I have a central boiler and called hem on this question. My dealer told me to dig 12 inches. Central boielrs answer was------ We are in minnosota and the weather here is a lot colder than in Pa. The guy quoted his as being covered with 2 inches of dirt. I have 6 inches over mine and drive heavy equipment over it all the time with no problem(due to the dealer telling me he drives all his mahcinery over his. ) I was told from central boiler that if the fire goes out you have many hours to get things fixed before having to worry about pipes freezing. I just love this stuff ! I don't get any degree drop from furnace to hot water heater at all.
how deep to bury thermo pex for oWB?
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I have a central boiler and called hem on this question. My dealer told me to dig 12 inches. Central boielrs answer was------ We are in minnosota and the weather here is a lot colder than in Pa. The guy quoted his as being covered with 2 inches of dirt. I have 6 inches over mine and drive heavy equipment over it all the time with no problem(due to the dealer telling me he drives all his mahcinery over his. ) I was told from central boiler that if the fire goes out you have many hours to get things fixed before having to worry about pipes freezing. I just love this stuff ! I don't get any degree drop from furnace to hot water heater at all.
tibikedad
ArboristSite Member
It seems to me that if "you have many hours before anything freezes", that you are indeed losing heat at that depth (or it would never freeze). Doesn't it make more sense to dig it deeper, and never have to worry about your line freezing?
Penguins87
ArboristSite Member
I live in S.Wyoming Cty,PA. I dug my ditch down two feet and 80' long. Then laid the thermopex in it. We have very sandy loom type soil. I have absolutely no snow melt on the service and less than 1/2 degree heat loss (.28)from my OWB to the first HX. I suggest going as deep as you want but no need to over do it.
goosegunner
ArboristSite Operative
I don't get the Bury it 12-18 inches deep. At $12 dollars a foot why take a chance of damage if you ever drive over it?
I find it hard to believe the pipe is so good you can drive over it when it is 12 inches down. What ever happened to "Do it right do it once"?
gg
I find it hard to believe the pipe is so good you can drive over it when it is 12 inches down. What ever happened to "Do it right do it once"?
gg
I see your concern. However--don't knock it when you don't have the proper answer researched. I have had every type of equipmentand trucks over this line that has but 6 inches of dirt on it. I also questioned why not buried under the frost line as my dealer told me 12 inches tops. I called central boiler direct to check this out. again, i was told 2 inches of dirt is plenty and buried in the frost line means nothing as it is running hot water. i have no antifeeze installed. I did what the dealer told me and what the manufacturer told me. All is well with their specifications. I have not sprung any leaks yet, and doubfully will. You can set yours up as you wish. When i said to central boiler about being in the under the frost line they thought i was nuts. So i buried it deeper than they told me---i went 12 inches deep in most places. right before the boiler i hit ledge so have about 2 inches of dirt on it. I watched my dealer drive over his with his truck that had 3 central boilers on it. He told me he does this all the time, as it goes under a drive he has. i just had a skidster(logging machine in here to drag out a cherry tree from my back yard---yes-----right over the thermopex without a problem. just letting you know how mine is set up as per dealer and manufacturer specs. Not telling you to do it this way however. You do as you wish. I understand your concerns. I had the same concerns also until i had the facts straight.
I used a pipe called ThermoFlex. It's something like the CB ThermoPex but only $8.10 per foot and free shipping. I went down 24 inches or just above the water table. The pipe is seemless so the water doen not concern me. In Minnesota our frost can go down a good 4 ft but we also get a lot of snow so this does insulate the ground. I have a 130 ft run and no heat loss in my pipes but installing the pipe took a little doing. I was told not to foam my trench because some foam will hold water.
Do not skimp on your undergound pipe.
Do not skimp on your undergound pipe.
goosegunner
ArboristSite Operative
A little sensitive....I wasn't knocking it. It just seems odd that you can drive over any pipe with 2 inches of dirt over it and not have compression.
I believe it is an outstanding product but at $12 a foot I wouldn't be driving over it 2" under, But that is just me.
gg
I have the ThermoFlex and put mine down to 24 inches for this same reason. Granted, you can get by with 18 inches or less if you are not going to drive over it. Come this spring when the ground is soft I know what happens. I had me septic line down about 3 feet and when the tractor drive over it will a load of manure, the line was ok for a few times but by fall, I was digging up that line. I have my pex down to 24 inches until I get by my boiler and then I went down to 3 feet and better just for that reason.
gwiley
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have my lines wrapped in a foam jacket and a heavy platsic sleeve and about 12" down but I see snow melt above them - especially after a lot of liquid water saturates the ground. I am planning on digging them up and either running them through new insulation or reaplcing with thermopex.
You might want to look in to ThermoFlex with an "F" Saved me about $4.00 per foot and no heat loss here in Minnesota If I were to do it again, I'd buy the same stuff. Even thinking of runnin a water line fron the barn to the garage with it this summer.
pwl
ArboristSite Lurker
Mine has been in for 5 years. The top of the Thermo-Pex is down 8 - 10". I drive over it with everything, no issues.
Dug my ThermoPex down about 30" on my 60' run. I backfilled about a foot around the pipe with sand, not sure if it helps any for insulating, but I feel a bit better about driving over it with sand backfill than with rocks and big chunks that could poke through the pipe if enough weight or force was applied.
hardy steve
ArboristSite Operative
I went down 36".I have 4 lines I wrapped together in same pipe insulation.Then put in 4" white pvc and burried.It still is the first strip of yard to melt.But the heat difference from owb to hx is on about 6-7deg.It works
