Damage to foam during slab pour

[joes169]

Another thing people forget often are the protective sleeves that need to go over the radiant tubes where ever they will cross a saw cut joint. So, you will also need to plan these out ahead of time and make sure you have those laid out.

Never heard of, or seen them, in my life. Actually, never found the need for them either, as long as you have appropriate concrete cover, the pex is adequately stapled, and you use an actual control joint saw that holds a consistent depth of cut.

A few years ago, I poured a 2.25" thick floor over pex on the second floor of an octogan barn, to be a finished apartment floor. I sawed a 4' grid on 45 degree angles to compliment the acid staining. If I didn't need protective sheeves for that job, I don't think I ever will........

 

[wssix99]

Never heard of, or seen them, in my life. Actually, never found the need for them either, as long as you have appropriate concrete cover, the pex is adequately stapled, and you use an actual control joint saw that holds a consistent depth of cut.

Every PEX manufacturer will reference them in their instructions. Check out page #4 in this one.

http://www.uponorpro.com/~/media/Ex...nual_7thEd_0711_Ch6.ashx?version=072920111126

They aren't there to protect against the cutting but are there to keep the PEX from stressing (and potentially cracking) when the concrete cracks along the control joints or moves along an expansion joint.

If you have to pay for any repairs ^ this is great insurance. In my case, living and having to move around a repair is much worse than the prospect of paying for one or actually doing it myself!

A few years ago, I poured a 2.25" thick floor over pex on the second floor of an octogan barn, to be a finished apartment floor. I sawed a 4' grid on 45 degree angles to compliment the acid staining. If I didn't need protective sheeves for that job, I don't think I ever will........

The more heavily reinforced you are, the less you'd need to rely on this type of protection because the rebar will take up some of the stress from the cracking. (The rebar keeps the cracks tight/narrow and thus the any stresses on the PEX would be much less.)

If I were doing a small grid with this many cuts, I'd make sure it was reinforced to the point where no control joints are required at all. Then any stresses on the PEX wouldn't be a worry. (ACI gives a design spec for this. I epoxy coated my foyer and went this route and it worked out great - no joints and no cracks at all.)

 

[joes169]

Every PEX manufacturer will reference them in their instructions. Check out page #4 in this one.

http://www.uponorpro.com/~/media/Ex...nual_7thEd_0711_Ch6.ashx?version=072920111126

They aren't there to protect against the cutting but are there to keep the PEX from stressing (and potentially cracking) when the concrete cracks along the control joints or moves along an expansion joint.

If you have to pay for any repairs ^ this is great insurance. In my case, living and having to move around a repair is much worse than the prospect of paying for one or actually doing it myself!


Did you read the link you supplied? They don't require anything special for control joints (the most common joint by far in residential garages) other than ensuring you don't saw through them.......

The more heavily reinforced you are, the less you'd need to rely on this type of protection because the rebar will take up some of the stress from the cracking. (The rebar keeps the cracks tight/narrow and thus the any stresses on the PEX would be much less.)

If I were doing a small grid with this many cuts, I'd make sure it was reinforced to the point where no control joints are required at all. Then any stresses on the PEX wouldn't be a worry. (ACI gives a design spec for this. I epoxy coated my foyer and went this route and it worked out great - no joints and no cracks at all.)

The joints were partially asthetic. Hairline cacks may be acceptable under epoxy finishes, they certainly aren't in an acid stained floor IMPO. Not to mention, this was an interior apartment, with interior walls already in place, meaning corners and intersections everywhere, begging for re-entrant cracks.......

 

[Jim Riseborough]

Rebar helps against frost heaving. I have witnessed this first hand. I had a slab with no rebar and a slab with rebar. Both with the same base and compaction. The slab without the bar heaved worse by far. Hands down.

Thus the reason to have good subgrade, I would not want my structure to be subjected to frost heave. Best to design that out of the equation.

'Yes my slab didnt crack, but i forgot to put mesh in my drywall, and its all busted to hell from the frost heave, and my windows wont open'

 

[jevoy]

Make sure you slope your concrete apron around your door properly.

 

[sledneck32!]

Have poured many slabs with power buggies over rebar and pex tubing and foam... No issues

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

 

[ProCharger]

Last few I did we used these panels for the tubing. http://www.nudura.com/divisions/nudura-products/integrated-series/hydrofoam. Very easy to wheel over, you could add mesh or rebar if you wanted with no issues either, homeowners on the ones I did didn't want it. Awesome product in my opinion.

 

[ALinCarolina]

That looks like a very innovative product. How does the cost compare to regular foam for a 2000 sq ft slab?