Just bought Central Boiler 6048 - Thermopex Alternative?

[LegendsCreekFarm]

I am very glad to say that with the advice on the people here on this forum, I bought a new Central Boiler 6048, and fortunately, I bought it on the last day it was legal to buy one!

I am going to wait until spring to install because I don't even have enough wood to make it worth burning right now, but I want to be prepared and make sure I have everything I need to get this hooked up as soon as I pour my slab, set the boiler, and dig my trenches.

I have seen thermopex, but I don't want to spend that much money as I need to hook up 3 large buildings to it.  Are there any GOOD alternatives to thermopex?   I see the "bubble wrap" pex on eBay, but I am not sure if I trust it.   I will need probably about 400 feet when all is said and done in order to hook up everything I need so I would like to save some money.

Any advice would be appreciated and I am sure I will have many more questions when I continue planning my install. Thanks

[Dave Shepard]

I think you get what you pay for in this case. I've seen a few discussions about it, and since if the low cost solutions end up costing a lot of money in long run, especially when they get torn out and replaced with the more expensive stuff in the end. OWBs are big money up front, with the expectation of long term savings. If one component is not up to the task, then the system fails to meet expectations.

[JSNH]

I was reluctant to spend the $ on the central boiler thermopex. I need the boiler set up fast and in a temporary location. I had to replace my indoor burned out boiler. I purchased the thermopex and installed the boiler on the ground on blocks right next to the wood pile in January. I ran the thermo pex on the ground into the house. The snow really did not melt much around the pipe and snow would stay on it for days after a storm. From that experience I am sold on it. Do it once and do it right.

[beenthere]

Any advice would be appreciated

Don't go cheap... will cost you more in the end.

[stratford 50]

Buy the best and stay away from the rest, hardly any heat loss with the thermo pex

[hedgerow]

I have four one inch pex lines running about 450 feet I spray foam them. It has been seven years and no problem .I wouldn't use any cheap way when you are running the amount of pipe you are going to run. Unless you love cutting wood you sure don't want to be heating the ground.

[thecfarm]

I bought the cheap stuff. : Did not do enough reseach. The ground will melt the snow in about a week after a storm. I want to build a shed over my OWB and than a small greenhouse to capture that heat loss. With all that piping it will cost you a chunk of change,BUT it will save you a bundle of money.   ;D

[r.man]

There are a few factors involved in the decision about what to do. Ground water level, average ambient temperature and the cost of the wood being burned  are the three big ones that I think of. If the wood is free and your time is not a problem put in whatever you want. Other than that you probably want at least some insulation, again is your time worth much? The old way of doing it before thermo pex or its alternatives was to box in the pipes with blue styrofoam sm board ripped to the correct width. Bottom, sides, a divider and a top, held together temporarily with nails until the dirt was carefully put back in the trench. Time consuming and tricky but doable and gives good results. Not sure how it compares cost wise to the thermo. The other way I have heard of is to form an open sided trough with the pipes laid properly spaced and foam the whole thing. Again I don't know the cost but it is a way to get the  job done.

[boilerman101]

You just spent the money to buy the best boiler you can buy, don't cut corners now and cheap out on your delivery line. It will cost you money in the long run and a lot of frustration when you have to dig it up and replace it. I've had thermopex in the ground since 2003 with only 6 inches of dirt over the top and I still see no snow melt over the top. Do it once - do it right.

[LegendsCreekFarm]

Alright. I am glad I asked because it's good to have reassurances from people who have experience with it.  It doesn't make sense to go with the cheap stuff I guess. I have 52 acres of forest so the wood is free. The government is paying me to cut and harvest my own trees and turn it into firewood that I can use to heat (NRCS grants), and I have a SuperSpliter that I absolutely love using when I need to do physical labor to distract myself from my daily routine, but I am not a wasteful guy so I don't feel comfortable throwing away heat by using the cheap stuff.

I didn't realize that it was that bad and would melt snow on top of the ground, and time is valuable so it makes sense to do it right the first time.  I will use the ThermoPex, but it's going to cost a freekin fortune! Not to mention all the heat exchangers and parts I am going to also have to buy but I am sure it will all be worth it in the long run.

Now about the trenches I need to dig.  I plan on using my Cat skid steer to dig, with a fronthoe.  How deep do I "need" to go.  My neighbor says he went 3 feet deep with thermopex, is that overkill?  12 - 18 inches would be ideal but I will do whatever needs to be done.   The water table is not a problem for me.

[r.man]

Burying is for mechanical protection, not frost, here where we can get 4 feet of frost most bury the lines 2 feet or so unless heavy equipment is going to be driving over it.

[LegendsCreekFarm]

I didn't even think about the heavy equipment issue.  Yes, I will have machinery driving over it. Skid steer, tractors, excavators..

Is there a safe depth for heavy equipment?

[doctorb]

Continuing the theme of being safe and smart rather than sorry.....I would put the pex inside a pvc pipe sleeve in the areas where that heavy machinery would be overhead. I would bury 3 feet.  You don't want to ever look at this pipe again!

[Holmes]

I agree with doctorb

[thecfarm]

I plan on putting heat into the women cave,I have to cross the driveway,yes, 4 feet deep is good and put the pipe inside something. I only went down about 12-18 inches,but I filled the trench with sand. No heavy equipment goes over the lines.

[JJ]

I went down 4' with thermo pex, and dump truck sized firewood truck (3 cord) drives over it 3x per year, in spring when ground is soft.
No trouble for last 5 years.  Only backfill with earth (sand/loam/clay) with rocks bigger than golfball picked out.

          JJ

[coxy]

 I agree with every one get the good stuff  half  of mine is buried and half is still on the ground its been that way for 5 years and no trouble