water you'll want to buy Propylene

Zman

paulownia said:

Yes in the event of boiler failure...Minnesota winters are harsh

In the event of boiler failure, how are you protecting you domestic water lines? The potential for water damage is much higher if they fail.

If you do use glycol, I would strongly recommend polypropylene glycol intended for heating systems. 25%-30% will suffice.

With ethylene glycol, you should use a RPZ backflow preventor and maintain it annually. A double wall heat exchanger should also be used on the DHW to prevent accidental poisoning.

hot_rod

I would not connect any system with EG to portable water, use a fill tank like Axiom. Check with your code, I've read PG may not be acceptable in some instances.

Sell it to a commercial contractor and buy PG, it's not worth the risk, even a leak or relief valve discharge could become a liability.