inulation options for underground pex

[mjmckinney]

For those of you who have installed Outdoor wood boilers - how did you insulate the pex tubing... foam wrap, foil insulation , double bubble foil etc . What temperature loss do you experience ?

Seems to me the commercial insulated pex is a bit pricey. There must be cheaper options and just as effective.

Thanks,

 

[nparch726]

I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but the commercial stuff like the Thermopex or Logstor is pricey because it's good and it works the best. This is definately the part of your installation that you don't want to cut any corners on or you'll be paying for it for years to come.

Just my 2 cents, but do it right and spend the money the first time and you'll never regret it!

Just curious, how long of a run from your OWB to the house?

 

[time warp]

Spend the money on the thermopex, I did'nt & wish I had.

 

[woodman6666]

This subject has been discussed many times here. Bite the bullet and get the good stuff. That being said I have a neighbor that dug his trench put a foot of cornstalks in the bottom and then bare lines and then 2 ft of cornstalks on top it has been in for 7 years and he loses 2 degrees in a 150 ft run but when he first starts pumping water in the fall he loses 5-6 degrees for a week or two, I think he is drying out moisture for the first few weeks then it seems fine.

 

[woodman6666]

Also your biggest enemy is moisture, even more important than R value.

 

[rancher2]

My lines from my Garn to my house are 375 feet and I had them spray foamed in the trench as I ran a total of four one inch lines and I loose one degree in that distance. I am very pleased with that.

 

[wooddog 066]

insulation

check out maxx-r insulation treated me real well 2 degree heatloss in 500' runs websit is www.maxx-r.com

 

[woodman6666]

check out maxx-r insulation treated me real well 2 degree heatloss in 500' runs websit is www.maxx-r.com

this website does not come up

 

[projectsho89]

That's because maxx-r and the related businesses are "Out of Business".

 

[emmeg]

That's because maxx-r and the related businesses are "Out of Business".

They are the same CROOKS that owned Timber Ridge and sold them under the name of Free Heat Machine and then filed for Bankrupty and are now attempting to run a business under the name Bio Mass Direct. BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[johnnylabguy]

I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but the commercial stuff like the Thermopex or Logstor is pricey because it's good and it works the best. This is definately the part of your installation that you don't want to cut any corners on or you'll be paying for it for years to come.

Just my 2 cents, but do it right and spend the money the first time and you'll never regret it!

+100 to the above quote!

Just from researching dozens and dozens of threads at this site and others and from friends too...DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THE PEX LINES. And I'm telling you this and I'm one of the cheapest shortcutting guys around! (That's the reason I haven't pulled the trigger on an OWB yet, because my current set up still works just well enough). When I do buy an OWB, i will use thermopex or an equivalent.
There are plenty of posts here and elsewhere from people that have burned cord after cord of wood trying to heat their house instead of the ground only to go back a year or two later and replace the whole underground lines with the good stuff. Do it right the first time my friend!

 

[topofthehil]

here's what I used to insulate my 1-1/4" Pex for underground piping. wraped the pex then slid all of that through 4" tubing.
worked good for me so far.
Aqua Heat PE-Xa
40mm x 3.7 mm
SOR 11, 200^F, -87 PSI
DIN 16892/3
O/2 barrier
DIN 4726
469 G,P,P,
NO 12682 07,06,07

 

[mjmckinney]

topofthehill,

Not sure I follow - what kind of insulation did you use as the wrap?

 

[topofthehil]

sorry about that. I was in a hurry and pasted what I used for the Pex. the insulation I used for the 1-1/4" Pex is:
EPFI
1-5/8” ID 1” WALL
R 5.8
E84.25/50
(PI257C)
<FM> 05CD
it comes in 10' sections. I slipped the insulation down the Pex and used a good quality tape to connect the insulation sections together. then I slid this into 4" corrugated tubing. there is about a 200' loop from the boiler to the house and back. when there is no load on the system, I loose less than 1^F.
I have a Garn 2000 boiler and like it a lot.