my questions about OWB install and parts

[88rxn/a]

instead of making multiple threads, i figure ill post em here.

yesterday i did some shopping around at local hardware stores for the cheapest parts. i came across a store that had some PEX pipe for pretty cheap.

it was only 3/4 but for a 100' it was $56.00.
the guy at the store wasnt sure if its oxygen barrier or not? they are going to find out for me.
my questions:
is 3/4 going to be sufficent for inside of the house running to radiant baseboard heaters?
also, does it have to be oxygen barrier?

im going with the CB i think and read they need filled with water occasionally because of evaporation? and you need to pour a chemical on the ashes in order to avoid breaking the warranty?

i got a price list from the local CB dealer and it stateded for a 100' of THERMOpex was over 1k!!!??
did you guys get the size you wanted or did you have to buy it buy a 100' sections?

 

[Industry]

Sounds like the 3/4 in. pex you found was interior lines(non-insulated). The quote for $1000 for 100ft. is Insulated line for running underground from the OWB to the house. If you use the stuff you found local to go underground with you either have to insulate the H*LL out of it or you might as well build a firepit 100ft from the house and try to heat your home with that. It sounds expensive for the insulated stuff I'm sure, but that is about the going rate, and you'll be sorry if you don't use that stuff for your outside run.

 

[Sawmill]

I bought my pex off from E bay I think I bought a 300 foot roll of 1 inch for around 130 to 150 dollars with free shipping 2 years ago. You can buy fitting off there also but they are usually the same price to buy locally. Yes 3/4 inch will work but as with anything you use insulate it very well. At our other house I built an outdoor wood boiler an use 3/4 inch pex and had no problems with it. I used this set up for 8 years. We had many days the the temp was below zero. I bought the 3/4 inch pex and fittings from Menards as they were close by.

 

[88rxn/a]

the 3/4 PEX will be ran in the house only. im going to use the THERMOpex to run to the house. i just didnt know if i had to have oxygen barrier PEX? and im worried that i have to buy 100' of the THEMOpex when im going to ned half the amount i buy, 1K is alot.

and yes, the 3/4 is the un-insulated used to run indoors which i will be doing.

thanks for the help!!
keep the opinions coming please!

 

[ericjeeper]

wow lots of questions

The larger the pex the more BTUs it will carry, Do not cheap out on this factor from the boiler to the house especially. You do not want to heat the ground.Spend the money and either insulate your pipes or buy a pre insulated unit.
The chemical goes in the water not the ashes.. That will keep your ph in balance.
The 3/4 will work fine for your baseboards. Yes always try to use barrier pex.
But from the boiler to the house I would go no less than one inch.Barrier pex.

 

[88rxn/a]

im a newb when it comes to installing a OWB. thats why im asking now, i been researching but been coming up short on answers.

i started searching on Ebay and found 100' of 1" THERMOpex for 375 shipped!!
so, go 1" THERMOpex with barrier from OWB to house
3/4 is fine (preffered oxygen barrier) for inside of house.

i found a Ebay store thats pretty reasonable prices:
http://stores.ebay.com/KJ-Motorsports-dotcom_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm

 

[tr21]

im a newb when it comes to installing a OWB. thats why im asking now, i been researching but been coming up short on answers.

i started searching on Ebay and found 100' of 1" THERMOpex for 375 shipped!!
so, go 1" THERMOpex with barrier from OWB to house
3/4 is fine (preffered oxygen barrier) for inside of house.

i found a Ebay store thats pretty reasonable prices:
http://stores.ebay.com/KJ-Motorsports-dotcom_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm

very good guy to deal with i get my pipe and coils from him.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

What size is the pipe on your baseboard radiators? If they are 1" then use 1" pex. Dont use 3/4" pex and then have to adapt up to 1" radiators and then back down to 3/4" to go to the next radiator. My house came with 1" plumbing for the heat throughout.

I paid $7 a foot for my insulated pex from the boiler to the house and its not that styrofoam junk you see everyone paying $13 a foot for that requires a elbows for every bend. Its wrapped with foam insulation and incapsulated in heavy duty 4" tile. It was very easy to roll out and install and it insulates very well. I wish I had a picture but I forgot to take one.

 

[88rxn/a]

i going to buy them this summer also(baseboard heaters).
http://www.2haydon.com/baseboard.html
carter lumber (nearby hardware shop) has good prices on baseboard. ranging from $15 for a 2' COMPLETE piece to $60 for a 8' complete piece. i believe they are 1/2 ends. so should i stay with 3/4 if its 1/2'?

