Vanguard radiant tubing

[RowCropRenegade]

I've finally got all my prep work done for the concrete. The only supplies I am lacking is my 1/2" pex A for infloor heat.

The local supplier carries Vanguard, which he told me is now Viega. Couldn't tell me if it was type A B or C.

Anyone have Vanguard or Viega products?

 

[in hot water]

Vanguard made a fine tube no problem as long as it is oxygen barrier. I thought that name went away 3 years or so ago? How old is the tube? What color is it? Vanguard radiant tube was red, plumbing pex was white and blue, as I recall. Make sure it was stored properly, in a box out of sun or UV lights.

Viega FostaPex is my favorite, but it requires a special strip tool to assemble. It a pex with the aluminum layer on the outside, very nice to bend and install as it works like soft copper.

hr

 

[RowCropRenegade]

the local supplier probably doesn't sell much of it I'm guessing. It is oxygen barrier but I definately want pex A from what I've read and heard.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[heaterman]

Pex tubing 101

Pex A is extruded under heat and pressure which causes the cross linking of the polyethylene molecules

Pex B during the extrusion process, silane is injected into the mix to cause cross linking (Viega is pex-b)

Pex C is bombarded by electron beams (microwaved?) which causes the cross linking to occur.

In the beginning when Dr Engel created pex, the A method of cross linking was superior to the other methods as far as uniformity goes. AFAIK, Rehau and Uponor are the only companies using PexA yet. There are probably others....... Pex B is more flexible than either of the other two methods. Pex C is generally regarded to be the least uniform from what I was told in the past and is the "stiffest" to work with from my experience. None of it is fun when it's below 50*

All methods currently yield a very good product as far as strength and uniformity go...........but notice this..............the method of cross linking has nothing to do with the O2 barrier in/on the tube. When dealing with heating systems the integrity of the barrier is at least as important as the manufacturing method of the tube itself. The commonly used method of making the tube "O2 proof" is to add a layer of EVOH to it. There are manufacturers in the industry that simply apply this layer to the exterior of the tube. The sticky here is that inevitably, during handling, burying it in cement, sand or what ever, that micron thick coating is scuffed and or worn away. Most major manufacturers sandwich the EVOH inbetween an inner and outer layer of pex thus protecting and preserving the barrier over the entire product life. The method used to ensure the longterm integrity of the barrier is obviously very important.

Class dismissed! We can all go out and play now.

PS: IIRC, Vangaurd used to apply the barrier on the exterior of the tube and for that reason I never used it myself.

 

[pybyr]

Quick chime in to Heaterman's info-- the PEX-a apparently relies on addition of peroxide during the extrusion of the polyethylene -- that (along with heat) is what causes the cross-linking to occur. This company-- apparently founded by one of the developers of the Engel method for PEX-a, has various products available

http://www.mrpexsystems.com/

I haven't used their products yet-- but I do see that they're now offering PEX-AL-PEX (with the aluminum oxygen barrier within the walls of the tubing) in addition to basic PEX

 

[heaterman]

Quick chime in to Heaterman's info-- the PEX-a apparently relies on addition of peroxide during the extrusion of the polyethylene -- that (along with heat) is what causes the cross-linking to occur. This company-- apparently founded by one of the developers of the Engel method for PEX-a, has various products available

http://www.mrpexsystems.com/

I haven't used their products yet-- but I do see that they're now offering PEX-AL-PEX (with the aluminum oxygen barrier within the walls of the tubing) in addition to basic PEX

Absolutely correct on all counts

Thanks for the reinforcement

 

[RowCropRenegade]

I'm at a snails pace on getting this concrete into gear. The radiant tube is one issue. I'll check that website out. Pexsupply.com online chat is really bad, turned me off from them.

The other issue is getting the foamboard exterior forms. Each corner is a different height so I made them all the height of the highest corner. Maybe a mistake. I'm guessing I'll have to go back and do some cutting before or after concrete. Not sure which one. Some places foam board is lower than foundation other places above. Makes my eyes cockeyed looking at it. lol.

I did get to test out my new cable for pulling on trees. The one behind garage split out during ike and fell on my freshly painted fuel oil/propane tanks. I wasn't about to let it fall in garn room. It was leaning towards that room. Needing that 1" 100 ft tow cable. I took some pictures, but camera is out in the truck. Silver maple. Tested out our new saw, its a john deere. But its really a huskvarnah (sp?). I still like my still better. I can see where chain changing can be a real pain.