On Tuesday and Wednesday April 22nd and 23rd, we worked on creating the giant barrier PEX maze that will allow hot water to flow through it and help insulate/heat the basement ("Hydronic Heat"). We screwed more than 500 pex clips into the rigid foam board to secure the 1000 feet of 1/2" oxygen barrier PEX tubing in place. In most places, the tubing is 12" on center, except for where it is closer to the outside window and door walls, where we tried to loop it 9" or less on center due to higher heat loss potential. The basement is divided into 4 different "runs", but it is considered all one "zone". There are 2 copper manifolds, each with 4 ports which allow for output of the hot water and return of the water post heating of the slab. We needed to pressurize the system to check for leaks before the inspection (and during the concrete pour). No Leaks! The system stayed pressurized at 50 psi (which was the inspection requirement) and we successfully passed our 2nd plumbing inspection on Thursday April 24th. The 4" thick poured basement will encapsulate all of this tubing, so everything needed to be perfect before pouring. Once the basement is poured, it is difficult to change or fix anything. After we are in the house, we plan to hook the system up to its own heat source, most likely a tankless hot water heater.