I paid $7 a foot for my insulated pex from the boiler to the house and its not that styrofoam junk you see everyone paying $13 a foot for that requires a elbows for every bend. Its wrapped with foam insulation and incapsulated in heavy duty 4" tile. It was very easy to roll out and install and it insulates very well. I wish I had a picture but I forgot to take one.

links?? brand names???? INFO.????
its not this stuff then??
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-1-4-Insulated...ryZ20598QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
thats only an example of what im talking about.

 

[Husky137]

You need to sit down and a have a serious talk with the CB dealer so he can explain to you exactly what you need to do. From your questions it sounds like you are in way over your head. Don't make the expensive mistakes.

Pex in the house is going to be a different beast than the pex outside underground. My CB dealer sold me only what I needed for the Thermopex line to bury underground. I didn't have to buy a whole roll of anything. Keep in mind when pricing things that the thermopex is a 1" supply and a 1" return, encapsulated in foam insulation and then sealed in a flexible and durable ABS coating. It is pricy up front but it is simple worry free installation and operation. Good things have a price.

 

[88rxn/a]

by no means am i buying the first thing that pops up. thats why i am here. to learn, share and explain my ideas and i enjoy the thoughts of others.i been trying to sit down and think of all the stuff i need for about 3 weeks. i have untill the end of the summer to have this complete. thats why i am doing research now. im looking for the cheapest yet most efficent way of doing this. i dont want to buy the most expensive of everything, im hoping if i post something someone will know somehwere cheaper perhaps online and they can post a link.
cheaper is better. i just dont want poorly made products. i may soned like i am in over my head but trust me, it will be done right. this is an investment i plan to use for MANY years to come. i dont want to be replacing things down the road any time soon.
i dont know if anyone seen my last post but right now my heating situation is a crapshoot. i have 2 sources of poor heat an old MOORES heater in the cellar and a ventless heater in the kichen.
i need almost everything for this install, baseboard heaters, PEX tubing. pumps, valves, boiler...ALL of it.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

That eBay stuff looks very similar to the stuff I used and I have very little heat loss, 3-4 degrees over 175'.

1 1/4" is overkill, just get 1" that is what most boilers are setup for.

1/2" is too small to use for the whole house. I would not go smaller than 3/4".

 

[88rxn/a]

1/2" is too small to use for the whole house. I would not go smaller than 3/4".

im sorry im horrible at explaining myself....i bet you guys are sitting there shaking your heads at me...

the ends on the baseboard heaters are 1/2'.... im guessing they can get 3/4 if needed though.

Slim and unobtrusive, this low profile Model's 750s BTU output is ideal for efficient, economical residential heating installations.* Available with heavy duty18 Guage Front Covers (Model 758) for those high traffic areas, as well as 1/2" and Type M Copper.

quoted from the haydon link i provided....so i should stay away form the 1/2 sixe baseboards??

 

[HUSKYMAN]

My baseboards are 3/4". You need to consider the total length of the loop when considering pipe size. The longer the loop the bigger the diameter needed. I would get 3/4" to make things easier on your circulating pump

 

[88rxn/a]

my calculations for upstairs is around 60' of baseboard heaters going from room to room to make a complete loop enabling me to go back downstairs to the starting point i made or the manifold then to the retun line of the boiler. this estimate will cover all the OUTSIDE walls of each room upstairs except the bathoom which is in the middle of upstairs.

 

[CHMate]

ThemoPex tubing

very good guy to deal with i get my pipe and coils from him.

I just baught a Maxim heat outdoor pellet boiler. I am putting the boiler 50' from my house and the dealer wants to charge me $14.00 a foot for ThemoPex tubing. That pretty expensive, anyone have any ideas about how large diameter and where else I can buy it cheaper?

 

[CHMate]

ThemoPex Tubing

I just baught a Maxim heat outdoor pellet boiler. I am putting the boiler 50' from my house and the dealer wants to charge me $14.00 a foot for ThemoPex tubing. That pretty expensive, anyone have any ideas about how large diameter and where else I can buy it cheaper?

 

[Wirenut2266]

Why would you want to cheap out on main run of pex to house. I would for sure run the insulated 1".....Yes alot of $$$, but well worth it in the long run. More btu's......Etc

 

[CHMate]

ThemoPex

I dont mind spending the money, I just want to see if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.

 

[CHMate]

Maxim Heat pellet boilers

I will be heating my home as well as my workshop with my boiler. Anyone have any experience with this? I have spoken to a few people who have these, but still looking for any pointers.