Thermopex or Logstor, any failures out there yet?

[woodsmaster]

I have calculated the flow for the runs using Tennman's spreadsheet (a great tool, thanks!) and can just get by using 1-1/4 PEX and a BIG CIRCULATOR. My first choice was dual runs of 1" PEX encapsulated in 3 lb. spray foam but the work and cost gets large. The 1" PEX can be had for $0.50/ft in large quantities but the foam will be about $1400.00. There is also the complication of insulating the entrance in the foundations of the 2 buildings to recieve heat. With this method at approximatly $2000.00 I am still looking at others. I have seen 1-1/4" Watts Triple Wrap foam in 4" Drain Tile for $5.00/Ft. Does anyone have any experience with this type of pipe? It certainly doesn't look as well insulated as the $12/ft pipes but will it work adequatly in the North East?

You get what you pay for, if you want to do it again in a year or burn a lot more wood go ahead and use it.

 

[Tennman]

Triple wrap implies wrapping?? The biggest screwup of my FIRST underground system was not appreciating the heat transfer to the dirt when water made it's way to my PEX. ANY insulation process that allows water infiltration will kill efficiency. Don't know anything about the product mentioned but anything "wrapped" will eventually allow water to find it's way in to the PEX. If the expense of really good underground system is a show stopper, do the underground right this season and the boiler next. I basically BLEW the propane expense of one heating season with a bad underground system (cost and time of the redo). In hindsite if I was really funding limited, I'd have installed a really top notch underground and the associated systems, then done the boiler. My 2 cents but look at the sticky and you'll see my costly SECOND installation.