pex tubing for baseboard heating

pat_3

i have never used pex to rough in a baseboard heating job,always used copper.is there any drawbacks to using pex in such a high temperture application besides expansion? is there a difference in acceptable flowrate for a baseboard heating system using 1/2 copper vs 1/2 pex,5/8,3/4 etc. thanks for any useful information.

Cosmo

you just

have to forget about the nice, level and plumbness of copper. I have used pex on lots of new jobs and liked it. Next time I have a chance I will use pex/al/pex. The aluminum layer would help with the expansion and it holds its shape when you bend it. How can you beat not having all those joints, and the installation speed? I would do it in my house...

Cas

Dave_4

pex expands more than copper

you may get a lot of movement on the long runs...use hard plastic sleves or the corrugated plastic flex when going thru walls....put the baseboard on slider mounts to allow movement....put a 2nd hi limit on the system to cut out at 195...etc.etc.etc

Bill N.

We did it, no big problems, would use it again

We used Rehau PEX, their fittings (expand tube, shove male end in and squeeze on a barrel) are excellent, I love them. We roughed in a 3500 square foot house with five zones. I piped the near boiler piping and the manifold in copper and used copper to PEX 90 degree fittings for the runs up into the baseboard. That way I wouldn't have to sweat tight to the PEX (worried about heating it too much). The previous posts were right about worrying about expansion and line those places where it will move around wood framing (run through the top of a wall and turn into the cavity between floor joists is a very active place). That was the one complaint I had. Also, on the next job, I'd run the long cross-basement runs in a 3" PVC conduit to eliminate the droopy tubes when it heats. I saved tons of time, didn't have to worry about leaks and my helper couldn't burn up any framing materials (he loves to) with the torch.

Give it a try, you'll like it.

bN

hr

PAP

would be my choice. Less expansion, higher temperature ratings, ans earier to form into nice sweeps. Depending on loop lengths and BTU loads 5/8" may work in many cases. Much easier than 3/4 to bend and work.

When I do long runs down joist bays for example I put some S bends by crossing back and forth from side to side. This gives you some expansion loops. Also use plastic insulators or better yet use thermacell insulation on the enclosed runs for both heat loss and quieting factor.

hot rod



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