In floor heat and control cuts

[Ord]

I am about to lay out the pex, and I was wondering what you all do about the crack control cuts. It will make a very complicated layout if I try to keep the tubing from running under all the lines that will be cut.

The pex is being tied to wire mesh, so it will get pulled up to (hopefully) just about half way when the floor is poured, but I do worry that it might end up too high somewhere.

 

[Possum]

Since it will be hard to say where that pex and mesh will end up (my bet is the bottom) maybe a tooled joint or zip strips could be the hot ticket.

 

[Ord]

I wonder if I am better off just leaving the mesh and pex at the bottom and adding some rebar higher up?

 

[pstnbly]

The pex should be sleeved in pvc conduit at the control joint ( .5 inch pex .75 inch conduit about 6inches either side of the joint)

 

[ScaldedDog]

I wonder if I am better off just leaving the mesh and pex at the bottom and adding some rebar higher up?

That's what I did, and would do again.

Mark

 

[Possum]

How about skip the mesh, staple the pex, and use rebar?

 

[Ord]

The sub contractor who will do the concrete is coming later today, I'll discuss options with him. We are planning to pour on Friday. The mesh and pex are already laid out and tied.

I know that the builder I am using normally uses just wire mesh and they don't do any cuts at all.

 

[custom1]

What are the dimensions? The garage we built at my last house (1988) was 24x24x5". It didn't have any control joints and it never cracked anywhere. It even had an apron 2 feet outside the doors that people said would break off, but it never did.


My new garage floor is about 27x35 with pex tied to the mesh and pulled up(probably on the bottom) and I used the zip strips. I had never seen them before. I like the way it came out. You can just barely tell where they are and there is no groove in the floor to fill up with crud. I don't have any sleeves at the few places the pex crosses the joints. I figured if the floor moves enough to break the pex I have big problems.

John

 

[willymakeit]

Control cuts are usally 1/3 the depth of the conrete slab. As suggesyed you can also tool the joints.

 

[nate379]

Nothing at my place. Just pex and the cuts. If the slab moves enough to tear open the Pex you have other issues to worry about as well IMO.

 

[Ord]

What are the dimensions? The garage we built at my last house (1988) was 24x24x5". It didn't have any control joints and it never cracked anywhere. It even had an apron 2 feet outside the doors that people said would break off, but it never did.

John

The dimensions are 26'x40'x5.5"

I'll ask about those strips.

 

[stingry]

I just poured my 3700 sq ft floor. Layed down 2" insulation board, stapled the pex to it then laid wire mesh over the pex. 5" of concrete. This way I know where the pex is (at the bottom) and can cut control joints wherever necessary. Most people think that the mesh and rebar should be near the center of the pour but this is incorrect. Concrete has little resistance to tension but is excellent in compression. When a vertical load is placed on a slab, the compression load is at the top of the slab and the tensile load is at the bottom, thus the need for mesh/rebar near the bottom.

Cheers
Steve