[TheForge] Shop Air using Copper

[Jerry Frost]

Steve:

Peter's exactly right, without some sort of protective 
sleeve the expansion and contraction of the PEX will 
wear holes in it sooner than later. It'd work a whole 
lot better in the concrete than under it. There's a 
side benefit though probably not significant. The heat 
shed as air is compressed will be absorbed by the slab 
making your floor at least slightly warmer.

If you check the PEX info and testing data you'll find 
that there are almost zero failures of PEX tubing in 
concrete. What does happen is something gets driven, 
drilled, etc. into it or a slab breaks and shifts 
shearing it. There's a test loop of 600' (double the 
recommended length) running water in excess of 220f 
(180f is max recommended) at 200psi. (120 is max 
recommended) and being pumped at more than 2x max 
recommended gpm. (I don't recall the number and may be 
off on the others) and it's been operating under these 
condition since sometime in the late 60's without a 
failure.

UV is BAD for it though.

I would've plumbed all the water in the house with PEX 
if it would've met code at the time, it does now but 
I'm NOT changing it out!

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.


From: "Peter Hirst" <saltydog335 at aol.com>


> I'd be careful of putting any plumbing directly in 
> the crushed stone.  The
> same expansion/contraction that breaks up concrete 
> causes abrasion in
> crushed stone.   Nothing but sand or loamy sand 
> around here, so i wouldn't
> know what to tell you to cushion it with.  Run it 
> inside black plastic water
> line probably.
>
>
>
> From: <sos at frii.com>
>
>
>> Thanks Frosty, good point.
>> I'm not sure if it applies or not--the plumbing will 
>> be buried in the
>> crushed stone that goes under the concrete slab, not 
>> actually in the slab.
>> This leaves the question of how stuff gets from 
>> under to above; yet to be
>> discussed.
>>
>> Thanks for adding the part about hydronic heat, we 
>> are using that (in the
>> house, not the shop). One more thing to keep an eye 
>> on the hvac guy.
>>
>> Steve
>>