New Pex

[Rockarosa]

I dug up my old 3 wrap that was water logged and installed Central Boilers closed cell pex piping. that's called Thermopex. I cannot believe what a difference it made. My furnace sits out there and just idles. My wood consumption has been cut by 30%. The cost and labor was well worth it. Anyone else using this pex?

 

[cantoo]

Can you get a "stickie" on this? I think this is the most important thing you can do when installing an OWB. Money well spent. Now you'll have to be selling your extra wood.

 

[svk]

My buddy just did this with his new CB. I believe this stuff loses 1 degree per 100 feet. Just incredible.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

I have a 135' run of Thermopex from the OWB to the house; today for grins I measured the outlet temperature at the boiler and where it enter the house basement wall; within one degree F, it's +6F outside right now. I did the same experiment last winter with outdoor temperatures ranging from above zero down to -25F. Same results every time. 'Nuff said.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I used the Uponor pipe when I installed mine, 120' run, 2 deg. loss.

 

[skindaddy]

i cant remember the brand of mine its incased in insulation like great stuff with a hard casing like irrigation pipe, advertised 1* drop in a football field.
anyway its awesome basicaly no drop plus installed 5ft plus in ground to keep warmer.
i'll have to take temp and see what diff is

 

[NSMaple1]

Can you get a "stickie" on this? I think this is the most important thing you can do when installing an OWB. Money well spent. Now you'll have to be selling your extra wood.

THIS.

I can't believe people are still selling, and people are still buying & installing, wrapped pipe or some kind of homemade re-creation of it. It's like installing a big radiator between the boiler & the house. Only a matter of time before moisture of some extent gets in there & starts sucking the heat out.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Yup, been harped on by those in the know for quite some time. When I have read about drops that were "only" 3-4 degrees I cringe.
If a person cannot afford the best pipe insulation then he should wait to install until he can in my humble opinion.

Skindaddy, I think Urecon is the name you are after? That is what mine is anyway. My temp loss in 65' is almost unmeasurable, sometimes I can get a degree drop sometimes reads same temp. Never been able to detect any snow melt differences but The grass on top of the pipes will green up a day or two earlier than the rest of the lawn in the spring, about like it does on top of the leach bed runs.
A piece

of Urecon under the stove.

 

[skindaddy]

similar diff brand though , and mine had 2 1" pipes inside.
its killing me not remembering the name

 

[mtfallsmikey]

What is the pipe size on that Urecon, 1 -1/2"?

 

[Butch(OH)]

The outside pipe is 6" the inside one is (3" I think? maybe 3 1/2) They also make long radius elbows of differing bends. When done with the conduit you pull standard pex through it and if ever needed you can install new lines without digging up the works. Minuses to this type installation are cost and there some heat transfer to the return line due being in contact with the feed line. Important to remember that it is not heat lost but heat returned to the OWB. It does affect the delivered BTUs but all of this is nothing unless you have a half mile run of pipe. On my system the actual loss from the stove to the house is usually 2-3 degrees BUT the return pipe is 2-3 degrees warmer at the stove than in the basement. A person would need fancier equipment than my HF infrared heat gun to know the actual loss because it is real small. I would do it again this away over any of the packaged ready to bury types. Urecon used to be supplied by Woodmaster's stove supply division but I havent looked at that site for quite some time.

 

[Rockarosa]

Can you get a "stickie" on this? I think this is the most important thing you can do when installing an OWB. Money well spent. Now you'll have to be selling your extra wood.

Not sure how to get a stickie on this site. I have been here reading for awhile but this is my first post.

 

[battlefordguy]

My buddy just did this with his new CB. I believe this stuff loses 1 degree per 100 feet. Just incredible.

I concur.

My run is 101 feet. In -40c I lose 1 degree C

Great stuff, couldn't imagine using anything else