going to start cutting my floor tomorrow

[1956chevy210]

Well, hopefully tomorrow.

I made a post back in February about having to cut my floor because it's just not thick enough and the heating hoses in the floor are too close to where the bolts need to go. I have a week off from work and I'm ready to start cutting! What a job this is going to be.

The instructions for my lift (Tuxedo TP11KC) say if the concrete isn't thick enough to dig out and repour a 4'x4'x6" square underneath each column. I will do this at a minimum but might even go bigger if nothing else gets in the way. I'll make it at least 6" deep.

I think I'm going to just cut through the heating hoses and splice in a repair for each one. I'll make the removed portion have four straight sides with a concrete saw and then chip away the concrete a few inches back from the hoses to allow me to get a crimping ring on it. This will allow me to route the hoses away from the bottom of the columns. Judging from the wall mounted boiler and the hoses attached to it, I have mostly PEX-B and one clear PEX-A hose. I guess someone 20 years ago ran out of PEX-B and used a leftover piece of PEX-A. I'll try to find a way to drain or **** out the water/antifreeze from the system before I cut so that the hoses don't dump a bunch of water in my hole. That will probably be pretty hard to avoid though.

I'll make updates on my progress for anyone that's interested and wants to follow along.

56chev

 

[Rc_Guy]

Are you renting tools and cutting it or paying someone to cut it?

 

[AC-WC]

I would make it much deeper. I followed bendpaks guidelines for my lift.

https://www.bendpak.com/media/wysiwyg/downloads/Concrete-Slab-Footer-Recommendations-BendPak-2025.pdf

I went down 14", 2" compacted stone, 2 layers of fiberglass rebar at 12" centered and then 12" concrete. I don't have any pex in my floor though so that was much easier.
I thought about doing separate pads but it was easier to do a 3'X14' pad.

 

[1956chevy210]

Are you renting tools and cutting it or paying someone to cut it?

I'm planning on doing it myself. I'll buy instead of renting. More costly, but then I'm not rushed.

 

[1956chevy210]

I would make it much deeper. I followed bendpaks guidelines for my lift.

https://www.bendpak.com/media/wysiwyg/downloads/Concrete-Slab-Footer-Recommendations-BendPak-2025.pdf

I went down 14", 2" compacted stone, 2 layers of fiberglass rebar at 12" centered and then 12" concrete. I don't have any pex in my floor though so that was much easier.
I thought about doing separate pads but it was easier to do a 3'X14' pad.

I really like your idea of going all the way across. It seems like it would help ensure that the pads are at the exact same height since the concrete would self-level in a continuous pit rather than 2 separate ones.

Yeah, in floor heat ***** if you want to put in a lift! But everything is doable.

56chev

 

[carlaisle]

If you are expecting concrete to self-level you are going to be wildly disappointed.

 

[PopcornSutton]

Couldn't you disconnect each line at the heat source, and blow air in one and catch the water out of the other?

Cutting back the concrete around each line far enough without damaging it, aint gonna be easy. If you get it done, be sure to pressure test the connections before new concrete.

 

[larry4406]

I think I would cut 4-6” interior to the final cut line.

Then score surface at the final cut line.

Expose heat tubing. Chip back to final cut line.

Reroute tubing.

Hope your slab is slab on grade.

Here we have many structural slabs.

 

[1956chevy210]

Couldn't you disconnect each line at the heat source, and blow air in one and catch the water out of the other?

Cutting back the concrete around each line far enough without damaging it, aint gonna be easy. If you get it done, be sure to pressure test the connections before new concrete.

I agree with you, it won't be easy to avoid damaging the lines. In floor heat ***** for a job like this. But the only other option is to lose my in floor heat altogether by abandoning the system, or lose a large amount of heating capability making the system burn even more propane than it already does to try to keep up with fewer loops. I'm mentally prepared for the challenge haha.

56chev

 

[1956chevy210]

If you are expecting concrete to self-level you are going to be wildly disappointed.

I totally get your point now and see my error, thank you.

56chev

 

[1956chevy210]

Well I didn't get much done today. I drained a small cup of heating fluid and found that it didn't freeze at 20-25 degrees but did at 8 degrees. So it has some antifreeze in it. It also has a reddish (not rusty) color like it should so that's good. But it makes it hazardous waste in large quantities, so I'll have to deal with that.

Cleaned up the work area and started planning the final placement of the area to cut out. Five feet by 15 feet exceeds the manufacturers requirement and keeps me away from additional heating lines at the outer edges of the new pour.

Tomorrow is a new day.

56chev