dealing with twists in the pex , not staple up. I have Omega extrusions now. YAY!

AlaskaDick · May 19

Speaking of the blue plastic, is it necessary that it be removed before staple up heat transfer plates are installed?

skyking1 · May 23

I don't know the right answer for that.

We are getting plates up today. Thanks again Bob for the magnet wrist band suggestion. My brother and I are putting them up using gauge blocks off the joist caps, two guns, and scaffolding.

skyking1 · May 25

'we have about 1000 feet installed so far. We will finish the 1st floor tomorrow and I can take stock on what I might need to order. I can get some upunor locally if needed, but I get the thinfin C for less. It boils down to the shipping quote. I am guessing about 3 boxes shy. Oops.

hot_rod · May 25

What is your plan for getting around that beam?

skyking1 · May 25

That beam and bearing wall line is a loop divider. I have planned it that way. I have no desire to perforate the stacked beams.

I ran the plates up to that one and will loop up out of it as close as possible, because it happens to be under the dining room.

I will plan it so that is the turning end like this.

Upstairs the same beam has a wall over it so not such a deal for getting close to it.

Update on the screws. They are the bomb! I can quickly drill on through where ever needed in a custom location or from cutting pieces. All threads with no stupid sheet metal drill section means they grab nicely. On setting 1 on the 18V Milwaukee they do not spin out easily. On the little 12V they hammer a bit, safe and predictable.

@hot_rod

where did you get those corrugated magnet wrist bands? The ones I have are smooth and I think yours probably holds screws nicer.

We do a lot of magnet stick pick up from the dropped screws.

hot_rod · May 25

I had a pair of SilverBack fingerless gloves with a magnetic back that worked well also. They finally rotted away and came apart. The combination of wrist band and gloves loads you up with an hours worth of ammo :)

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RascalOrnery · May 25

I put up those thin flashing typew with Staples and screws and all it did was make pinch points and everything else an air gap. I ended up solving it by cutting furring strips to short length to sandwich to the subfloor, also helps prevent downward loss.

skyking1 · June 3

@hot_rod I made a little pocket tool for putting up extrusion by myself.

1/2" dowel, drilled it and put a screw 'handle' in it.

Sanded a flat on it.

It will hold up one end for me, and I use a gauge block to set the other and get a screw in it.

Come back, put a screw there and then rotate the dowel till the flat is vertical and it comes out easily.

Big shout out to Radiant Design and Supply in Bozeman. I have spoken to several different people there, and will not single out anyone because they have all been great and helpful.

I came up 32 pieces short and they are sending 32 pieces, not two boxes of 20.

They had some seconds with minor surface corrosion from outside storage. I do not care what it looks like once the sheet rock is up. That saved me some money. They are also loaning me the air hammer to put the tubing in the channel.

My 2720 SF home will have 2850 LF of extrusion, once I omit closet floors and the staircase and elevator shaft and under cabinets, bathtub, etc. I have 4000' of PEX coming.

My plan is to work the loops under ~200' total length as best I can. My first floor will get 2x6 manifolds, and the 2nd floor will get 2x4. The up and down manifolds are co-located in the same closets at either end of the house.

This will minimize deadheading, With the 3/8" I get to buy a few more manifold ports. This is not a big deal to me, as you all turned me on to ODR and letting it run, and not monkeying around with bunches of thermostats and zone control valves. That is where the money is at.

The east and west end bays are tight because they include the 2x6 wall above. I could have cheaped out there but it was a natural to put in two tight runs under those windows. Every full joist space has two runs.

EBEBRATT-Ed · June 4

What about the lath screws or the little screws they use on metal studs?

skyking1 · June 4

They lose some threads on the drilling portion. These screws are sharp and designed for wood.

https://www.homedecorhardware.com/hf-010-82-963.html

Note, I paid 19.31 a box. The price went up.

skyking1 · June 8

We have 3 loops up today. We may not be good, but we're slow.

I created a route by cutting a notch in the end of this beam. Most people would have kittens over that, but when I ran the beam calculations in BCCalc, I only specified 3.5" of bearing and the framer put it all on there because he's a framer. One of those arses also test fired few bullets into the end of it just to test the shooty thing. I ran the whole scenario past the AHJ before notching.

I get to comb out 5 tubes in there and protect it all from the sheet rock guys. What will really happen is I will put that rock up myself.

This is the landing on the way to the basement with convenient stand up manifold. I will bring 6 or 7 from floor 1 and another little manifold with 4 from floor 2. That wall is a filler to fix a bust when I designed and layed out the elevator pit. The bearing wall is beyond it. I did have a chase beyond that but I quickly took that candy wall over as my playground. Waste not want not.

when looping through, I have a few tubing crosses where it will touch and make sounds. What is the strategy there? I was thinking a figure 8 zip tie standoff, like we do in aviation.

The 3/8" has been a dream to work with. First two runs were about 210' to make it work.

We are using the uncoiler from work.

hot_rod · 3:21AM

There are hole charts for TJI also.

https://www.weyerhaeuser.com/woodproducts/document-library/document_library_detail/tj-9015/

Does that pex squeak when you rub pieces together. Some pex with the external O2 barrier can be noisy. Certain brands put an additional PE layer over the EVOH O2 barrier to take the noise out.

The uncoiler is a good place to test for squeaks :)

dealing with twists in the pex , not staple up. I have Omega extrusions now. YAY!

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