SolaRoll radiant tubing deterioration - what to do?

zimmie1

I live in a home built in 1993/4 with radiant floor heat using SolaRoll rubber tubing. I was recently told that the
SolaRoll is deteriorating and I need to abandon it and put in a new heating system. Boiler was flushed and black residue was in water. They were able to flush the boiler finally and it seemed to clear it out. All three valves for 3 zones weren't checked, and the idea of flushing the system with a harsh chemical was abandoned because of the SolaRoll tubing.
Should I try further to replace valves and flush the current system with chemical or take the advice given and scrap the system.?? House is 2,000 s.f., in Albuquerque, frame/stucco. I"m not a fan of forced air, don't like the look of the splits,
would consider baseboard with water -- probably looking at $10,000+.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, Is there much you can do to snug up the shell of the home? I’d begin with that and also heat loss calls, room by room. From there, you can look at how to meet the loads. Panel radiators might be a good fit.
Yours, Larry

Gordy

Panel rads look far more elegant than baseboard.

Gordy

Does the system leak?

Or is there areas not getting flow?

zimmie1

We had a leak 8-10 years ago in our MB closet.Some of the tubing in MB was closed off at that time due to leaks. No leaks since. MB area is colder as a result, but that's not my concern. Some other areas are not getting flow and thermostats are set at 69 degrees, but when it's cold at night the heat doesn't hold at thermostat setting. It can be 65 degrees in a.m. This is a new problem this winter. I had another heating guy come out last week who thinks we should get a new boiler. He thinks since we only had one leak awhile ago that our radiant is ok. The boiler is original to the house, so he may have a point. I'm not sure what to do next.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@zimmie1

The first thing you need is a competent technician. Black stuff in the water may mean nothing. Lack of flow in areas where you had flow before is concerning.

I would take a sample of the water and have it tested

Get a reliable technician to check out the boiler, including a combustion test, it's 25 years old but may still be ok for now you may be able to put off changing the boiler for a couple of years while you take care of the system problems

hot_rod

I would not spend a lot of money on an old system like that. It’s a non barrier tube, it have been corroding ferrous metals in the system, that is the black sludge. It settles in that tube after years and plugs it tight