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Repairing a Hydronic floor heating system nutz384 02-02-2007
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Posted by on February 2, 2007, 7:19 pm


I have a Concrete slab home that was built in 1954. i was outside the
other day and observes some wettness on my block foundation. i think
one of my radiant floor heat pipes is leaking. does anyone know if
there is a way to pinpoint the location of a leak? i do not want to
think of removing my entire concrete slab and having to reinstall
tubing and pour a new slab. I do want to figure out how to make the
repair because i never want to give up the floor heat.

please help


Posted by Speedy Jim on February 2, 2007, 7:41 pm


nutz384@msn.com wrote:

> I have a Concrete slab home that was built in 1954. i was outside the
> other day and observes some wettness on my block foundation. i think
> one of my radiant floor heat pipes is leaking. does anyone know if
> there is a way to pinpoint the location of a leak? i do not want to
> think of removing my entire concrete slab and having to reinstall
> tubing and pour a new slab. I do want to figure out how to make the
> repair because i never want to give up the floor heat.
>
> please help
>


Hmmmmmm Half a century of copper tube embedded in hostile
concrete? Folks would say that's end-of-life.

OK. You're committed to salvaging it.

As a first step- shut off the boiler feedwater and see if the
pressure begins to drop (over a period of days, maybe).
Refill the boiler manually to get some idea of the magnitude
of loss. That will establish that you have a hydronic leak
(or not).

There are many hi-tech instruments today for measuring
moisture content by probing the surface. If you can
pinpoint the spot, then what?

Inject a product like "Stop Leak" into the system?
That may be effective at least short term in plugging
pin holes.

A corrosion-inhibitor mixed with the boiler water *might*
help, but only if the corrosion is from within and not
on the outside. (I'm not a corrosion engineer.)

My take on this is that you are shoveling against the tide.
I would be making a plan for some alternate heating method
while plugging the leaks.

Jim

Posted by RBM on February 2, 2007, 7:49 pm


I was on a job where they jackhammered a floor like this and we found the
copper was pretty much disintegrated throughout. I'm thinking he may be
better off adding new plastic tubing in gypcrete right over the existing
slab



> nutz384@msn.com wrote:
>
>> I have a Concrete slab home that was built in 1954. i was outside the
>> other day and observes some wettness on my block foundation. i think
>> one of my radiant floor heat pipes is leaking. does anyone know if
>> there is a way to pinpoint the location of a leak? i do not want to
>> think of removing my entire concrete slab and having to reinstall
>> tubing and pour a new slab. I do want to figure out how to make the
>> repair because i never want to give up the floor heat.
>>
>> please help
>>
>
>
> Hmmmmmm Half a century of copper tube embedded in hostile
> concrete? Folks would say that's end-of-life.
>
> OK. You're committed to salvaging it.
>
> As a first step- shut off the boiler feedwater and see if the
> pressure begins to drop (over a period of days, maybe).
> Refill the boiler manually to get some idea of the magnitude
> of loss. That will establish that you have a hydronic leak
> (or not).
>
> There are many hi-tech instruments today for measuring
> moisture content by probing the surface. If you can
> pinpoint the spot, then what?
>
> Inject a product like "Stop Leak" into the system?
> That may be effective at least short term in plugging
> pin holes.
>
> A corrosion-inhibitor mixed with the boiler water *might*
> help, but only if the corrosion is from within and not
> on the outside. (I'm not a corrosion engineer.)
>
> My take on this is that you are shoveling against the tide.
> I would be making a plan for some alternate heating method
> while plugging the leaks.
>
> Jim



Posted by Speedy Jim on February 2, 2007, 8:18 pm


RBM wrote:

> I was on a job where they jackhammered a floor like this and we found the
> copper was pretty much disintegrated throughout. I'm thinking he may be
> better off adding new plastic tubing in gypcrete right over the existing
> slab


Quote: "...tubing in gypcrete right over the existing slab"

That's very good.
Jim



>
>
>
>
>>nutz384@msn.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I have a Concrete slab home that was built in 1954. i was outside the
>>>other day and observes some wettness on my block foundation. i think
>>>one of my radiant floor heat pipes is leaking. does anyone know if
>>>there is a way to pinpoint the location of a leak? i do not want to
>>>think of removing my entire concrete slab and having to reinstall
>>>tubing and pour a new slab. I do want to figure out how to make the
>>>repair because i never want to give up the floor heat.
>>>
>>>please help
>>>
>>
>>
>> Hmmmmmm Half a century of copper tube embedded in hostile
>>concrete? Folks would say that's end-of-life.
>>
>> OK. You're committed to salvaging it.
>>
>> As a first step- shut off the boiler feedwater and see if the
>>pressure begins to drop (over a period of days, maybe).
>>Refill the boiler manually to get some idea of the magnitude
>>of loss. That will establish that you have a hydronic leak
>>(or not).
>>
>> There are many hi-tech instruments today for measuring
>>moisture content by probing the surface. If you can
>>pinpoint the spot, then what?
>>
>> Inject a product like "Stop Leak" into the system?
>>That may be effective at least short term in plugging
>>pin holes.
>>
>> A corrosion-inhibitor mixed with the boiler water *might*
>>help, but only if the corrosion is from within and not
>>on the outside. (I'm not a corrosion engineer.)
>>
>> My take on this is that you are shoveling against the tide.
>>I would be making a plan for some alternate heating method
>>while plugging the leaks.
>>
>>Jim
>
>
>

Posted by DK on February 3, 2007, 8:46 am



This is by far the best answer - just lay a new floor over the top of
your hydronic slab. It will be more energy efficient and with the new
tubing will last 100 years, not 50.



On Fri, 2 Feb 2007 19:49:27 -0500, "RBM" <rbm2(remove
this)@optonline.net> wrote:

>I was on a job where they jackhammered a floor like this and we found the
>copper was pretty much disintegrated throughout. I'm thinking he may be
>better off adding new plastic tubing in gypcrete right over the existing
>slab
>
>
>
>> nutz384@msn.com wrote:
>>
>>> I have a Concrete slab home that was built in 1954. i was outside the
>>> other day and observes some wettness on my block foundation. i think
>>> one of my radiant floor heat pipes is leaking. does anyone know if
>>> there is a way to pinpoint the location of a leak? i do not want to
>>> think of removing my entire concrete slab and having to reinstall
>>> tubing and pour a new slab. I do want to figure out how to make the
>>> repair because i never want to give up the floor heat.
>>>
>>> please help
>>>
>>
>>
>> Hmmmmmm Half a century of copper tube embedded in hostile
>> concrete? Folks would say that's end-of-life.
>>
>> OK. You're committed to salvaging it.
>>
>> As a first step- shut off the boiler feedwater and see if the
>> pressure begins to drop (over a period of days, maybe).
>> Refill the boiler manually to get some idea of the magnitude
>> of loss. That will establish that you have a hydronic leak
>> (or not).
>>
>> There are many hi-tech instruments today for measuring
>> moisture content by probing the surface. If you can
>> pinpoint the spot, then what?
>>
>> Inject a product like "Stop Leak" into the system?
>> That may be effective at least short term in plugging
>> pin holes.
>>
>> A corrosion-inhibitor mixed with the boiler water *might*
>> help, but only if the corrosion is from within and not
>> on the outside. (I'm not a corrosion engineer.)
>>
>> My take on this is that you are shoveling against the tide.
>> I would be making a plan for some alternate heating method
>> while plugging the leaks.
>>
>> Jim
>


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