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Seeking advise on Kitec

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Tammy106
Tammy106 Member Posts: 1
in Radiant Heating

Hi everyone,

We recently purchased a home with a Kitec radiant floor heating system, and we are debating whether we should jackhammer the floor and replace the piping. The system is 17 years old and, so far, seems to be working fine. I haven’t noticed any signs of corrosion at the fittings, but after reading numerous articles online about Kitec failures, I’m feeling uneasy about the long-term risks.

Every plumber I’ve spoken to has advised me not to worry, saying that the risk of failure is low and that if anything fails, it’s usually the fittings, not the pipes. However, I’d love to hear from anyone with first-hand experience dealing with leaking Kitec pipes in a radiant floor system.

If you’ve encountered failures, leaks, or had to replace your Kitec radiant heating, I’d appreciate any insights or advice on how to approach this situation. Should I proactively replace it, or is it reasonable to wait and monitor for issues?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Comments

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 7,053

    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/180531/radiant-floor-with-kitec

    Tammy106
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,445

    No need to jackhammer if it holds pressure. Should it ever fail, you might put a system over the slab. Or ceiling radiant :)

    The two failures were brass fittings that dezinicified and would pinhole.

    Or the aluminum layer in the tube reacted with the brass fitting, electrolysis. There was a fiber washer in the fitting to isolate the tube end from the brass. But third party fittings did not always have those isolators.

    If there is no sign of corrosion at the fittings it may go another 17 years.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • seattlehiker
    seattlehiker Member Posts: 14

    I have Kitec all throughout a 1100 sq ft slab in the basement and in the ceiling and floor above. The system is 21 years old and my bills are less than similar houses with more modern systems. It runs off of a 75 gal water heater that is also 21 years old. Correct me if I am wrong but in every case of failure, the wrong fittings were used. Jackhammering the slab (at least in Seattle) will cost you 100k by the time you are done.

    GGross

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