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We are in the process of buying our retirement home and are looking at a very nice 35 year old house that has a slab-on-grade hydronic heating system. The only pipes I could find looked like metal water pipes covered with some thin black plastic material.
My concern is that the older systems before the availability of PLEX tubing have a limited lifespan and that repairs would be extremely expensive, like jackhammering out the entire floors and replacing the system.
Input/feedback from the heating experts will be appreciated.
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More likely you would just disconnect and abandon the system, as did a neighbor of my in-laws. Maybe you could pour a new gypcrete layer over top of it with all new tubing when the time comes.
Steve
*Is there a known problem that needs to be addressed ?Is there a leak somewhere ?Water in a closed system becomes "dead" after awhile and is very stable for black iron pipes, which is what I'm guessing you have.If the system was filled properly and pressurized, the pipes may be fine.Is your heating system functioning properly ?
*Alan,So far, it is not "our" system, we are considering buying the house and our main concern is the life-expectancy of the heating system pipes and the cost of repairs/replacements.It looks like the system is closed loop and uses black pipes. And to our knowledge it is working properly and has been well maintained. So, can this system still be expected to last for several decades, or is it about ready to rust through?Thanks
*On a properly maintained system, there should not be any problems with any of the visible black iron pipes, such as around the boiler.However, iron pipes poured under slabs have been known to spring leaks from corrosive reaction with the mortar mix. I am not sure how common this problem is.This is only a suggestion - one way to check for leaks would be to shut off the fill valve (if it is normally left open) and watch for any signs of the system pressure dropping over a period of time.(Make sure the boiler is turned off.)I believe there were some other suggestions posted on how to detect leaks under slab, if the search function is working.
*Just one more thing - if you really like the house and the boiler is in good condition, you can take a chance and live through a couple heating seasons and enjoy it. As Steve suggested, some runs can be bypassed and new above grade piping and radiators can be installed.Even with all the benefits touted for infloor radiant, I kindof like radiators and baseboard convectors.If you end up installing convectors or panels, will you be able to accomodate them under exterior windows ?Will you be able to run supply/return pipes to each location discreetly ?
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We are in the process of buying our retirement home and are looking at a very nice 35 year old house that has a slab-on-grade hydronic heating system. The only pipes I could find looked like metal water pipes covered with some thin black plastic material.
My concern is that the older systems before the availability of PLEX tubing have a limited lifespan and that repairs would be extremely expensive, like jackhammering out the entire floors and replacing the system.
Input/feedback from the heating experts will be appreciated.