Snowmelt Tubing layout and Asphalt

hydronicsmike

Hey guys...I would like to know how you install your hydronic snowmelt system when asphalt is used. Do you lay the tubing in a bed of sand and the get the asphalt on top of it, or do you install it the same way you do for concrete - Tubing and the concrete right over it?

In either way, I would suspect you run cold water through the tubing while the asphalt is put down. Am I right with that?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Mike

lchmb

just finished one

We had the GC compact 2' crush bank run, we then laid down insulation board 2". stapled the pex to it using reverse return system. had 2" sand added to the top then 6" crush bank on that to prep for the pavement. We used this on a driveway/walkway system..

Ray Binder

driveway

I used black pipe in my driveway. After removing the old driveway I laid down a bed of crushed bankrun, then the pipes spaced nine inches apart. I put a 3" layer of sand over the pipes and then the asphalt. I was concerned about the Asphalt truck driving over the plastic pipes when they laid the driveway which is why I used black pipe. I expect a life span of 25 years with the pipe. I am running a glygol mix in the system and the driveway has good drainage. Im on my fifth year and the system works fine. I dont think the asphalt will make the 25 years. the heating does accelerate the ageing process. good luck

Weezbo

lchmb...that looks extremely intelligent to me.

may i ask about your control stradgey? to me that question is ok to answer on my e-mail...otherwise it may be anylized to the nth:) have any of your drive ways ever been assulted by major water run off flooding or monsoon type torrential downpours? we have to deal with a variety of severe environmental changes where i live, some systems die early deaths here due to the changes.you see the tarmack is severely subjected to extrerme temperature expansion and contraction,have you used any typar in your construction of driveways?

Jonny Boston

If the driveway is flat, sand would work, but if it is on a hill you need to use the two-life asphalt pour over a compacted grade installation method, found in Wirsbo's new Snow and Ice Melting Design Manual.

lchmb

I have no problem's answering here. Everyone has opinion's and sometime's you learn from them. The plan at this point is to use a plate exchanger with mixing valves. The reasoning for this is to keep the antifreeze out of the boiler. There is a radiant system also being installed in the entry way/sitting room and a modine in the garage. We will be installing a second boiler in the house for these addition's. As to run off, this one was probably over done. There is two feet of crush under the insulation, Below that is 3 ft of sand and below that is a drain system. The GC really wanted to make sure there was no water issue!..As to Typar, it at this point hasn't been considered but am alway's open to idea's..:)

Steve Miller

Tubing lay out

It's nice to see a tubing lay out using pairs. We usually do all our layouts in that design and I think its really the way to go. It really makes for nice heat distribution. Does anyone else use the reverse/return method or pairs as sometimes called, for tubing layouts?

Steve M.

lchmb

in all actuallity

sure i spelled that wrong...sorry but anyway. If it is being used on a snow melt system it is supposed to be a reverse/return system. If you run a standard radiant loop it will never work. Seen it done/seen it fail...I am actually considering using this in all radiant system's...I would want to guess that although it take's a little more time to lay the customer would be estatic over the consistancy..IMHO....

Darin Cook_3

HTP's Parking lot

When we were out at HTP last year, we noticed that they had run onix in the parking lot which was black top. They didn't say if they had circulated water through it or not when the parking lot was put down. That seems hot for any kind of pipe besides black iron.


Darin