Am looking for a overview of pro’s, con’s, do’s & dont’s of adding antifreeze to (radiant) heat piping.
Thanks,
Andrew
Am looking for a overview of pro’s, con’s, do’s & dont’s of adding antifreeze to (radiant) heat piping.
Thanks,
Andrew
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Replies
Well I have never done that I am assuming your reffering to automotive antifreeze.
I put glycol in commercial systems (DO NOT PUT INTO YOUR CAR)
Reffered to as heat transfer liquid for both low temp freezing & high temp boiling protection. this would be a good one for constantin
Edited 10/4/2005 3:25 pm ET by plumbbill
PLumbbill,
I bet that what the person telling me meant. Any do's, don't in your mind? What's a preferred mix ratio and, generally speaking, how long before the pipes freeze when the power goes out (of course the outside air temp has everything to do with that, and house insulation, etc) but is there a rule of thumb (like more than a day, less than a week) ?
Thanks
Andrew
Well mix is = to specific gravity for what temp it protects. As constantin said about pex I have heard that glycol can cause problems.
The limited pex I have put in mostly ran on water, a couple of instances of rust inhibitors.
& as far as pipe freeze times well that's a tough one in almost all cases your plumbing will freeze before your heating system unless your mechanical room has no insulation & is exposed to the elements.
Contact your local heating or refrigeration dealer they would have more info on your local.
Can be done,but plumbbill is right about automotive antifreeze, you don't use it in a heat system. The main concern is that you make sure that you have back-flow prevention from the heat and any potable water connection, [you don't want to drink this] if you do it this way you won't have any problems. Luck.
It is my understanding that automtive-grade antifreeze (i.e. ethylene glycol) is a no-no for PEX and other plastics. Don't use it.
Propylene Glycol (sold as RV antifreeze) is less toxic and won't attack the components in the system the way ethylene glycol does. On the downside, it is more expensive than ethylene glycol, it adds a lot of viscoscity to the system (i.e. makes the pumps work harder, or not at all), it reduces the HX properties of the water, and can go acidic and rot your system from the inside out.
Thus, I'd only use glycol if I absolutely had to (remote locations, long periods of freezing, etc.). Like any antifreeze, the stuff has to be monitored to make sure it doesn't destroy the system its in, yet another step that many homeowners are unwilling to do or pay for.